Every day, I’m reclaiming the parts of myself I was once told to leave behind.
Deepening Our Engagement
A 1-minute version of the video is available on YouTube. Consider linking to it from your church website, e-newsletter, or social media.
Prayer
Loving God,
You have created me with intention, in all the richness of my culture, voice, and story.
You know me fully, even when I struggle to know myself without shame or doubt.
Thank you for accompanying me through the journey of belonging.
You know the silent ways I’ve tried to fit in, like changing how I speak, what I share, and who I let myself be.
Thank you for opening me to the truth of internalized racism. Help me unlearn what the world has wrongly taught me and replace it with your truth: that I am already enough. Teach me to take pride in who I am—in my accent, my heritage, my traditions, and my voice. Give me courage to be myself, to speak up, to be bold, and to reclaim every part of myself that reflects your image, even when I fear I may not be accepted.
As I continue this journey, fill me with grace and compassion, for myself and for others who carry the same hidden weight. May I be able to heal as I learn to live freely in who you made me to be. Amen.
Congregational Responses
- Place a large map of the world in a gathering space in your church. Invite people to put pins or sticky notes on places that are their home. People can be free to define their home however they like—if they have moved from another place in Canada, or if their parents (or grandparents) have moved from another country, if they have an ancestral homeland, or if they consider home to be the place where they live now. Invite ways of honouring the various places named on the map; people may also have stories or aspects of culture that they want to share.
Dorcus says that, because of internalized racism, she worked hard to unlearn aspects of her race, language, and culture. She worked to reclaim those parts of herself.
Sometimes, though, there are ways of being that could be better for the broader community if those negative actions were left behind. In your community, what actions and behaviours might people need to unlearn? The United Church of Canada recently developed a Behavioural Covenant for members of national committees.
Does your community of faith have a Behavioural Covenant? How might such a covenant guide your community being together?
Credits
- Prayer: Dorcus Annika Yohan
- Congregational responses: Adele Halliday
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