Although Bethel has discussed the concepts of white privilege and racial inequality in the past, it is more important than ever that we provide a place for conversation and dialogue. This will require us to draw on all of our compassionate listening skills as we listen to other's opinions that we might not agree with and humility as we say things that may not be politically correct.
So, with all that in mind, Bethel is going to jump in with both feet and provide a place for you to come and dialogue with each other. We have decided to center our discussion around the viewing of a film. There are many great movie choices available to stream online. The staff has chosen the 2019 film Just Mercy as the first movie for us to discuss. This is free to view on Amazon, even without a Prime video subscription. You can located the movie here: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Mercy-Michael-B-Jordan/dp/B082YJ8THX. Please watch Just Mercy before June 25. We will be hosting a Zoom meeting on June 25 from 7-8:30 pm for us to discuss the movie, share what feelings it brought up, what it made us think about, and what insights we may have gained. This will be a safe place for all of us, including staff, to continue to educate ourselves on the complex issues surrounding white privilege and racial injustice.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86401912246?pwd=eTZxNVpxR2ZDbGlkY2RQWW5scWxPdz09
Other movie discussion dates will be provided throughout the summer. In the meantime, Pastor David will be looking at materials for an in depth study of white privilege in the fall. Staff is putting together a resource list of movies, books and podcasts about white privilege. If you have some favorites, please email them to ba@bethelbeaverton.org so we can add them to the list. We'll post the list next week.