Written by Amy Marshak of The Falls Church
Truth and Reparations Task Force Member
There is so much beautiful work happening in our Diocese to fulfill our baptismal commitment to remake the world into the Beloved Community. One week ago, at The Falls Church, we held our second annual Service of Lament for the Sin of Slavery. The service grew out of The Falls Church’s 2024 Report on The Falls Church’s Ties to Slavery, in which we acknowledged that our rectors and vestrymen owned hundreds of enslaved persons and that our historic church building, which dates to 1769, was paid for and built through the labor of enslaved persons. The Service of Lament provided an opportunity to continue to name the truth of that history, express our grief and heartfelt repentance, and renew our commitment to the ongoing work of justice, reconciliation, and the transformation of our society. Our guest preacher, Pastor Elwood Jones, is a member of the linked descendant community at Virginia Theological Seminary—meaning that he is descended from persons who labored at VTS during either as enslaved persons or during the Jim Crow era—and is now a student at VTS. Pastor Jones not only told us of the suffering of his enslaved ancestors, but also encouraged us to find joy in lament. His words of healing were a balm to the soul in the midst of a difficult time in the world.
Two weeks ago, the Truth and Reconciliation Task Force met for a weekend retreat to kick off our work. We ate and prayed together. We selected our leadership, and undertook the new “I Will, With God’s Helping” training developed by the Diocesan Ministry for Racial Justice and Healing. The training provided a meaningful educational and spiritual foundation for the work we are setting out to do as a Task Force, and I hope everyone in the Diocese has an opportunity to learn, reflect, and grow in response to the Ministry for Racial Justice and Healing’s excellent program soon.
At both these events I was struck by the words of Isaiah 58:6: “Is not this the fast that I choose?” In the verses that follow, Isaiah takes us on an arc that begins by demanding that we recognize and uplift the oppressed through acts of justice, mercy, generosity, and compassion; that promises us that God will be with us in this work; and that ends with a vision of lightness and joy—that if we succeed in this work, we will “be like a watered garden” and we “shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.” This arc is a beautiful model for the work that the Truth and Reparations Task Force is undertaking. But what sticks with me most is that Isaiah says this is a fast—meaning giving up something, going without, abstaining. It makes me think: in this Lenten season, what am I being asked to sacrifice for this holy work? Is it some of the privileges that come with my position in society? Is it my immediate comfort in favor of hard, but worthwhile conversations? Is it my tendency to get stuck in anger or despair in the face of systemic injustice? But perhaps, more importantly, in the arc of Isaiah, where will this fast lead us? And what will we get in return?