Anti-Racism Training and Programs

LHRA works with secular/religious organizations through various programs and services.

Regarding Bridges

The Regarding Bridges Programs offer experience and training in transcending cultural barriers and overcoming stereotypes, misinformation, and fears in order to move towards relationships that are meaningful and mutually supportive.

Options include:

Regarding Bridges - Bible Study, Needing Building Crossing
This is a six session program resource for Bible Study and small group dialogue. It is a scripturally base study designed to expand awareness of oneself, to deepen understanding of the reality of others, and to develop ability for sensitive and effective community healing and building across differences. This resource is ideal for groups just beginning the conversation about our disconnectedness as human family, a Lenten resource, or as an adult forum resource.
The materials include a Leader Guide - $10 and $5/ Participant Book, plus shipping.

Bridges of Human Community Trainings/Workshops:
This program include several opportunities for congregations or groups who want to engage in introductory to advanced understanding of the dynamics of racism and other human oppressions. Basic concepts and models of racial identity development are explored and discussed using a holistic approach to learning including use of scripture as story and teacher, current psychological and social analysis tools, and small group discussion.

Introductory Sessions
This is a 1 ½ -2 day introductory program that teaches basic anti-racism/anti-oppression concepts and provides biblical exploration and understanding for examining how we, our cultures and institutions function compared to God’s plan for reconciliation with God and with each other. Many groups do this over a Friday evening all day Saturday time frame, but it can be adjusted to fit other schedules.

Action Resource
This program is a 1 day action exercise using a biblical text as example to set up goals and objectives for an action plan as a part of a congregation’s or organizations transformational work. This workshop can be repeated and new goals and checks set up over a time period.

Tending Bridges
This is an advanced 2-4 day training for those who have had LHRA's Introductory or some other initial training and want to explore additional biblical texts, get a deeper understanding of the personal, cultural, and institutional conditions that keep us bound to racist/oppressive/internalized behaviors, and begin developing, continue work on or evaluate current plans to break these behavioral bonds, build new mind sets, ways of behaving, and create anti-racist/anti-oppressive practices and policies.

Congregation/Institution Programs

The Covenant Congregation/Institution Program will provide support for congregations/institutions that are active in the work of social justice or looking for ways to begin. In addition to supporting LHRA’s work, your congregation’s donation will enable you to receive two resources a year to use as a springboard into a variety of peace and justice related topics selected with participant input. This program can be especially helpful to congregations/organizations in partner relationships. Tools, skills and plan of action are critical to moving these relationships to greater breadth and depth.

R.E.A.P Congregational Partnership/Accompaniment Program

The R.E.A.P. will help build and maintain relationships with your partner congregation/organization. Programs are tailored to address and act on key knowledge, tools and skills, and to address challenges that keep your congregation's or organization's relationships from progressing into deeper, more authentic, life-giving representations of caring and just community.

Core learning/activities might include:
Awareness – Becoming conscious of conditions/circumstances affecting people’s lives within and outside your congregation/organization;
Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression Work – Understanding the dynamics of racism, sexism, classism, and other oppressions and how they affect your relationships;
Analysis – Examination of your partner relationship(s) and how they are functioning, power elements, breadth and depth of growth;
Action/Strategy – Setting goals, a plan and timeline to work on specific elements of your relationships, and deepening conversations/interaction;
Accountability – Building into goals, plans, and strategies that will be responsible for what.

Contact us today, for a consultation on how we can help your relationships R.E.A.P. abundant gifts. Make an investment in yourselves and others today!

Galatians 3: 26-28 "For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." (NRSV)

** Interested? Looking for more information? Customized workshops? **
We would be happy to create a program to meet your goals and needs to work against racism, and other manifestations of human oppression and build or repair relationships.  We can also work with you to partner with other organizations for workshops to help defray the cost.

For more information on our programs contact us:

Lutheran Human Relations Association

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