Dear siblings in Christ,
Last spring, 63 people across the Pacifica Synod took the time to answer our first Anti-Racism Baseline Assessment. Rostered leaders, council members, and lay members from congregations and ministries across Southern California and Hawai'i told us where they actually are in this work. This is the first time our synod has asked these questions this way, and you answered with real honesty. Thank you. I read every response, and every one is shaping what comes next in our shared work.
Conducting this assessment was one of the first commitments in my job description and in the First Year Priority Roadmap for this position. The idea was simple: listen first, then build the work from what we hear. The full report is now available to read here and on the synod anti-racism page.
What You Told Us
>>Anti-racism work matters to you. 76% rated it 8 or higher out of 10 in importance.
>>Willingness is high, and capacity is the wall. 13 of 20 rostered leaders named time and capacity as their greatest barrier. Only 3 named a lack of training.
>>You want a next step. Many of you said some version of “we have learned a lot; now what do we do?”
>>Our congregations feel welcoming to the people in them, and our councils see a gap between who is in our ministries and who lives around them.
>>Nearly all rostered leaders can name the Indigenous peoples whose land they are on. Very few are yet in relationship with those nations and people.
>>Most rostered leaders either did not know about the 2016 Synod Resolution asking for anti-racism training every 3 years, or did not know how to meet it. That is ours to fix at the synod level, not yours.
>>Hawai'i asked us to come and listen, and to let the islands shape their own work.
We also learned who we did not hear from. 90% of the people who responded are white. The voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in our synod are largely missing from this data. Next year I will ask BIPOC members directly what would make responding worth their time, and if a survey is the wrong way to ask, we will find another way.
How This Shapes the Work
I am building this year’s anti-racism work around what you said. The synod will create offerings so that congregations and ministries do not have to build their own programs to take part. Every offering will end with a named next step that a person can actually do. We are defining what counts as anti-racism training and how leaders receive credit toward the 2016 Resolution. We will develop formation for call committees. Access is built in from the start: online options, evening times, recordings, and short commitments. And we will connect leaders with each other, so no one carries this alone.
Some of this has already begun. This fall, Pastor Manuel Retamoza and I offered "Indian 101" and "Rooted in Place: Land Acknowledgment in Your Congregation." Many of you asked for exactly this kind of learning, and the conversations in those sessions were rich.
Coming Up
Synod Anti-Racism Formation Day
Thursday, February 4, 2027 | 9 am - 4 pm Pacific
In person at the Synod Office. Open to everyone who wants to come. Registration link to come.
Webinar: "From Grand Entry to Intertribal: Tips for an Enjoyable Powwow Experience" with Rev. Wanda Frenchman
Thursday, March 11, 2027 | 6 - 7:30 pm Pacific (4 - 5:30 pm Hawai'i)
Tuesday, March 16, 2027 | 11 am - 12:30 pm Pacific (8 - 9:30 am Hawai'i)
Same content both days, and it will be recorded. Registration link to come.
Powwow in El Cajon, California
April 23 - 25, 2027
Come with us. The March webinar will help you prepare to attend as a respectful guest. Details coming soon.
I am really excited about where this is going. My hope is that next year we double the number of responses, so that even more of your voices shape this work!
Here is how to get connected:
>>Write to me with questions, disagreements, or anything the report missed: Desta@PacificaSynod.org
>>Book a 30-minute conversation with me using this link. If you want to be part of this work, this is the place to start. We will talk about what you are drawn to and where you might fit, whether that is in your own congregation or ministry, in a synod offering, or alongside the Synod Anti-Racism Team, a group of rostered and lay leaders who meet online each month to shape and carry this work. This conversation is also open to people who disagree with the report or with the work itself. You will be listened to.
>>Invite me to your council, forum, adult education hour, staff retreat, or something you have not named yet, in person or online.
With gratitude,
Desta Goehner
Assistant to the Bishop for Anti-Racism Coordination
Pacifica Synod
Desta@PacificaSynod.org
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