Justice Ministries

St. Bartholomew's Justice Ministries provide ways for parishioners to live into the promise in our Baptismal Covenant to: "strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being." (Book of Common Prayer, p. 305)


If you have questions about our Justice Ministries, please email Nancy Cason, the Assistant to the Rector for Justice Ministries. If you are interested in how the Justice Ministries began at St. B's, please scroll down.


Pilgrimage to Montgomery

Pilgrimage to Montgomery

Friday, April 28 - Saturday, April 29, 2023


Join parishioners from St. Bartholomew’s and St. George’s on a prayerful pilgrimage to learn and grow in our understanding of the complexity and importance of racial reconciliation. This overnight charter bus trip will include visits to the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, with time for reflection and fellowship at historic St. John’s Episcopal Church. Two meetings prior to the trip will be held at St. George’s to prepare our hearts and minds for the pilgrimage. 


Register



Questions? Contact Nancy Cason at ncason@stbs.net or 615-202-0488



March Justice Conversation

Thursday, March 2, 6:30 p.m. Justice Conversation with John Sides in Wallace Hall.


American politics is increasingly centered on issues related to race and ethnicity, along with gender and other identities. How has this happened, and why? And what are the implications of race and ethnicity for elections and governance? Vanderbilt political scientist John Sides will present an analysis of these questions, drawing on his research on U.S. presidential elections and public opinion.



Walk in Love 2023

St. B's will walk again in April 2023 to honor the life of Z. Alexander Looby, a Black civil rights lawyer and Episcopalian. The bombing of Looby's Nashville home in 1960 resulted in a 3000 student-led civil rights march on the Metro Courthouse and the subsequent desegregation of Nashville’s downtown lunch counters. Resources from the Diocese on The Walk in Love can be found here.   Look for more information about the Walk in Love in March.


How We Began

The national outcry over racial injustices in the summer of 2020 challenged faith communities, including St. Bartholomew's, to respond. St. B's led with a parish-wide book study on The Color of Compromise by Jamar Tisby, which addresses the Church’s historical role in racial oppression and its potential as a community for reconciliation and healing. In August 2020, Fr. Sammy Wood, our then Rector, appointed Nancy Cason to be our volunteer Assistant to the Rector for Justice Ministries. Nancy, Fr. Sammy, and several parishioners and clergy attended the five-week diocesan workshop "Becoming A Catalyst" in preparation to promote racial justice and healing in our diocese and in the world. Our work has continued with involvement in The Episcopal Church's "Sacred Ground Dialogues," which over 40 parishioners have participated in, as well as book studies, relationship building, volunteering, and discernment about next steps.