Skip to Main Content

Becoming Beloved Community

Location: Multiple locations and dates - See dates and locations below.

Bbc Logo Crop

 

 

Begin, Re-energize, Re-focus your church’s journey toward racial justice and equity Becoming the Beloved Community: How to Talk About Race in America

Becoming the Beloved Community is a 4-hour workshop that conveys not only facts and essential knowledge about race and racism but also seeks to help us experience some of the harm and hurt racial prejudice has caused.


2023 workshops and registration

Registration is $20 per person. Please contact Dr. Richard Guzman at rrguzman@comcast.net to register (unless otherwise noted)

Friendship UMC in Bolingbrook

March 18, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
305 E Boughton Rd, Bolingbrook, IL

Rochelle UMC

April 15
709 Fourth Ave, Rochelle, IL

Special Youth Leaders Prsentation
Discipling Anti-racism Youth (DAY) 2nd quarter event

April 29
Naperville: Community UMC, 20 N Center St., Naperville, IL.
Registration for this event here.
Questions? contact Deacon Sharon Rice at deacon_sharon@hotmail.com.

Trinity UMC in Mt. Prospect

September 30
605 W. Golf Road, Mt. Prospect, IL

Community UMC in Naperville

October 14
20 N Center St, Naperville, IL

First UMC in Glen Ellyn

October 28
424 Forest, Glen Ellyn, IL

Hinsdale UMC

November 11
945 S Garfield Ave, Hinsdale, IL


Are you interested in hosting a workshop at your church, in your cluster, or in your district?

Please contact Dr. Richard Guzman at rrguzman@comcast.net for 2023 open spots.


Closing 1 Edit Closing 2 Guzman Front Edit Left Side Close Up Edit Sanctuary 3 Left Edit

The Anti-racism Task Force’s Becoming the Beloved Community workshop was created by a team of Champion Team members led by Dr. Richard Guzman. This 4-hour workshop conveys facts and essential knowledge about race and racism and seeks to help participants experience some of the harm and hurt racial prejudice has caused.

  • The workshop emphasizes engagement, not confrontation
    To make progress on race, we have to stay engaged, even with people we disagree with.
  • Small groups meet after each presentation session
    Trained facilitators lead in story sharing, helping people connect personally with the presentations.
  • It re-balances our view of the personal vs. the systemic
    Though we talk about the harm personal racism causes, we also have to become “systemically aware.”
  • Relationships are paramount
    The workshop seeks to lay the groundwork for friendships and alliances that will fight racism together.
  • The workshop is media-rich and remains respectful while confronting hard issues.

The pilot workshop was held on Sat., Sept. 11, 2021, at Friendship United Methodist Church in Bolingbrook. Since then, three other churches held a workshop at Glencoe: North Shore UMC, Elmhurst: First UMC, and Elgin: First UMC in the Spring of 2022.


Guzman Square

Dr. Richard R. Guzman

Dr. Richard R. Guzman, facilitator, is professor emeritus at North Central College where he taught writing, literature, race/ethnicity, and social change and is active in his family’s foundation, Emmanuel House. He serves as a consultant on anti-racism initiatives for the Northern Illinois Conferenceof the United Methodist Church and headed the committee that produced the Becoming the Beloved Community workshop.


The BBC Planning Team is Dr. Richard Guzman (Bolingbrook: Friendship), Tom Butler (Evanston: First UMC), Lennox Iton (Hinsdale UMC), Rev. Tennille Power (Chicago: Hazel Crest Community UMC), Donna Sagami (Chicago: Ravenswood Fellowship), and Buzz Wheeler (Sycamore UMC).

News & Announcements

A Message From The Bishop

A Message from the Bishop: Election of General Conference Delegates

Grace and peace to you in the name of Christ. I write today related to the composition of our delegation in light of a new ruling released by the United Metho…

Christ Umc Layette Project

Experiencing Lent and Holy Week with old and new traditions

Lent has always been considered an important time in the worship and discipleship life of a community of faith. Lent is a time for the church to journey together towa…

Remembering Lent

Remembering Lent and Holy Week

We recently asked our readers, "What is the most meaningful or most moving part of your Lent observance? Why?" These are some of the answers we received. Submit your response to communications@u…

Bishop Dan

Bishop’s Column: We are in a Holy Saturday Moment

Sure, we are living in post-Christendom, days that the culture is not filling our churches with citizens who wish to make a missional contribution, but rather days our cultu…

Print