PROJECT STORY
Welcome to the home page of Project Story! Choose one of the options below to get started.
ABOUT PROJECT STORY
Project Story is a social media project that aims to hear the stories and share the experiences of the voices in our churches and communities with particular emphasis on those people at the edges. This is so we can raise the level of engagement in discussions on race, ethnicity and culture in our synod and in our faith communities. Additionally, this is meant to be a space where we build awareness in an environment where our opinions are respected, and we are held accountable for our words and actions.
PROMPTS
Stuck on what you want to share? Don't worry, we have some prompts below to help spark your thoughts. Respond to one, or respond to them all!
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PROMPT 1:
In the church, we often associate colours to represent different values. For example, of prayer beads where the black beads represent sin and white beads represent purity.How do we reconcile such connections, when we are looking for working towards equity and diversity within our church and our communities?
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PROMPT 2:
What has your experience been with race and privilege? Have you experienced discrimination against you? Have you discovered racism within yourself that made you uncomfortable? Share your story.
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PROMPT 3:
In Luke 10, Jesus points out that it is in the unexpected where we would find a neighbourly compassion and care. Who then do we identify as our neighbours? Who are included in our circles and tables? Who have voice and who are silenced? Who have been systematically and institutionally left off the agenda and marginalized, either in church or in community?
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Please read the below submission guidelines prior to submitting your file.
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Submissions should not exceed 1500 words writing, or three minutes of video.
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Identification must be provided. It can be as simple as “(Name) is from (Congregation)”.
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Submissions must be e-mailed to rjaceastern@gmail.com
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Submissions are subject to edit. Should the edits be substantial, an edited version will be returned to the sender for approval before posting.
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Please keep your language simple and universal. Think of yourself having a discussion with a small group of your congregation.
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Submission constitutes consent to publish and agreement to our Consent and Media Release. This consent is subject to the submitter being 18 years or older. Parental consent is required for all submissions by those considered legally minors under the law.
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Please include in your e-mail the statement below:
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I (insert first and last name) consent to the use of my submission in accordance with the consent statement provided to me by the Racial Justice Advisory Committee.
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If you are under 18 years of age at the time of submission, please also include the following statement from your legal parent/guardian/primary caregiver:
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I (first and last name) the parent/guardian/caregiver of (your child's name) consent to the use of my child's submission in accordance with the consent statement provided to me.
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Please provide the name of where you consider your home congregation to be, or the city you call home along with your submission. This allows us to create an identifier for your article.
For example: "Jane is from This Congregation in City." or "Joe is from City."
the .
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CONSENT STATEMENT
The following is the consent statement you agree to as part of your submission. It is also provided in a follow up e-mail as a reminder.
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I hereby fully consent and authorize the use, reuse and modification of my Project Story submission by the Eastern Synod, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. I acknowledge that my submission will be posted online and understand all of the resulting effects. I understand that my submission will be reviewed in accordance with the submission guidelines I have read and it is possible that my submission will not be used. I understand that the Racial Justice Advisory Committee will do its due diligence in reviewing submissions not to incite violence or deliberately release submissions that are particularly incendiary and my submission may be modified or not released in doing this due diligence.
I grant the use of my submission for no fee or charge whatsoever. I understand that by submitting my response, it may be shown in communities and congregations across the Eastern Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in association with starting discussions in accordance with the mandate of the Racial Justice Advisory Committee of the Eastern Synod. Should I want to revoke my consent at any time, I agree to submit in writing my desire to revoke said consent.
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