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.


The photo above is of the 50+ St. B's members who participated in Nashville's MLK Jr. march in January 2023.


Spring 2023 Formation Class

At 10am on Sundays in April and May 2023, Anthony Hendricks, former pastor and founder of The Public, Franklin, led us in considering how we move from reflection to action. 


Here are the video recordings of these classes:

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Session 4

Session 5

Session 6

NOAH: Nashville Organized for Action and Hope

One of the goals of the St. B’s Justice Ministry, as formulated by the Justice Ministry Leadership Team, is to engage in advocacy. We believe that, to live in to our baptismal covenant, we need to provide more than education opportunities for our community.  

 

One of the most active, stable, and recognized advocacy organizations in Nashville is NOAH,

Nashville Organized for Action and Hope. NOAH is a coalition of groups that works to amplify the power of ordinary people. Every few years, NOAH’s membership (mostly community groups and religious organizations) selects areas of focus for the subsequent years. Starting in 2023, NOAH’s areas of focus for its task forces are: Affordable Housing, Criminal Justice Reform, Economic Equity & Transportation, and Education. St. B’s has several representatives participating in these task forces. If you are interested in serving on a task force or have questions about NOAH, please contact Nancy Cason.   

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.