After preaching on February 16, I went right to the John Wayne airport to start a journey to Little Rock, AK where I was honored to attend the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference. This conference is an annual event inviting Clergy and Lay Leadership to hear from the foremost African American theological scholars, grassroots and political leaders, emerging leaders and practitioners. Each year, the conference moves to a different city, and I was hoping to see more of Little Rock, but the surprise ice storm made sightseeing (and walking!) difficult. I did learn a great deal about the city and its role in the Civil Rights Movement as part of the curriculum.
As a seminarian, it was an amazing opportunity to participate with other seminarians from all over the United States in some dedicated time processing the content together. We spent the days in workshops engaging social activism, the power of narrative and deep dives into black liberation theology. In the evenings, we were invited to join in worship. This worship, I experienced some of the most inspiring and prophetic preaching I’ve ever witnessed. The choir music was electric, and something I will never forget. I was able to make connections with people doing all kinds of justice work for the betterment of our immediate communities and our planet. If you are interested in learning more about this conference, please let me know. I’d be happy to share more about it!
Peace,
Wendy Karn
Wendy Karn is Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church's intern minister. She can be reached by email at wendy@ocuuc.org.