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Go Speak: Reconciliation Edition

Go Speak is a program introduced in this diocese in 2014. As Bishop Anne said then, “it is a process to help each of us give voice to the quiet, ordinary places we meet and feel God’s divine presence as well as create deeper levels of community within our congregations.” The people who have participated in Go Speak have found it to be valuable, not only because they told their own stories, but because they heard others’ stories of faith. This is evangelism at its best!

Knowing the power of this process, and recognizing our church’s priority to engage in acts of racial reconciliation, a second deck of cards—Go Speak: Reconciliation Edition—was created in response to requests from across the Diocese. Using these cards will help us to speak out of our own experiences as we respond to our Christian call “to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.” (Micah 6:8)

If you have never participated in a Go Speak gathering, the resources gathered below will help you organize and participate in a successful faith-sharing gathering. If you want more and different prompts, a downloadable pdf of the original deck of question cards, issued in 2014, is also available.

RESOURCES

  • Download Go Speak: Reconciliation Edition (2017)
  • Download Go Speak: Sharing our Faith (2014)
  • Download Go Speak: Reconciliation Edition Guidelines
  • Download Group Norms
  • Download Miscellaneous Tips for Go Speak Gatherings

Watch the Go Speak Moderator Training Video

Watch the Go Speak introductory webinar

FAQS

How is Go Speak a tool to equip us for our work in evangelism and reconciliation?
Go Speak: Reconciliation Edition cards, with their prompts about faith, Jesus, race and reconciliation, allow us to practice speaking out of our own faith experiences and listening to others’ stories. As we grow stronger as listeners and tellers of where in our lives we have encountered Jesus, especially with someone who looks to be “other,” we are equipping ourselves to become agents of reconciliation, ambassadors of the Good News of God in Jesus. In other words, Go Speak: Reconciliation Edition brings evangelism and reconciliation together.

How are Go Speak decks used?
In our diocese, Go Speak cards are used by small groups of 6-10 people gathered in homes and other informal, relaxed settings. Often, the group has a meal or refreshments. People take turns selecting a card that “speaks to them” and then tell their story. The others in the group listen without questioning or feedback. Thus, the listening becomes as integral to the process as the storytelling itself. These gatherings have proven to be comfortable and provide a safe environment to give voice to stories of how God moves in our lives.

Go Speak cards have been used in various settings throughout the year: at vestry meetings or retreats, small groups that meet regularly, youth and young adult gatherings.

Share this page: Go Speak: Reconciliation Edition
The Rev. Deb Blackwood, Ph.D.
Liaison for Refugee Ministries
The Rev. Daniel Dario Robayo Hidalgo
Missioner for Latino/Hispanic Ministries
919-834-7474, ext. 5414 
The Rev. Kathy Walker
Missioner for Black Ministries
919-834-7474, ext. 5413; 786-417-3261 

The Rev. Deb Blackwood, Ph.D.

Liaison for Refugee Ministries

As the liaison for refugee ministries, the Rev. Deb Blackwood is a resource, a connector of people and an advocate for those who come to our shores from different parts of the world, seeking a chance to live, work, worship and participate in this great experiment in democracy.

She is ready and willing to meet and discuss the challenges faced by the courageous people who comprise the immigrant and refugee populations, and what we can do to help and support them. Clericus meetings, Convocation gatherings, parishes meetings - wherever works for you, she's ready to help you get started or take the next step in this important ministry.

The Rev. Daniel Dario Robayo Hidalgo

Missioner for Latino/Hispanic Ministries
919-834-7474, ext. 5414 |

Robayo served as the rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Harrisonburg, Virginia for nine years before joining diocesan staff. A priest for 30 years who has served in a wide variety of parish settings and diocesan leadership roles, Robayo has great gifts in formation and congregational development. He understands his vocation as “empowering the ministry of the baptized in the church as well as in the world.” His passion is to “give people the tools to reflect theologically about their Christian identity and their place in the world so that in their daily lives they may represent Christ to the world.”

A native of Venezuela who has spent most of his adult life as an Episcopalian in the United State, Robayo seeks to walk with the worship communities of the diocese through the opportunities and challenges of being a multilingual, intercultural Episcopal branch of the Jesus movement.

Robayo is married to Nancy Urrecheaga-Robayo, an educator with many years of experience as a classroom teacher, principal and Godly Play instructor. Between them, they have 5 children and 6 grandchildren.

The Rev. Kathy Walker

Missioner for Black Ministries
919-834-7474, ext. 5413; 786-417-3261 |

The Rev. Kathy Walker previously served as the associate rector for pastoral care and parish life at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Tallahassee, Florida, though her call to church leadership and ministry is one she has answered her entire life. Prior to becoming a member of the clergy, over her lifetime she has served as a licensed lay reader, a lay Eucharistic minister, vestry member and church officer. She was instrumental in the founding of the David Henry Brooks chapter of Union of Black Episcopalians in the Diocese of Florida, and while serving as its president organized multiple forums about the future of Black churches.

Kathy believes strongly in the honoring and continuity of Black churches and hopes in her new role to help as many as possible not only survive, but flourish. She also wants to work with congregations to deepen their churches’ roots in the communities they already serve so well, and build leadership opportunities in the Church for future generations.

Learn More

Racial Reconciliation

Prison Ministry

Immigration

Sanctuary


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200 West Morgan St, Suite 300
Raleigh, NC 27601

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(919) 834-7474

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