Re-Potting Update: Help Cultivate our Roots & Shoots!

Published 01 December 2020

Grace and peace, friends and comrades!

As we near the close of this year of trauma and transformation, we are glad to be able to provide you with a hope-filled update from the Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice — and to invite you to join with us to strengthen our foundation for the year to come.

In the middle of the first wave of the COVID19 pandemic, the CLBSJ Board of Directors made a decision to respond to the signs of the times by shifting our focus toward the building and strengthening of organizing relationships. Our outgoing Board Secretary Ched Myers referred to this process as “re-potting.”

Many of you stepped up to enable this re-potting, and we are so grateful for that. CLBSJ relies almost entirely on individual donations and pledges — we can only grow through your generosity and investment.

As part of our re-potting process, we launched a series called “Scholar-Activist Encounters” in which our Board members draw upon their working relationships to cultivate intimate conversations about how activism and scholarship contribute to our understanding of Scripture in the world today. It has been beautiful to witness the ekklesia that these encounters have engendered. The epistemological explorations they are sparking extends beyond the two dialogue partners to include all those participating and witnessing. We are humbled and grateful to be on this journey with you! The next Encounter will be on December 17 and will feature lifelong peace activist Weldon Nisly and Biblical scholar Tom Boomershine.

The year’s challenges have also offered us the opportunity to refocus on the “Center” aspect of our “Center and Library.” Responding to the disturbing news of the forced downsizing of Stony Point Center, CLBSJ has stepped up to facilitate space and resources for local activist organizations that have come to rely on Stony Point Center for support. In collaboration with Proyecto Faro, Muslim Peace Fellowship, the Community of Living Traditions, and others, we are cultivating a cooperative workspace for faith-rooted action and reflection. Our Library Team is pursuing ways to adjust the presentation of our collection so as to maximize its usability to the members of these groups.

As new leaders in CLBSJ, we are blessed to have the opportunity to get our hands dirty in this re-potting effort — and we are deeply excited to see the shoots that are emerging.

Could you join with us today to help us cultivate this new growth? Please consider making a regular pledge, which will help us to start 2021 on a firm foundation. You can make contributions by mail or via paypal – go to clbsj.org/donate for links and instructions.

Do you have other ideas for how to support CLBSJ? If you are a pastor or church leader, could your church designate a gift from your pastor’s continuing education fund, or another fund? Please email us at info@clbsj.org with your ideas or questions.

Thank you so much for reading this update, and for considering a pledge or end-of the year gift. Any level of support or feedback will help to nurture our new growth. We are so glad to count you as a fellow traveler in this work!

In faith and solidarity,