First Conversation

The first conversation of Forgive Us, about the forward, introduction, and first chapter, will take place on Tuesday, March 3 at 9am. If you're in the area, come down and join us at the Synod Office. We'll put the coffee on.

Join Us for a Lenten Journey Through Confession

The staff at the Regional Synod of Albany office will be reading Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith together through the season of Lent. This book is written by four evangelists, Mae Elise Cannon, Lisa Sharon Harper, Troy Jackson, and Soong-Chan Rah. The idea for this book study came out of Abby, Bob, and Annie's trip to Arizona where they heard a presentation by Dr. Rah, one of the authors of this book. The premise is, that the church has committed sin against certain marginalized groups and it is important for the church to confess these trespasses corporately before God. There are seven chapters, each with a history of the church's relationship with and response to these groups: the created world, indigenous people, African-Americans and people of color, women, LGBTQ persons, immigrants, and Jews and Muslims. There are ways in which the church needs to claim and confess sins against these and to recognize that God has called us to a more perfect community. We at the Synod Office anticipate that this will not be an easy journey, but one that will be powerful, challenging, and prophetic. Lent is a season of lament and preparation. So it is appropriate that we confess.

We are extending an invitation to any within the Regional Synod of Albany to join us on this journey. Each Tuesday morning, a conversation about the book will take place at the Synod office amongst the staff. If you're in the area, you're welcome to join us at 9:00am. Those conversations will hopefully be recorded and posted on this blog for those who would like to hear, but can't be present for, the conversation. Also, we'll be inviting some written reflections to be posted here. The comment section will be open for those who wish to respond to or join that conversation as well. Longer responses and thoughts can be emailed to Annie, the communications coordinator, to be published as it's own blog post.

Confession and lament are largely under-represented or even absent from our worship and church lives. As leaders and thinkers in the Reformed Church of America, especially as we consider how the church must change in the shifting culture, we need to take a hard look at were we've been so that we can move forward in grace. Please join us on this journey.

Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith
By: Mae Elise Cannon
       Lisa Sharon Harper
       Troy Jackson
       Soong-Chan Rah
With a forward by Jim Wallis and Mark Labberton

Available on Amazon in paperback and e-book