At his installation in November 2015, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry inspired us to dismantle racism:

“Last summer, the 78th General Convention of our Church did a remarkable thing: the General Convention invited us as a church to take up this Jesus Movement. We made a commitment to live into being the Jesus Movement by committing to evangelism and the work of reconciliation – beginning with racial reconciliation … across the borders and boundaries that divide the human family of God. This is difficult work. But we can do it. It’s about listening and sharing. It’s about God.”

In the following months a task force of leaders of The Episcopal Church developed a framework with which to do this work, Becoming Beloved Community. The framework accents the fact that this is a journey by describing it in the structure of a labyrinth with four primary types of activities: Telling the Truth, Proclaiming the Dream, Practicing the Way, and Repairing the Breach.

History of St. Matthew’s Involvement

St. Matthew’s has hosted the Union of Black Episcopalians workshop One Human Race several times. These sessions helped participants understand the history of racism in Austin and its impact on the entire community.

In 2020, a St. Matthew’s small group engaged in racial reconciliation efforts with three focus areas: Pray, Learn, and Act. Members prayed together weekly and used a Facebook page to discuss what they were learning from videos and books. In 2021, the small group organized an offering of Sacred Ground, part of the Becoming Beloved Community materials. That first cohort finished its studies in August 2021, a second cohort completed the series in August 2022, and a third cohort in September 2023. Another series will be run in 2024.

Prior to each offering of Sacred Ground series, we offer a taste of the kind of material to be covered. Such offerings have included a viewing of Traces of the Trade, a documentary that was the trigger for developing Sacred Ground. The documentary follows ten cousins in the DeWolf family who examine the history of their family’s involvement in the slave trade, making a trip together to the site from which their ancestors gathered African people into slavery. They were surprised by their history, including the involvement of the church.

We have also offered a showing of the Neill-Cochran House Museum’s exhibit of the history of racism in Austin. The Museum sells a booklet that covers much of the exhibit, in case you were unable to view the exhibit. The Museum’s slave quarters are the last existing ones in Austin, open to visitors to the Museum.

What is Sacred Ground?

Sacred Ground is a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, church involvement, and political and regional identity.

The 11-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.

The series dialogues are done in two-hour sessions, every two weeks, generally on Thursday. We allow two weeks between sessions to give participants sufficient time to see the videos and read the articles.

The final sessions of the series focus on next steps. Using the Becoming Beloved Community framework, participants reflect on what they’ve learned and how to take action on their own, as a small group at St. Matthew’s, or in broader contexts.

Examples of Actions Taken

  • A team established a Dismantling Racism lending library, to engage more members of St. Matthew’s in learning about racism, an ongoing resource for adults and children.
  • Another team developed a clothing closet at Wooldridge Elementary School at the request of school personnel. This Faith in Action project will coordinate and maintain the clothing closet.
  • After the second series, the relationship at Wooldridge Elementary School was expanded to add a Christmas project for St. Matthew’s, where members of the congregation can support families at the school. A mentoring program is also under discussion.
  • Several have become Volunteer Deputy Registrars, to then participate in Faith in Action projects for voter registration and to help get out the vote. These projects will reach out to both members of St. Matthew’s and to those in the community not yet enfranchised.
  • Sacred Ground facilitators from St. Matthew’s and the other Episcopal churches in Austin which are using the Sacred Ground materials have gathered to discuss ways in which they can collaborate on projects informed by their studies.

Related Work

In parallel with the initiation of Sacred Ground at St. Matthew’s, a small team formed to learn more about the Indigenous Peoples in this area of Texas. That work intersects with material studied in Sacred Ground. The team developed St. Matthew’s Land Acknowledgement, and it coordinates an annual focus on education and worship activities related to Indigenous Peoples each November. More about their work can be found on the Recognizing Indigenous Peoples page.

The Faith in Action small group was formed before the first offering of Sacred Ground. Some actions inspired by Sacred Ground are Faith in Action projects. See more on the Faith in Action page.

More Information

St. Matthew’s Resources

  • Visit the library in Huffman Hall to borrow from the Dismantling Racism Lending Library, suitable for adults, youth, and children.
  • For offerings of Sacred Ground at St. Matthew’s and for related events and presentations, watch the “Upcoming Events” section of the St. Matthew’s home page.


External Resources

If you want to learn more or get involved, please contact Tissie.Elliott@gmail.com or Joyce.Statz@gmail.com.