Sacred Ground is a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity.

Sacred Ground is part of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. This series is open to all, and especially designed to help white people talk with other white people. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day – all while grounded in our call to faith, hope and love.

This 11 session series will be offered on the 2nd and 4th Wed. of each month for 6 months beginning in May 2024. Actual dates would be: May 8, 22; June 12,26; July 10, 24; Aug 14, 28; Sept 11, 25; Oct 9.

All gatherings are on Zoom. This allows more people to attend. Time on zoom will either be from 9:00am – 10:00am or 7:00pm – 8:00pm depending on preference of those registering. Each session will be an hour unless the group decides it would like to extend to 90 minutes. There is often more conversation than the hour allows.

Much of our time will be in small group conversations. It is expected that all the learning (articles, book chapters, videos) be completed prior to the actual session. The time on zoom is for dialogue. It is time to raise questions that have arisen from the study material and one’s thoughts. It is a time to explore the concepts we each hold around the topics opened by the study material. It is also a time to listen to the other thoughts and ideas expressed which contribute to our own growth.

Most of the learning material will be available online for no charge. There are two books that participants will be asked to purchase. They are usually low cost and can be obtained through used book vendors.

There is no charge for this dialogue series. However, registration is necessary – we need a minimum of 4 people and a maximum of 12 – the dialogue works better. Your host for this dialogue series is Ellen Bruckner on behalf of Beloved Community Initiative.

If you are interested in participating in Sacred Ground, contact Ellen Bruckner at ebruckner7@gmail.com