Bryan Stephen recounts meeting the legendary civil rights activist Rosa Parks early on in his Equal Justice career:
“Rosa Parks turned to me sweetly and asked, ‘Now, Bryan, tell me who you are and what you’re doing.’
‘Yes, ma’am. Well, I have a law project called the Equal Justice Initiative, and we’re trying to help people on death row. We’re trying to stop the death penalty, actually. We’re trying to do something about prison conditions and excessive punishment. We want to free people who’ve been wrongly convicted. We want to end unfair sentences in criminal cases and stop racial bias in criminal justice…
Ms. Parks leaned back smiling. ‘Ooooh, honey, all that’s going to make you tired, tired, tired.’[i]
Attempting to bring shalom into brokenness can leave us feeling just as Rosa Parks predicted. Is there a way to build resilience as disciples of Jesus? Does the suffering we witness drain our faith? How can we stay compassionate for the long haul?
These and other questions are being address at an intensive study week which Red Letters are hosting in partnership with Nazarene Theological College. The week (Sat 1 – Sat 8 June 2024) is hosted by Ash Barker and Sally Mann, at NTC’s Manchester campus. The week completes one Master’s level unit with Nazarene Theological College, or can be taken at a much reduced cost for those wanting all the challenge of learning from classic and contemporary theology and world-class practioners, without the assessments or qualification.[ii] The week will include exploring spiritual practices together, learning about the Enneagram with Simon Cross, and there’s a field trip to Ash’s community in Winson Green. There’s a fair bit of reading and student-led seminars to prepare in advance, but it may be just the environment you have been looking for to work through how you thrive under the pressures of a call to Jesus and Justice.
[i] Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption 2014 by Spiegel & Grau
[ii] Please note – places may be limited and priority is given to those enrolled on the full Master’s Programme. Red Letter Christians UK deliver other units with NCT and Ash or Sally are happy to chat with you about options and preconditions for the Master’s course. For further details and to apply see NTC website https://nazarene.ac.uk/resilient-discipleship/