All rights reserved. California-Pacific Conference, 2024.
Strengthening the Black Church
Our primary purpose is to assist our Black congregations to become more effective in mission and ministry.
The way that we will do that will be to create strategy for all of the Black churches in this conference by working directly with clergy and laity as a resource committee that will develop a program of best practices and strategies for effective results that move our churches from decline to revitalization.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Effective Black Parenting: 2024 Summer Course (Strengthening the Black Village)
Strengthening the Black Village is a Cal-Pac Advance Special.
“Weaving together villages of care for the nourishment of the souls, bodies, and minds of our children.”
Strengthening the Black Village (SBV)’s 7th Cohort of Effective Black Parenting (published by the DC Children’s Trust Fund) sessions will take place 5-7 p.m. PDT on Tuesdays and Thursdays from August 6 through September 26, 2024, on Zoom. Attendance at all sessions is required to receive a certificate, and missing sessions will require approval and potentially make-up sessions.
Although we emphasize strengthening Black families, families most severely impacted by involvement with child welfare systems, we welcome and adapt our curriculum to all. Strengthening the Black Village (SBV) has hosted Jewish, Latinx, protestant, Catholic, Muslim, and everyone in between because it takes a village to raise a child.
We welcome anyone who wants to volunteer to learn how to conduct the courses to join our team. If interested, please fill out the registration form, which includes an agreement to participate, attend, model, and teach good skills and habits as we journey together.
Technical requirements: To participate in Zoom meetings, participants must have a reliable Internet connection, and a laptop, tablet, or smartphone device that can download and install the Zoom app. A web or phone camera and a microphone are highly recommended, although some users may call in via phone if a mic is not available.
About the Founder and Executive Director:
On June 15, 2024, Rev. Christy Ann Clark became a Deacon in Full Connection at the Cal-Pac Conference of The United Methodist Church. Her primary appointment is as Executive Director and Founder of the nonprofit Strengthening the Black Village (SBV). Her secondary appointment is with Saint Mark LA (UMC), working in worship planning, community organizing around housing and other social justice issues, and providing leadership in the development of the Epworth Food Farm Fellowship project. SBV is her way of bridging church and world, equipping disciples to meet the needs of the most vulnerable, which includes children in out-of-home care and their parents/caregivers.
About the organization:
Since 2021, Strengthening the Black Village (SBV) has offered parenting classes to certify those court-mandated to take parenting classes in family reunification cases. SBV has also taught the same courses to mentors, teachers, social workers, grandparents, and others in the village taking care of our children. The nonprofit uses African and biblical proverbs to help teach effective praise, chitchat, mild social disapproval, coping with racism, and more. SBV explores how different parenting modalities have dominated various eras of our history and shaped how we parent today. The organization learns to embrace what has worked well and how to release what no longer serves.
Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024, 3 PM PDT (Noon HST/8 AM Sunday ChST)
Location: online (Zoom)
Ending Spiritual & Physical Hunger: Flourish!
Registration will open at the beginning of September. Livestream
Event Details
Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024, 3 PM PDT (Noon HST/8 AM Sunday ChST)
Location: online (Zoom)
Ending Spiritual & Physical Hunger: Flourish!
Registration will open at the beginning of September. Livestream will be available on YouTube.
Cost: $175 (includes 2 nights’ lodging & 5 meals – one meal will be “dutch treat” at/from a local restaurant- and guided spiritual practices)
Register by: October 13, 2024
Any adult who would like time to work on creative projects, be with others, learn more about connections between creativity and spirituality is invited to attend this retreat. However, capacity is limited at the retreat center (limited to 7 participants).
As people made in the image of a Creating God, we are each one imbued with creativity! Anyone is welcome to attend this retreat where we will gather, share in table fellowship, relax, and dive into our creative core.
If you are working on a project that you just can’t find the time to complete, this retreat is for you! Do you let your creative endeavors fall to the bottom of your to-do list, this retreat is for you! Maybe there is a new creative skill that you want to learn, this retreat is for you!
Time will be spent in individual creative flow, shared meals, a morning and evening devotion, plus some creative spiritual time enjoyed together as a group. No previous expertise required!
Our retreat leader is Marlene Urban-Funk, who has been leading retreats for over 30 years and takes time daily to create in one way or another. She is not an artist by training, but deeply believes that every person is created to create.