Rev. Matt Weiler
At the end of this month of I will be attending, along with three members of my congregation, the ERACCE intensive training called Understanding and Analyzing Systemic Racism. The awareness that I needed this training in my life began to bubble up in September at ISAAC’s beautiful and challenging Racial Healing Service. The need was confirmed when I attended the Ta-Nehisi Coates conversation at Miller Auditorium. The registration happened when I was sitting in a coffee shop with the co-executive director of ERACCE having a very pleasant one-on-one, when out of the quiet she shouted, “You can’t continue to do the ministry you are called to with any integrity until you go to this training!” It was, honest to God, one of those moments when the room went silent and all eyes turned our way. Sometimes the Holy Spirit speaks to us in whispers and other times in shouts. I believe the Spirit of God is shouting in some form to all ISAAC congregations to do this training. Consider this word to be your quiet prompting invitation. And here’s to a more just Kalamazoo as ISAAC locates anti-racism at the core of all of our work for social justice.