Be the Bridge: Book Club Resources
Purpose
The purpose of this metro-wide book club is for the Church in Richmond to gain a shared and biblically-grounded understanding of the process of restorative reconciliation - including lament, confession, forgiveness, righting wrongs, and restoring relationships. By committing to do this together, we create a pathway for the Church in Richmond to meaningfully address the sin of racism in its various forms as it has existed in history and as it exists today.
Goals
There are currently 130 churches involved in the For Richmond network. Our goal is to have 60+ churches participating in the book club this fall at whatever level of participation is appropriate for their church. (Note: 40+ churches participated in a joint Moment of Lament around the 400th commemoration of enslaved Africans arriving in the American colonies. For an example of the types of resources that were offered then and will be offered for this book club, click here.)
Levels of Participation
Every church is unique and is at different points of understanding how to address the sin of racism in its various forms. For some churches, it may be wise to read the book as a staff team, a leadership team or a small group of individuals who want to go deeper together. For others, the book could be used by existing small groups or diverse small groups formed expressly for this book club. A group could even be formed between two churches with differing demographics who want to read the book together. Lastly, the book could be used by the church as a whole and it lends itself well to a sermon series if that is of interest to pastors.
Structure
The book, which is broken into 3 parts, lends itself well to a four-week study. However, the content is also rich enough that you could cover one of each of the 10 chapters each week.
Here is a suggested 4-week structure:
Week 1
Foreword & Chapter 1
(Plus an Introduction of the Be the Bridge Values & Rules of Engagement)
Week 2
Part 1: The Bridge to Lament
Week 3
Part 2: The Bridge to Confession and Forgiveness
Week 4
Part 3: The Bridge to Restorative Reconciliation
Week 5 (Optional but Recommended)
A discussion on Next Steps for the group or congregation
Each chapter has excellent prepared questions. It will be the responsibility of the leader(s) to pare down to the best questions from across the chapters covered each week.
Resources from For Richmond
Promo Slides for Instagram and Facebook
Suggested Reading Guide Outline for 4 Week Club (Study questions are provided for each chapter)
Training for Book Club Leaders from the local Be the Bridge chapter & For Richmond:
o The Importance of Prayer
o Be the Bridge Values: Grace, Humility, Truth-Telling, Respect, Repentance, Biblical Justice & Reconciliation
o Arrabon’s Rules of Engagement
o Be the Bridge 101: 4 Ws and Tips for Bridge Builders
o Tips on Leading from the leaders of the Be the Bridge RVA Chapter
Next Steps for Churches
Prayerfully consider participation in the second half of September or by early October
Identify and speak with potential leaders
Register your church’s participation using the form below
Register your leaders for a 1.5 hour evening Zoom training on Thursday, Sept. 17 from 7:30-9 p.m. using the form below