Community Engagement and Public Witness
Coordinator of Community Engagement and Public Witness
Rev. Laura Walters
YOU SHOULD BE HERE IF...
YOU'RE SEEKING TO
ENGAGE YOUR COMMUNITY IN NEW WAYS
YOU WANT TO
JOIN GOD IN THE WORK OF MENDING THE WORLD
YOU'RE INTERESTED IN
DISCOVERING WHO IS YOUR NEIGHBOR
YOU WANT TO
DEVELOP COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
YOU NEED TO
EXPLORE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A GOOD ALLY
UPCOMING EVENT
AVAILABLE SOON
Grace Presbytery hosted a webinar on March 20, 2025 with immigration experts, sharing resources and current updates. We had permission to record the presentation, so all can access this invaluable information. The recording will be posted by the end of March. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
PUBLIC WITNESS AND DISTANCE ADVOCACY THROUGH TEXAS IMPACT
Along with Texas Impact, our partner in ministry, you can receive action alerts, volunteer your time, get others involved in your area, and watch hearings and floor procedures.
Build Your Legislative Connections
* Schedule pre-session district visits with your legislative office - email [email protected] if you need assistance.
Join the thousands of Texans who rely on Texas Impact for clarity on faith and policy. They offer accurate information from experts and leaders.
MORE RESOURCES FOR DISTANCE ADVOCACY
WHY CALL: Following & Participating in Government
People of faith are ideally suited to participate in the legislative process. Our faith shows us how to be with and for one another. Understanding what the legislature is doing and how it affects society is a way of being in community with one another. And it’s how we can better love our neighbors. Use the links below to follow and understand what is coming before the Texas legislature in this session. (Access Decoding the Dome by subscribing to their free email option.)
WHO TO CALL: Finding Your Representative
Knowing who represents you in local, state, and federal governments is a way of claiming association with your community. It’s our connection with our neighbors and what is happening in the world around us. Search for your representatives by your home address or home county through "Who Represents Me", or search for numbers grouped by committee focus.
HOW TO CALL: Educating & Preparing Yourself
Consider how our faith relates to these matters, and what are other faith leaders saying. How are we called to act with love in this process? To prepare, watch videos from Lege TV, curated by Texas Impact, highlighting key legislative topics. Weekly Witness offers an opportunity to learn about public policy issues from a faith perspective and find ways to engage. It is broadcast live on Facebook with a studio audience, and the podcast is available the day after the live recording.
BUILDING AN ANTI-RACISM POLICY
About Anti-Racism
All PC(USA) churches and mid-councils are now required to have some form of an anti-racism policy.
Why do we need to do this now? Why does it need to be an anti-racism policy? What even is an anti-racism policy?
Consider what this policy isn’t: A long, drawn-out document covering everything having to do with racism. It’s not a perfect document. It does not have to cross every “T” or dot every “I.” It’s not a document of things you shouldn’t do (although some of that may be addressed.)
It is a living document that is crafted by each institution in their particular place and their particular time. It’s a document that meets you where you are. It lists the next best steps for your congregation to address issues of racial injustice. It’s a how to love your neighbor document. Essentially, this is a policy of yeses, not nos. It’s a policy of what you CAN DO!
It can be simple, but the work won’t be easy.
Feedback from an Anti-Racism Workshop
I would encourage other churches to take advantage of Laura’s wisdom, skills, and energy. Our experience has been positive and encouraging. We know we have work to do, but we are now more open to seeing, listening to, working with and learning from others in this one world that God has given to us all. The following is a list of our initial steps to developing an anti-racism policy for our church:
- The hardest step is the first one - agree to begin the work and get a commitment from all involved
- Visit with Laura and schedule a time when the full group can work without interruption for several hours
- Schedule a planning time with Laura and a few leaders to plan the meeting
- Provide a safe place and time to visit over a meal
- Agree to initial steps and have a sub-group bring a summary to the full group
- Schedule follow-up work sessions and review progress knowing that growth isn’t always in a straight line.
- Pray for open minds and open hearts—the opportunities will follow”
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC WITNESS + RESOURCES
- Service Never Sleeps
- Presbyterian Mission: LGBTQIA
- More Light
- Covenant Network
- Queering Contemplation: Finding Queerness in the Roots and Future of Contemplative Spirituality by Cassidy Hall
- Disability and the Church: A Vision for Diversity and Inclusion by Lamar Hardwick
- Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally
by Emily Ladau - On the Spectrum: Autism, Faith, and the Gifts of Neurodiversity by Daniel Bowman Jr.
- Never the Less She Preached
- SHE: Five Keys to Unlock the Power of Women in Ministry by Karoline Lewis
- Reproductive Rights
Christian nationalism distorts both our faith and our country. It seeks to merge Christian and American identities, posing a threat to both. Use these resources to start a conversation about Christian Nationalism. Laura Walters can facilitate a discussion with your congregation.
- CACN - full of videos, discussion guides, FAQ, and more.
- Presbyterian Mission: Faith & Patriotism
- Amanda Tyler's presentation on Christian Nationalism.
- God & Country - streaming on Amazon Prime, AppleTV, and Peacock.
- Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism's Unholy War on Democracy - streaming on Amazon Prime and AppleTV.
- Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
- How to End Christian Nationalism by Amanda Tyler
MICAH 6:8
God has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?
"What if by some miracle, and all our struggle, the Earth is spared, only justice to every living thing (and everything alive) will save humankind…"
by Alice Walker
INHALE: God, how long? EXHALE: Justice is coming.
by Cole Arthur Riley
ENGAGE, WITNESS, & SUPPORT WITH EXPANSIVENESS, CONNECTION, & LOVE IN ACTION
