Clearwater area churches are always working to help educate the community on timely societal issues. Last fall Tri-County Alliance Church brought in Love2Hope for a presentation on human trafficking awareness, and next week Rejoice Lutheran Church is welcoming Rev. Dr. Karen McKinney, who will be discussing equity.

Rejoice applied for a grant through their synod, Southwestern Minnesota Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, to bring McKinney to Clearwater as a response to the riots of 2020 and the upheaval of Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd. 

“When we heard the synod was providing grants to help congregations keep the conversation going and learn to be more welcoming to all we knew it was something we wanted to be part of,” said Susan Chwalek.

For the past two years the church has been holding weekly Zoom adult book discussions in the winter months, with this year’s book being How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. One of the church’s members had heard McKinney lead a workshop previously that she found very meaningful, so she suggested the reverend be asked to come to Rejoice.

McKinney was raised in north Minneapolis and has a PhD from St. Thomas and MDiv from Fuller Seminary.  She’s been a youth minister, chaplain, and professor at Bethel University for 24 years. She’s currently the Chief Equity Officer/Assistant Commissioner for the MN Dept. of Human Services.

McKinney will be bringing her presentation, Community Conversations, to Rejoice next Sunday, March 27. She will be preaching at the 9:30 a.m. service, after which there will be a free meal and conversations around the tables until noon. From noon to 3 p.m. McKinney will be leading a learning session on how equity applies to everyone at home, at church, and in the community.

The event is open, everyone is invited to attend. Please call Rejoice at 320-558-6851 so they will know how many attendees to prepare for.