Two years ago, we had an idea: What if we pulled together 300 leaders – from every justice movement and type of work you can think of – for a gathering focused on inspiration, collaboration, and relationships? I meet hundreds of passionate, hardworking leaders every year on the road, and Sojourners partners with even more in our day-to-day work.
We decided to bring them together to The Summit to find out what we could build together that we couldn’t build separately.
The results have been astounding.
The Summit has not only brought together leaders to collaborate on some of our toughest issues, but our souls have been touched by the depth of the work of the Spirit that goes on in those days of fellowship and collaboration.
Don’t just hear it from me, though – listen to those who have attended:
But if we know anything about the Holy Spirit, it’s that God is always going to do a new thing. We’ve learned from partners and friends across the country that what we need now is a way for justice movements – from slowing climate change to immigration reform to gender justice – to respond to the stronghold that racism holds over all of our work.
In light of all that’s happened in our country these past few years – from the #BlackLivesMatter movement to the new uprising of white supremacy – we’ve learned that nobody can hide from racial injustice. It’s not one issue among many – it’s a deeply rooted sin that affects us all.
All of us need to look with an unflinching focus at how race is affecting the work that we do. We need space for lament – and then we must press onward toward a vision for repair through solutions that are already in practice, and new solutions we create together.
Imagine what it would look like for a diverse mosaic of justice movements to stand together to oppose white supremacy.
Imagine what it would look like for our spirituality to be infused with a longing for repair and restoration of what centuries of racial division have broken.
Imagine what it would look like for a room full of business leaders, local pastors, grassroots organizers, and artists to discuss real answers to deep problems.
That’s the vision for The Summit 2016. And we need your help to make it happen.
Here’s what you can do —
1. Help us find 50 of the 300 leaders who need to be at The Summit. When you read the vision for The Summit, who did you think of that needs to be there? We’re not talking about the big names; we want the greatest leaders that no one has heard of yet. It could be a promising seminarian or young pastor, an entrepreneur who is creating jobs and solving problems, or another local leader who has been working tirelessly for years to knit a community together. Nominate a leader to attend The Summit and help us find the voices we need to hear from.
2. Help us cover the costs for those who are accepted to attend the event. We’ve added up the staff time, space, and food costs to put on the event and it costs Sojourners about $950 for every person who attends. That’s a lot – too much for most attendees to be able to cover. We work hard to find support from sponsors, foundations, and individuals in order to provide reduced rates and scholarships for attendees. Click here to help subsidize these costs for the leaders who will gather at The Summit this year.
Space limitations mean not everyone will be able to attend in person, but we’ll be working to make some of the best content available online and in Sojourners magazine over the coming year.
With your help, we’re building a Summit for 2016 that will truly live up to its mission: world change through faith and justice.
Jim Wallis is the founder and former president of Sojourners. He is the inaugural holder of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Chair in Faith and Justice at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and director of its new Center on Faith and Justice. His latest book is The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy.
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