IMMERSION INTO WHAT?
Why We Can’t Wait is launching Freedom Circle Spiritual Support
Groups — racially and socio-economically diverse small groups of
spiritual formation. In these groups, we don’t just talk about the
importance of in-depth of relationship with those whose lives are
different from our own; we are instead immersed in those
relationships. We don’t just speculate on the distance between poverty
and wealth; we enter into the tension and allow ourselves to be
reconciled to each other and to God. We are immersed in each others’
lives, and in so doing, we find ourselves more fully immersed — more
fully baptized—in the life of God.
Another word for “Baptism” is “immersion.”
As in, “What then shall we do?” “Repent and be immersed.”
And, “Go ye therefore and make learners of all nations,
immersing them in the name of the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”
Through immersion, the Body of Christ
is dismantling mass incarceration by
offering its own heart, drenched in Jesus,
as the foundation for a new kind of restorative justice.
Not only have we found Freedom Circles to be a powerful form of
immersion into a new way of being the Body of Christ, we also know
that immersion into a loving, forgiving, faith-filled community is critical
for those who are coming home from incarceration. Freedom Circles
are building blocks for a new way of restorative justice and reentry, and are building blocks for a new way of being Church.
HOW AM I IMMERSED?
Immersion is a 10 week experience of a new way of being community
in Christ, requiring a twice-per-week commitment from Sept. 16 - Nov. 18, 2014.
Immersion includes:
Weekly Participation in an
Immersion Class
Tuesday nights
6:30-8:00pm
@ The Community Room
in the Ritz
1631 Euclid St. NW
Weekly Participation in a 1 hour
Freedom Circle
- Tues @ 4:30pm
- Wed @ 4:30pm, or
- Thurs @ 7:30pm
@ The Festival Center
1640 Columbia Rd. NW
Soup and bread will be served during the Immersion classes.
Feel free to bring a contribution to the meal.
Immersion includes reading assignments and reflection papers,
and will prepare you for leadership in a Freedom Circle within
your own congregation. As Immersion explores the realities of
mass incarceration, our conversations topics will include:
- Mass incarceration as framed by Jesus, Gandhi and
King
- Faith-filled, non-violent response to evil
- Exploring relationship to power, wealth and status
- Freedom Circles at work in the community
- Linking a new kind of faith community with new
practices of restorative justice
The cost of the immersion experience is $50.00.
Register by calling (202) 387-8001 by Friday, Sept. 5th.