September 4 Update from Co-EP Scott Lumsden
Seattle Presbytery
Dear Friends,
As many of you know, we’ve been seeking ways to act, individually and collectively, in ways that support racial justice. One thing we’re doing as a presbytery is beginning to walk with Seattle Urban Academy as it seeks to relaunch its ministry. (Their relationship with CRISTA ended this June).
To that end, Rev. Tali Hairston and I are working with SUA's former Executive Director, Sharon Okamoto (a member of Japanese PC), on approaching this coming year as a transition / redevelopment year. This may include creating an academic coaching program while students are online this fall. Another part of this work involves the development of a community organized leadership group (who we are informally calling Friends of SUA) to lead and guide the program long term. Education for communities of color has never been more important to sustain, and we’re eager to help organize this effort.
Seattle Presbytery's role (represented by Tali and me at the moment) is to lend leadership, guidance, and administrative support to form a new community led 501c3 (with its own board eventually) so that it can pursue the future God has for it. We may need to contribute some funds to get this initiative started, but the bulk of support will come from the broad community it has had for 30 years.
Though in the early stages of this endeavor we are working on vision, staffing, and budgets; it is also important we all understand what the goal is -- to accompany an extremely important ministry. We're not taking it over and making it ours, or planning on running a school long term -- we're entering into a relationship with a well established ministry who successfully serves students of color with the goal of learning and growing with them. This accompaniment will in turn assist us in our own journey as a presbytery toward making tangible growth in our ability to do racial and economic justice work with our community partners.
We have as much (or more) to learn and grow in this partnership as SUA does. In the end, this is not about oversight or support. We'll still provide that along the way, but those things are not the point -- deepening our relationship / friendship / partnership with communities of color and learning what that looks for us as a presbytery is the opportunity I believe God has in this for us.
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend,
Scott Lumsden
Co-Executive Presbyter