4 Meetings

4 Months

Many Dane County pastors have been seeking wisdom about ways to confront racial injustice in our local and global community and to lead their congregations in the struggle for human dignity. Poised to move beyond “mere discussion,” leaders are looking for practical ideas to inform effective action.

The Collaboration Project, with Upper House, is launching a new Learning Cohort around How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey toward Racial Justice (Zondervan), Jemar Tisby’s 2021 book. This Learning Cohort is the second we have launched around the topic of racial justice; the first focused on Tisby’s 2019 book, The Color of Compromise.

Tisby’s How to Fight Racism contends that the Christian faith and Jesus’ teaching provide real insight and actionable steps to equip people for the struggle for human dignity. Local pastors and clergy will find that this Learning Cohort provides a secure forum for engagement around compelling content, as well as for discernment of actions each might take personally and with their congregations to fight racism.

Who is the Cohort for?

Local pastors or clergy serving Christian congregations in Dane County, Wisconsin.

Frequency and Duration

We will meet four times, from 12:00-1:30 PM, on the following dates:

• Thursday, September 23 – Introductions and Part 1: Awareness (Chapters 1-4)
• Wednesday, October 13 –  Part 2: Relationships (Chapters 5-7)
• Thursday, November 18 – Part 3: Commitment (Chapters 8-10)
• Thursday, December 9 – Personal action steps and prayer

Participants are expected to attend all four meetings.

Cohort Capacity

Serving a maximum of 30 participants, the cohort will split into groups with a maximum of 10 participants each for discussion.

Cohort Leaders

Alwyn Foster is the Lead Pastor of a new church plant, Life Church Dane County, along with his wife Gena. They have four children and are excited about what God is doing in our community.

Andrew Henderson serves as an Associate Pastor at City Church, oversees Life Structure and Recovery services for members of the City Church family, and seeks ways for the church to serve the Madison community. Andrew lives in Madison with his wife Lisa and their two children.

Joselyn Diaz-Valdes is part of City Church, a Brooklyn native and twice UW-Madison alum, who works at UW to create student access.  A wife and mother of three children, Joselyn enjoys staying involved in her community and spending time with family.

Resources

All participants will be expected to secure their own copy, read, and come ready to discuss How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey toward Racial Justice (Zondervan) by Jemar Tisby. Members may also view the video series by the same name (e.g., on Amazon Prime), but this is optional.