anti-racism
No Greater Love:
an anti-racism journey
Six Week Online Program
$425
Begins September 21, 2023
Wednesdays
4 - 6 pm PACIFIC
A safe space for people to build deeper empathy, self-awareness and honesty concerning the influence of white supremacy on culture, spirituality and earth
A wild spirituality is more than reconnecting with trees. Systemic disconnection from a sacred Earth is directly connected with the systemic oppression of sacred humanity. The white Christian church, in particular, has cultivated the religious, political, economic and social superiority of white people, distorting the institution of the Church, the message of Jesus and diminishing our capacity for an authentic and wild spirituality.
Who is this for?
This group is a sensitively held container for people of all ethnicities and will be particularly helpful to white people who are ready to address race issues at a deeper level.
No Greater Love is designed to help attendees hold the tension of differing points of view with respect, curiosity and grace.
Why this course?
No Greater Love is a six-week online group that meets weekly. Leaders Marté Riley and Bryan Smith have invested many years in anti-racism work within their churches and communities.
No Greater Love is a multi-media approach to creating a safe space for people to build deeper empathy, self-awareness and honesty concerning the influence of white supremacy in our dominant cultures.
What do sessions include?
Weekly online gatherings
Deep listening & conversation in breakout groups
Multi-media presentations using video clips, music, poetry, learnings on historic and current events
Opportunities for embodied contemplation to process the endemic influence of white supremacy, particularly for those of us who live in the United States
GUIDES:
Marté Riley
Bryan Smith
MARTÉ RILEY is a lifelong disciple of nature and lover of animals. She is also a published poet, musician, classically trained singer and social justice activist. A graduate of Seminary of the Wild’s Year-Long Certificate Cohort, she is excited to co-facilitate this program. Marté lives in Vista, CA with her husband, James, her daughter, Rebecca, and their fur baby, Nina.
BRYAN SMITH, Co-founder of Seminary of the Wild and a PCUSA pastor for over 30 years has been involved in anti-racism work for the past twenty years. He was a member of the Detroit Presbytery’s anti-racism team for several years and was a founding member of the Beloved Community in Canton, Michigan, which worked to promote justice and equity in the township public school system and police department. He has been a trainer in anti-racism work in various capacities throughout the metro Detroit area.