The Heartland Conference Anti-Racism Network
WHO ARE WE?
The Anti-Racism Network (ARN) is a network of clergy, ministry leaders, community leaders, and congregational members from across the service region of the Heartland Conference: Ohio, West Virginia, and Northern Kentucky. While the membership of the Heartland Conference consists of United Church of Christ Congregations, the ARN is open to anyone looking to engage in the work of anti-racism, regardless of church membership or religious affiliation.
OUR MISSION AND VISION
The Anti-Racism Network engages, encourages, equips, and empowers the work of antiracism in every arena in life. Following Jesus’ call to love all God’s children and creation extravagantly, we envision an anti-racist world.
THE FOUR DIMENSIONS OF OUR MISSION
- Encourage: We foster relationships that strengthen each person for the work of anti-racism both within and beyond the Heartland Conference.
- Equip: We develop and share the resources necessary to engage the work of anti-racism by centering marginalized voices and decentering whiteness both in terms of historical understanding and current engagements.
- Empower: We cultivate spiritual practices which guide, ready, and transform our personal energy for the work of anti-racism as an expression of the heart of Jesus Christ.
- Engage: We clarify our own personal vocations for the work of anti-racism as we engage in the work of the wider church and in every arena of life.
OUR VISION-DRIVEN GOALS
The work of the Anti-Racism Network aims toward the following goals as we seek to live into our vision of following Jesus to bring about an anti-racist world.
- To decenter whiteness
- To connect with individuals and organizations beyond the UCC whose vision aligns with ours
- To build personal relationships that foster accountability in the work of anti-racism
- To support and resource education and faith formation that inspires and equips the work of anti-racism in our congregations
- To explore in depth the history of racism in the church and society in relation to racism