The goal of the Beloved Community (BC Baltimore) Affinity Working Group is to create an intentional community that provides time, space, and opportunity for a group of pastors in Baltimore to work together to develop and deepen relationships and community across racial, class, and community/geographic differences. The BC Baltimore Affinity Working Group included nine pastors who have met together on six occasions since March 2024 in various church and community settings in Baltimore. These meetings have involved community meals, two book studies (Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and Dare to Lead by Brene’ Brown), and community walk-throughs of communities such as Sandtown and Highlandtown in Baltimore.
Additionally, members of the working group have visited two museums - the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (DC) and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum (Baltimore), and attended a Baltimore Orioles baseball game. The group is planning to visit the National Museum of African American Culture and History (DC) in fall 2024.
The next book study will be on Howard Thurman’s Discipline of the Spirit, with plans to invite members of the broader community to participate. Some of the questions the working group has begun to address are: (1) What are some of the similarities of our ministry settings? (2) What are some of the distinctions of our ministry settings? (3) What are intersectional concerns as it regards race, class, and geography in Baltimore? (4) How might developing and deepening relationships and the Beloved Community among ourselves enhance our ministries and benefit our communities? (5) What might be opportunities for ongoing collaboration and partnership among participating pastors and their churches? The Beloved Community (BC Baltimore) Affinity Working Group is looking forward to continuing to deepen our understanding and relationships over the next several months.