Life in Difficult Conversation by Kimberly Reisman
“There’s life in difficult conversation.”
One facilitator encouraged participants with this wisdom in a recent round table discussion online. Through World Methodist Evangelism, 11 participants took part in an online video conference call about the recent shooting deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and five Dallas police officers.
Black and white pastors from the A.M.E. Zion church, The United Methodist Church, the Church of the Nazarene and others spoke for an hour and a half about race and faith in the United States and within the Wesleyan Methodist family.
Rev. Kelcy Steele of the A.M.E. Zion church hosted the call which was facilitated by Dr. Kenneth Q. James and Dr. Kevin Murriel. Contributions ranged from probing how to plan services and preach through crises following a shooting death to the use of social media and how to create practical local events that bring together community members of different races.
Discussion revolved around the question, “what can we do to get on the path of reconciliation as community?”