South Joplin Christian Church hosted a Reconciliation event on MLK Day entitled "One Bag of Tea, One Conversation, One Relationship." Members from two local African American churches were invited to share a cup of tea with members from SJCC, and discuss five questions printed on the tea wrappers provided by Reconciliation Ministries. Twenty-seven people participated in the conversations, and without exception, were eager to learn when the next conversation would take place.

The opportunity to make new friends across racial barriers which often divide our community was simply, yet powerfully enabled through the idea behind the exercise, which is that an invitation to tea is more than an offer to share a beverage, but more importantly, an offer to form a relationship.

For more information about "One Bag of Tea, One Conversation, One Relationship," contact Reconciliation Ministries’ April Johnson at rmadmin@disciples.org.

Thanks to Dr. Colleen Carroll, Senior Minister at SJCC,
for this information and photos.