Over the past several months, a cohort of Wilshire members has been prayerfully reflecting on our congregation’s history and ongoing call to racial reconciliation.
The group was formed when Wilshire was selected to participate in “In Deed and Truth: Interrogating the Legacies of the White Church in America” (IDAT), an initiative of the St. Charles Center for Faith + Action, E Pluribus Unum and the Public Religion Research Institute.
As part of its work, Wilshire’s IDAT team has been developing a land acknowledgment that honors the Indigenous peoples who first stewarded this land. The team is also crafting a visual timeline that traces our church’s relationship to racial injustice and the ongoing work of repair and reconciliation.
Two leaders of the national IDAT initiative will be interviewed in worship today:
Emily Rhodes serves as director of programs and community engagement with the St. Charles Center for Faith + Action. Her work has spanned affordable housing, criminal justice reform, community engagement, reentry support, workforce development, organizational management and strengthening social support systems. Emily holds a master’s degree in justice and advocacy from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Shauna Lewis serves as the community engagement manager for E Pluribus Unum and is responsible for managing strategies and projects to support community organizations across the southern United States. She has worked with populations who have increased vulnerability due to violence, poverty and social exclusion. Shauna holds master’s degrees in business and Latin American studies from Tulane University.
Wilshire’s IDAT team is planning to share the land acknowledgment and timeline with the congregation in June, when these documents will be on display in a central church space for reflection, interaction and conversation.
The cohort also plans to host a series of focus groups in the coming months. These will offer space to listen, reflect and discern together where God may be leading us next — both as individuals and as a church. This is not about having all the answers but about faithfully taking the next right steps.
We invite you to participate with open hearts, thoughtful questions and a willingness to grow together as a beloved community of faith shaped by the Spirit of Jesus Christ and rooted in justice, truth and grace.
—Juliana Moore, Wilshire IDAT team member