Hello St. Paul’s,
Last year, as we witnessed the deepening fragmentation of communities across the country, we started to consider how we could contribute in some small way to the rebuilding of relationships across political divides and the healing of our culture. I came across a non-profit, volunteer organization called Braver Angels (braverangels.org), which seeks to help people learn how to have conversations across disagreement while remaining in relationship, teaching us how to disagree without demonizing one another, and pushing against the toxic national climate.
Braver Angels offers workshops, retreats, and other events designed to bring people together. The local chapter hosts regular gatherings in our region on the second Saturday morning of each month, and all are welcome to attend. While it is a secular organization, it does have a subgroup called “Braver Faith” which focuses on people of faith and tailors workshops for particular faith communities.
We worked with the local chapter of Braver Angels to schedule some preliminary conversations, and in October we hosted an introductory Sunday forum on “Depolarizing Within”. The advice from the Braver Angels folks is that before confronting those with whom we disagree, we first need to acknowledge and understand our own inner prejudices: hence the need for Depolarizing Within.
The Sunday forum was a brief introduction to the concept: now we plan to take the next step and host a full three hour workshop on Saturday February 21. This is a free event, but you must register in advance via Eventbrite, (Click Here)
I hope you will plan to attend as part of your Lenten spiritual growth program. And bring a friend!
Your sister in Christ,
Penny
Dear Dean Penny,
Thanks the post about Braver Angels. I have been doing some work with them here in Minneapolis. I’m not able to participate in every event, but the activities hosted here in Minneapolis. Thanks again for sharing the information.