Becoming Beloved Community
The Becoming Beloved Community Team of the Christian Church (DOC) in Greater Kansas City started as the Region's pro-reconciling and anti-racism team in the spring of 2019. Recognizing that the church has been a part of starting and sustaining racism over the years, and recognizing that Jesus calls us to work for justice and equity, we seek to empower Greater KC Disciples to be a part of the movement for wholeness through education, relationship-building, and actions leveraging change.
​
Our Team is volunteer-led and operated. We consist of 10-15 pastors and lay people from around the Greater KC Region.
We network with local congregations, local community organizers, other Regions & the General Church. Since 2019, we have:
1
Financially supported Community Organizing organizations like MORE2, NAACP, and local celebrations of the Civil Rights movement
4
Juneteenth 2020 virtual event raising awareness of KC racism, history of Juneteenth, and history of the struggle against racism
7
Virtual daily Holy Week justice-centered devotions
10
Sent letter to Board of Police Commissioners in KC to request that Chief Smith no longer be allowed to be Chief of KCPD.
2
Created and led a workshop on becoming trauma-informed, especially with sensitivity to the traumas caused by racism
5
Virtual daily Advent justice-centered devotions
8
Wrote grants to empower translation of the Anti-Racism Pro-Reconciliation training into Spanish
11
Led the inaugural KC Racial Justice Summit in 2023, incorporating community organizers addressing racial justice in KC, building their bases, empowering congregations and local residents with the theological reasons, resource, know-how, and motivation to get involved in the work.
3
Led 3 follow-up groups to go deeper in creating tangible actions based on what was learned at the workshop about racism and trauma
​
6
Virtual weekly Lenten justice-centered prayer times, along with education on fasting
9
Sent 4 people to Gamaliel Community Organizing training
12
Provided multiple virtual book studies and small groups for our congregations (and even some from across the country) to grow in understanding of racism’s historical and ongoing impacts as well as self-awareness of growth needed in order to be part of the healing.