Shifting Paradigms Series
Shared ministry, dismantling supremacy culture, beloved community - many of these phrases and ideas seem great, but also sometimes frustratingly abstract. It can be hard to understand how we actually "do" these things: we are pushing against the edges of our imagination, since the dominant culture is the only thing many of us have ever known. How can we help support our community of communities in shifting toward a more liberatory, faithful, and authentically multicultural paradigm, if we have not experienced it ourselves?
The Shifting Paradigms series aims to help answer this question - and to help our congregation explore some shared reference points, understanding, and imagining around what is possible on the social change that many of us want to bring about. Participants are asked to read the book in advance, reflecting on the following questions as they read. Each session involves sharing and listening to what came up in answer to these questions.
- What areas of resonance, celebration, or affirmation did you encounter? What passages or messages prompted a "YES!" from you?
- Were there any parts that prompted resistance, confusion, challenge, or conflict within you?
- Considering your points of resonance and resistance from the first two questions, is there an invitation or emerging understanding that you are now wanting to explore?
- How is this relevant to the life of this church, as a community of communities? How can we use or apply this understanding?
The goal is to spark our individual and collective imagination and creativity, enabling us to engage more deeply and intentionally in the paradigm shift toward beloved community. Below are the dates and books scheduled for the Shifting Paradigms Series this coming program year. All sessions will be held in the lower level, and participants are welcome to bring their own (nut-free) lunch.
Click the sessions below to learn more and register
Upcoming Sessions
See No Stranger by Valarie Kaur
Description from https://valariekaur.com/books/see-no-stranger/
“Valarie Kaur — renowned Sikh activist, filmmaker, and civil rights lawyer — has ignited the hearts of millions around the globe, making “Breathe and Push!” a mantra in movements for social change. Now in her stunning debut, Kaur declares revolutionary love is the call of our times, a radical, joyful practice that extends in three directions: to others, to our opponents, and to ourselves. It enjoins us to see no stranger but instead look at others and say: You are a part of me I do not yet know.
Drawing from the wisdom of sages, scientists, and activists—and her own riveting journey as a brown girl growing up in California farmland; as a young adult galvanized by the murders of Sikhs after 9/11; as a law student fighting injustices in American prisons and on Guantánamo Bay; as an activist working with communities recovering from xenophobic attacks; and as a woman trying to heal from her own experiences with sexual assault and police violence – Kaur discovers practices of revolutionary love to bring us longevity, resilience, and joy.
See No Stranger is a practical guide to changing the world, a synthesis of wisdom, a chronicle of personal and communal history—all joined together by a story of awakening. Revolutionary love is medicine for our times. It just might be our best chance for our collective future.”
Citizens by Jon Alexander
Citizens explores the realities of the consumer culture many take for granted and its impact on our communities and institutions, and then imagines a citizen culture in which abundance, creativity, empowerment are held at the core. Using real world examples and contemporary experiments from around the world, Alexander helps the reader to envision radically new (or old!) ways of being in the world, and how a citizen culture might help us to address issues ranging from economic inequality to climate change to systems of oppression.
Mistakes and Miracles by Nancy Palmer Jones & Karin Lin
Description from https://www.uua.org/products/mistakes-and-miracles
“What calls Unitarian Universalists to create multicultural, antiracist Beloved Community? What do congregations need when they embark on this journey? What common threads run through their stories? Nancy Palmer Jones and Karin Lin—a white minister and a lay person of color—share how five diverse congregations encounter frustrations and disappointments, as well as hope and wonder, once they commit to the journey. Mistakes abound. Miracles of transformation and joy emerge too. Extensively researched and thoughtfully written—with reflection questions at the end of each chapter—Mistakes and Miracles: Congregations on the Road to Multiculturalism will guide readers to apply these stories to their own communities, develop next steps, and renew their commitment to this hard but meaningful work.”
Previous books in the Shifting Paradigms series:
- Social Change Now by Deepa Iyer
- emergent strategy by adrienne maree brown
- Active Hope by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone