Table Talk: Conversations on Race, Inclusion, and More

Join us for a conversation with guest presenters from a broad community addressing Gun Violence Prevention.  Remember who we are as United Methodists and the work of justice (General Board of Church and Society, the spirit of our UMC Social Principles, Faith & Fact Cards, and the Book of Resolutions).  Hear advocates share the reasons for their commitments to this essential work, ask questions, and explore ways in which you can become an advocate for this cause. 

This workshop explores practical steps, Biblical principles, and historical background for building a Beloved Community in your church. The goal is to deepen our understanding of what it means to love our neighbor.

Tune in as Erwin along with some special guests continue discussions on the steps of making the church a more beloved community. Specifically, this discussion focuses on educating youth groups about different religions. 

Susanne Hoder is a Moderator of the Interfaith Peace Initiative and a member of the Divestment Task Force of the United Methodist Church New England Conference. Since visiting Israel and the West Bank in 2004, she has been an advocate for a just peace in the region based on equality, international law, and human rights. She has spoken at numerous conferences and written articles on the situation in the Holy Land. She has compiled research on publicly held companies that support the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, urging churches and other organizations to withdraw their investments in these companies until Israel complies with international law.

Alicia Koutsoulieris is a long-time member of Amnesty International and is on the Board of Directors for Partners for Palestine, a nonprofit organization based in Orlando, FL. Her first trip to Palestine was in the Spring of 2016 with Eyewitness Palestine where she had the opportunity to meet with organizations and activists on the ground to get a first-hand look at how the occupation affects Palestinian and Israeli daily life.

Dewey Williams is Pastor of Mt. Bright Missionary Baptist Church in Hillsborough, North Carolina, a doctoral student at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University, and a graduate of Duke Divinity School. In 2017, Dewey’s sermon series Joy on Death Row won the top award at Yale Divinity School’s Theology of Joy and the Good Life competition. 

We welcome Rev. Dr. Sharon Austin (Florida Conference Nominee), Rev. Ken Nelson (South Carolina Conference Nominee), and Rev. Sharon Bowers (Holston BMCR Nominee) to share on their experiences at the Southeastern Jurisdiction Conference this past November and how the church must continue to live out the work of anti-racism.

In this episode, we are joined by Rev. Estelli Ramos to discuss how race and ethnicity intersect in the Latinx experience.

About the Speaker

Rev. Estelli Ramos (M.S.W/ M.Div.) is the Associate Pastor for Joy Metropolitan Community Church and serves on the faculty of the University Of Central Florida School Of Social Work. Rev. Ramos completed his M.Div. at the Candler School of Theology where he focused his area of study in Liberation Theology and Pastoral Care. Rev. Ramos has focused his ministry and outreach to the Latino/a LGBTQ Community of Central Florida. His many years of social work practice and teaching have focused on community development, public policy, and social intervention with marginalized populations which have included youth-at-risk, street gang members, refugees, immigrants, and undocumented persons. He has an extensive background working with grassroots groups providing a host of training from cultural competency to street gang intervention.

In this episode, we celebrate and learn from antiracism ministries in the East Central District of The Florida Conference.

Panelists include:

• Rev. Heather Harding
• Rev. Frank Adams
• Tanya Tolson
• Anita Campbell