Peace in the Storm: Lessons from a Sanctuary Trainer
Fri 3 PM | Convo Hall 1
Sat 11 AM | Convo Hall 1
Bridget A. Blinn-Spears
Resistance sometimes brings us into unexpected, intense conflict with others. In the sanctuary movement, our volunteers work in a unique tension. In our current political environment, immigration officials could easily change the policies that currently avoid sensitive areas such as churches, synagogues, mosques, or other institutions of worship. Volunteers’ presence with our beloved undocumented guests living in our church spaces carries the remote, but very real chance, of a confrontation with armed government agents. This session will explore the training we provide to our sanctuary volunteers to consider ways we can prepare for potential future conflict, whether with the government, in our family systems, or elsewhere in our communities, through simple, intentional practices. If you are involved or considering involvement in the sanctuary movement or other kinds of ministry, you will leave this session better prepared to respond peacefully, but not passively, to conflict.
Bridget A. Blinn-Spears
Bridget A. Blinn-Spears sometimes calls herself a blood-cell in the Body of Christ. She is a mom of four, an employment lawyer at a large international law firm, an avid reader (now largely through the medium of audiobooks), a Two on the Enneagram, and an oldest child with a dozen younger siblings ranging in age from their late teens to late thirties. She and her husband, Brian, are covenant partners at Umstead Park United Church of Christ in Raleigh, where she is a member of the sanctuary task force and the trainer for sanctuary host volunteers. She prepared the training materials now shared around the state by churches offering sanctuary. Bridget and her family can often be found exploring the breweries around the Triangle.
babspears.wordpress.com/
Sessions:
181 Sanctuary Lessons
Session #181
