ABOUT US

Good Neighbors Racial Healing Initiative

Healing Racial Trauma. Fostering Reconciliation. Embodying Christ’s Love and Justice.

The Good Neighbors Racial Healing Initiative is a Christ-centered ministry committed to healing racial trauma and fostering reconciliation within the church through authentic relationships that invite everyone to bring their whole selves. We believe true healing requires addressing the deep wounds caused by systemic racism—wounds that affect not just the mind and spirit, but the body as well. By creating spaces where individuals can confront these wounds with courage and compassion, we embrace the transformative work of justice and healing. Our embodied approach invites participants to engage fully, acknowledging pain while pursuing restoration, so that together, we can build relationships rooted in truth, love, and the justice of Christ’s kingdom.

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The Core Program: The Good Neighbors Racial Healing Journey

At the center of our ministry is the Good Neighbors Racial Healing Journey, a transformative 10-month program that brings together 12 participants (6 White and 6 BIPOC) to process racial trauma, foster reconciliation, and build a community grounded in justice and Shalom.

This journey creates sacred spaces where participants:

• Share Stories: Honoring personal narratives of pain, hope, and healing.
• Engage in Spiritual and Somatic Practices: Integrating body, mind, and spirit in the healing process.
• Break Bread Together: Cultivating authentic connection through shared meals.

Through these gatherings, participants confront systemic racial injustices, learn to unlearn harmful narratives, and embody the love and justice of Christ in their communities.

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Expanding the Mission: Supporting Programs

While the 10-month journey is our core program, we also offer additional initiatives to deepen the work of racial healing and justice:

1. Good Neighbors Community Garden

The Community Garden is a vision for racial justice and healing through environmental stewardship and collective empowerment. Located in urban areas affected by systemic injustice, the garden will provide:

• Access to fresh, healthy food for underserved communities.
• A sacred space for participants to engage in embodied healing practices like gardening, which symbolizes restoration and growth.
• Opportunities for communal connection across racial and cultural divides.

The garden is a physical representation of the Gospel’s call to cultivate justice, equity, and peace.

2. Justice and Racial Shalom Urban Community Work

Our Justice and Racial Shalom Work aims to address systemic racial issues affecting BIPOC communities in Buffalo and Western New York. By partnering with local churches and organizations, we work to:

• Advocate for policies that address economic and social inequities.
• Host workshops, retreats, and special events to educate and equip individuals for racial justice work.
• Create spaces for truth-telling, repentance, and transformative reconciliation.

This program connects the personal healing of racial trauma with the larger task of restoring justice and equity in our communities.

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Building the Beloved Community

At the Good Neighbors Racial Healing Initiative, we are committed to building a beloved community where:

• Every Voice is Heard: Stories are honored as sacred and transformative.
• Every Story is Valued: Pain and hope are met with compassion and understanding.
• The Church Reflects God’s Kingdom: Diverse and unified in love, justice, and Shalom.

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Join Us in the Journey

We invite you to be part of this sacred work. Whether through the Good Neighbors Racial Healing Journey, the Community Garden, or our Justice and Racial Shalom Work, there are opportunities for you to contribute to racial healing and reconciliation.

To learn more or express interest in participating in the Fall 2025 pilot program, contact us at [insert contact info]. Together, let’s embody the love and justice of Christ and transform our communities into places of healing and hope.

Vision, Mission, Values

Mission Statement

Healing racial trauma through embodied practices and communal relationships, fostering restoration for the whole self—mind, body, and spirit.

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Vision Statement

A reconciled church where individuals of all ethnicities bring their whole selves to authentic relationships, engaging courageously in justice, healing, and restoration.

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Core Values

1. Embodied Healing
True healing addresses the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. Embodied practices honor the physical and emotional toll of racial trauma while fostering restoration through holistic, Christ-centered approaches. This value reflects the belief that God’s transformative work includes all aspects of human experience.

2. Authentic Relationships
Reconciliation begins with honest and vulnerable relationships where individuals bring their whole selves. Authenticity creates space for truth-telling, deep connection, and mutual respect, forming the foundation for genuine healing and unity in Christ.

3. Courageous Compassion
Healing racial trauma requires both the courage to confront painful truths and the compassion to engage with empathy and understanding. This value emphasizes the need to address systemic injustices with boldness while embodying Christ’s love in every interaction.

4. Justice as Restoration
Justice is not merely the correction of wrongs but the restoration of wholeness and dignity for all people. By seeking justice rooted in God’s love, this value affirms the transformative power of reconciliation to heal wounds, dismantle systemic racism, and build a community reflective of Christ’s kingdom.