Racial Justice as Relationship: Advocating for Arab Communities

The Rev. Leyla King, Canon for Mission in Small Congregations for the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, sits down with guests the Rev. Halim Shukair, Priest-in-Charge at Christ Episcopal Church and Priest-in-Charge at Mother of the Savior Church, the first Arabic worshiping community in the Episcopal Church, both in Dearborn, Michigan, and the Rev. Lauren Grubaugh Thomas, church-planting priest of a year-old Episcopal community called Holy Companion, located south of Denver, Colorado. In this episode, they discuss racial justice work in small churches, specifically as it is manifested around Arabs, Arab Americans, and Palestinians in our churches and our society.

Halim describes the innovative partnership between Christ Church, a predominantly white congregation, and Mother of the Savior, an Arabic-speaking congregation. Through shared meals, cultural exchange, and joint advocacy efforts, these two congregations are building deeper relationships and working together for social justice.

Lauren shares how Holy Companion, a young church plant, has integrated social justice into its core identity from the very beginning. By prioritizing community engagement and building relationships with neighbors, they have become active in local advocacy efforts.

The conversation highlights the importance of:

• Building relationships across communities: Both guests emphasize the importance of building genuine relationships with people from diverse backgrounds as a foundation for meaningful social justice work.
• Integrating faith and action: They discuss how their faith motivates their commitment to social justice and how their worship and community life reflect their values.
• Centering the voices of marginalized communities: Both guests emphasize the importance of listening to and amplifying the voices of marginalized communities in their advocacy work.

This episode offers valuable insights for small churches seeking to deepen their commitment to social justice and become more effective agents of change in their communities.

Episode Links:

• Mother of the Savior Facebook Page
• Christ Church, Dearborn
• Partnership in Faith between Mother of the Savior and Christ Church
• Episcopal News Service article about the Partnership in Faith
• Holy Companion
• Holy Companion Episcopal Community Instagram account
• Palestinian Anglicans and Clergy Allies (PACA)

Credits:

Music Credit: I Love to Tell the Story, Benjamin Grove, keyboard

Podcast produced by Polymnia