Full MLK weekend program

Get your calendars out, because you won’t want to miss this. Saint Philip’s is hosting a Martin Luther King Jr. weekend of programming related to issues pertinent not only in this moment, but also for the future.

The MLK weekend plans add to a racial equity focus already present at Saint Philip’s. Since June, the parish has an ongoing racial equity discussion on Sundays at 1:00pm; and we have launched two Sacred Ground small groups pursuing this topic through a different format.

In January, Deacon Joan Crawford will conduct a four-hour program on Saturday, January 16; preach at the 10:00am service on Sunday, January 17; spend coffee hour with us that day, answering questions about her sermon, and also addressing “Avoiding Microaggressions;” then be available for a closing one-hour session at 1:00pm. There is no charge for the weekend’s events.

The Saturday presentation is from 9:30am-2:30pm with a one-hour lunch break at 11:30am. Topics are: Perspectives on Race and Racism; Systemic Racism; Strategies for Advocacy, Allyship & Solidarity; and, African American History, Culture & Spirituality. Information about how to register will be available in future issues of the Bell & Tower. Meanwhile, if you have questions, please contact Mtr Mary Trainor at mary.trainor@stphilipstucson.org.

Deacon Joan conducted a retreat for last year’s Beloved in the Desert cohort. She is a Spiritual Director, Deacon and Benedictine Oblate. In 2014 she retired from special education to devote more time to ministry. Joan’s email address--ecumenicalhope@gmail.com-- reflects her ecumenical background and inclusive vision. She was christened in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church; baptized in the Roman Catholic Church; and was later a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). In 2017 Joan was ordained a deacon in the Ecumenical Catholic Communion (ECC) and now serves Guardian Angels ECC Church in Tempe, Arizona. She recently transferred her Oblate enrollment from Holy Wisdom Monastery to The Community of St Mary of the Annunciation (OSBCn/Episcopal) also in Tempe. Joan received a Master of Theology from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard, Illinois; and a Certificate in Spiritual Guidance from the Siena Dominican Center in Racine, Wisconsin. Her ministry now includes workshops to promote interracial healing and dialogue. Joan brings spiritual awareness, insightful humor, and tender seriousness to her presentations. Her candor, sensitivity, and deep listening will help instill the building blocks for better understanding between the African American and Anglo-American communities.

Deacon Joan Crawford