SACRED DIALOGUE ON RACE SLATED AT EAST BRUNSWICK CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH ON SUNDAY, JUNE 29

East Brunswick Congregational Church (EBCC) and Iqra Community Services, a Muslim congregation that has been regularly praying at EBCC for the last five years, are co-sponsoring a Sacred Dialogue on Race at the Church, located at 402 New Brunswick Ave. in East Brunswick, starting at 10:30 AM on Sunday, June 29.

An interfaith worship service will start the event, followed by small group dialogue on ten focus questions seeking to deepen the community’s awareness and exploration of race in the United States. The questions are not designed to provoke guilt or anger, but rather a critical examination of our own attitudes and behavior regarding race in a safe, spiritual environment.

The event will include a potluck meal, after which the discussion and dialogue will continue. Those attending are encouraged to bring a dish to share. The Sacred Dialogue is open to the public, regardless of which faith group—if any—with which they might be affiliated.

EBCC’s leaders decided to initiate the Dialogue in response to a Pastoral Letter issued by the United Church of Christ (UCC), the national denomination with which EBCC is affiliated. The UCC is the denomination that in many ways has been at the heart of the recent national controversy on race triggered by Sen. Barak Obama’s membership in Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.

The division, hurt, and alienation that were provoked by the controversy prompted the UCC to call for a Sacred Dialogue on Race across the nation. It was felt this would be an opportune time to explore this difficult and often divisive subject in a sacred context to seek healing and reconciliation.

For further information, contact EBCC’s Pastor, the Rev. Robert Moore, at his weekday office (609) 924-5022.