I am so thankful for the time and the students on Emory Wesley Fellowship’s Fall Break Mission opportunity for service and Civil Rights learning with Alabama Rural Ministry (including getting to reconnect with friends in ministry Joe Davis & Lisa A. Pierce).
I am thankful for the gift of time to reflect on my own privilege and spirituality, to more deeply understand the African American experience in America and in Church, and for time to be renewed by God’s grace and God’s call on our lives to work with and on behalf of marginalized, oppressed, and excluded people in our communities. Black Lives, Bodies, and Experiences Matter. This weekend, I felt especially aware of the power and work (both then and now) of Women in the Civil Rights Movement and how figures in the Church were (and were not) involved in the fight for justice, equality, and reconciliation.
It was also a meaningful weekend to use my camera to capture some good images which catch only a glimpse of the talented, selfless, and remarkable students and people we met on the trip!
Thank you Mary, Millie, Andrew, Najla, Julianna, Shaina, Ed, Alexis, Miles, Peter, Joshua, & Katherine for being your selves and for your willingness to engage in meaningful work, challenging topics, new areas of spirituality, and deeper expressions of God’s Love with the world throughout this weekend. Big thanks to our Emory Wesley Fellowship Mission Planning Team Shaina, Mary, Alexis, and Miles!! And, this trip couldn’t be possible without the support of local churches (thank you Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church for the Bus!!), our district, and the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.
#EmoryProud #AltFallBreak #CivilRights #Tuskegee #Alabama #emory #umc
Rev. Dr. Joseph McBrayer 