PRAY AND BREAK BREAD Report

PRAY AND BREAK BREAD Report 2014-2015

Pray and Break Bread 2014-2015 A G R E A T F I R S T Y E A R! In Pray and Break Bread s first year, we took 25 students, staff and faculty off campus to meet our neighbors. On 4 trips throughout the year, we traveled to St. Paul and Minneapolis faith communities and faith-based social justice organizations to listen, make connections, and reflect. Thank you so much to Bethlehem Lutheran for making this first year of Pray and Break Bread possible! We experienced interfaith dialogue and immersed ourselves in the Twin Cities religious diversity. We heard stories of our cities rich history, the ongoing intersecting realities of discrimination and poverty, and the many different ways local faith leaders engage in working for justice. On each trip, participants engaged in conversation connecting their coursework and vocation to the worlds of our neighbors, taking their academic and theological learning to the streets. By emphasizing meaningful relationship-building with neighbors of other faiths and people of color, we invited participants to destabilize centers of power, to become open to listening, and to be challenged. On our trips, local faith leaders and activists witnessed that seminarians specifically and Lutheran Christians in general do care about listening to our communities. We gained tools and role models for faith-based direct action, and worked on building stronger relationships with each other and with our community. Seminarians who experienced Pray and Break Bread expressed great interest in continuing the relationships, activism and conversations they began on the trips. Page 1

Numbers Trips: 4 Sites visited: 10 Total Individual Participants: 23 Total Participant Experiences: 28 New site partners: 50+ PRAY AND BREAK BREAD BUDGET $500 $450 $400 $350 $300 $250 $20 $150 $15 $120 $20 $60 $20 $205 Printing Transport $200 Food $150 $300 Honoraria $100 $225 $225 $225 $50 $0 Abrahamic Traditions Secular/Spiritual Diversity LGBTQIA Advocacy Housing Justice Page 2

Twin Cities Abrahamic Traditions F R I D A Y, O C T 2 4, 2 0 1 4 Facilitators: Katherine Parent and April Winebrenner-Palo ATTENDING: 11 Luther community members (9 students, 1 faculty, 1 staff) VISITED: Masjid an-nur, Minneapolis Introduction to Islam and conversation led by Islamic Resource Group speaker Sister Safiya Balioglu Observed Friday jumah prayers Sabes Jewish Community Center, St. Louis Park Tour and history from Art Director Robyn Awend Preview of the JCC s Jewish Film Festival Redeemer Lutheran Church, Minneapolis Tour and conversation of Redeemer s multicultural community ministry North Minneapolis history with community elder T. Williams Meal and fellowship at Redeemer s outdoor pizza oven KEY LEARNING: Practiced respectful behavior and listening for interfaith dialogue Discussed Christian theological tools for interfaith relations, including love and respect Practical learning about Jewish and Muslim faith practices and worship Learned more about North Minneapolis history of interfaith cooperation, community-building and resistance to discrimination, challenging our stereotypes about race, place and poverty Visited faith leaders responding to poverty and community needs through lens of Muslim, Jewish and Christian theology Witnessed three different communities of faith powerfully challenging racism and religious marginalization through community events, transformative conversations and the arts Page 3

Secular and Spiritual Diversity S A T U R D A Y, N O V 2 2 Facilitators: Katherine Parent and April Winebrenner-Palo ATTENDING: 8 Luther community members (6 students, 2 staff) VISITED: Minnesota Hindu Temple, Maple Grove Temple tour and introduction to Hinduism with Professor Ned Mahon Witnessed temple prayers and rituals Humanist Institute at First Unitarian Society, Minneapolis Introduction and tour with Kevin Jagoe on humanism and the Institute s history Conversation on spiritual identity and practice in the diverse Humanist/UU community Hmongtown Marketplace, St. Paul Tour and conversation on Hmong immigration and shamanic traditions with Jameson Liu Lunch in the Marketplace cafeteria MN Zen Center Introduction to Japanese Soto Zen Buddhist meditative practice with priest Busshō Martin Lahn KEY LEARNING: Witnessed long history of diversity of spiritual and secular practice in MN Discussed our stereotypes of non-abrahamic traditions, Christian privilege, and ways that our interfaith learning can move beyond media and textbook generalizations Practiced respectful listening as we experienced ritual, song, gathering space and meditation of other secular and spiritual traditions Explored the complexity of religious identity in these communities, and considered the implications for Christian ministry. What centers a spiritually diverse community? What might spiritual diversity look like in a Lutheran context? Page 4

Twin Cities LGBTQIA Advocacy S A T U R D A Y, M A R C H 2 8 Facilitators: Katherine Parent and April Winebrenner-Palo NUMBERS: 7 Luther community members (5 students, 2 staff) VISITED: ReconcilingWorks, St. Paul Conversation with ReconcilingWorks staff members on LGBTQIA advocacy within the ELCA Explored discussion tools like the Genderbread Person exercise on gender expression and Clunky Questions videos opening up common awkward questions around gender and sexuality All God s Children Metropolitan Community Church, Minneapolis Introduction to MCC churches with senior pastor DeWayne Davis Conversation on challenging congregations to engage in social change as a response to the gospel Midtown Global Market, Minneapolis Tour and prayer with Midtown Global Market manager and ordained pastor Baba Letang Meal at La Loma Tamales OutFront MN, Minneapolis Introduction from faith community organizer Michelle Dibblee on how OutFront organizes and lobbies for LGBTQIA rights KEY LEARNING Gained conceptual, Biblical and theological resources for conversations about gender and sexuality Learned about different methods of faith-based work for social change within denominations, congregations, and congregations in support of secular political organizing Discussed importance of listening, building relationships, and transformative conversations with Christians in our contexts who may feel deeply conflicted on LGBTQIA issues Discussed role and resources for churches in sex education Heard organizer s urgent priorities listening and advocacy with transgender people and LGBTQIA people of color Page 5

Twin Cities Housing Justice F R I D A Y, M A R C H 2 8 Facilitators: Katherine Parent and April Winebrenner-Palo NUMBERS: 10 Luther community members (7 students, 3 staff) VISITED: Lutheran Social Services Center for Changing Lives, Minneapolis Meal with CFCL s Community Bridge catering service Conversation with CFCL s Thomas Mueller and Lucy Mungai on food and housing justice and faith Volunteering with LSS s community ministries garden, food pantry and catering service Beacon Interfaith Housing, Minneapolis Tour of the Nicollet Square housing for youth experiencing homelessness with Marlys Weyandt Conversation on congregations and pastors organizing for housing with Anne Mavity Shobi s Table, St. Paul Conversation with Pastor Margaret and member Noah on intersecting challenges of poverty and homelessness, and on ministry by/with people experiencing poverty Baking together, meal, prayer, conversation KEY LEARNING: Listened to stories of local peoples experience of homelessness and poverty Identified common stereotypes of people experiencing homelessness Observed three different methods of responding to housing and food needs in community a social services center, supportive housing, and a street church food truck Gained connections and resources for advocating for fair housing as people of faith Discussed how we could incorporate conversations about housing and food justice into classes and faith formation at Luther Seminary Discussed concrete next steps, such as better addressing student food needs at seminary through the community food pantry Page 6

Next Steps F O R P R A Y A N D B R E A K B R E A D In the coming year, we hope to continue to offer powerful cross-cultural trips for the seminary community. We are working with committed Luther Seminary faculty to build Pray and Break Bread into Luther coursework. We are currently raising funds to offer more than eight Pray and Break Bread events in 2015-16. Interested departments at Luther are beginning to work with us to develop funding in support of cross-cultural learning for future Christian public leaders. We continue to look for funding through the seminary, synod, and other sources interested in supporting these important community learning experiences. A common thread we heard during Pray and Break Bread this spring was the many ways that local people of faith use community organizing, advocacy and creativity to respond to the gospel in their context. From learning about the world s religious traditions to tackling LGBTQIA equality, racism, and poverty, Luther Seminary students, staff and faculty are hungry for more ways to learn about and engage in our community. As we drove home from our days together, our van was full of ideas on how we could continue to learn and take steps to live in solidarity with our neighbors. Our hope is that Pray and Break Bread can continue to be a catalyst for seminarians to build these transformative relationships with each other and with our community. Page 7