September 2025

Resilient Faith Holding Us Together

Fall Gathering Recap

We entered the Fall Gathering in Nashville carrying, well, a lot. The weight of national headlines pressed just as deeply as the struggles in our own neighborhoods. As one participant named, even when we stand in hope, sometimes that hope “slouches.” This was not a room that tried to erase those burdens, but one that made space for both lament and possibility. Together we stepped into community—seeking resilient faith, drawing on the wisdom of remarkable voices, and sharing honest reflection and conversation with fellow pilgrims. Along the way, we also laughed, played, and rested. We discovered companions for a journey that will continue long after these days.

Without our planning, it seemed the Spirit was quietly weaving together the threads of our four guest speakers. Their voices carried us into lineages of wisdom stretching back generations, down into the soil beneath us, and outward toward a cosmic future. They spoke of birds and plants, of endings and beginnings, and ultimately, of a hope beyond our current reality.

• Jeff Chu reminded us that Love is our foundation and our focus as we seek a better world.
• Yara González-Justiniano invited us to consider how hope can be angry and complicated, while still motivating us to work for justice that we may never see.
• Brian McLaren called us into contemplative practice for resilience.
• Yolanda Pierce closed by lifting up the faithfulness of ordinary people—our grandmothers, our children—as the ground from which justice grows.

Each day we chanted together: “Hallelujah, God is forever holding us together.” We left reminded that divine love holds us close and holds us in community—supported and still unfolding.

September Conversations: Yara González-Justiniano and Centering Hope

In the first month of our fall curriculum, we hosted conversations around hope, hopelessness, and the liminal space that holds them both, using Dr. Yara González-Justiniano’s book Centering Hope as a Sustainable Decolonial Practice.

Join Us for October: Good Soil by Jeff Chu!

• Watch the beautiful remarks Jeff offered at our Fall Gathering.
• Read on your own timeline and join the community conversation.
• Stream the Live Conversations twice a month to hear what the book is stirring in Peter, Sophie, and special guests.

→ Join today as an individual, or connect with us to become a church partner.

Winter Gathering with Pádraig Ó Tuama​ - Registration Open Now!

​Registration is now open for the Winter Gathering. Join us January 29-31, 2026 in the Bay Area to learn with our special guest: author and theologian Pádraig Ó Tuama. We are so thrilled to spend time engaging with his wisdom on storytelling, spirituality, and the work of justice. You can attend the full three-day gathering, or the Thursday/Friday evenings with Pádraig. We are offering registration on a sliding scale; don't let price deter you from attending, or please contribute at a higher level if possible to make this event accessible.

Join the Faith & Justice Network!

🎥 Livestreaming access to all events: New this year, all members receive access to livestreams of all events! Tune in from anywhere and watch the conversations. Plus, catch up on events you’ve missed with recorded excerpts, shared monthly. No additional cost or event registration. 🎉

📚 Monthly Curriculum: We provide liturgies, readings, and reflections centered on monthly themes, curated especially for this community. For preaching or devotional reading, we also create justice-oriented lectionary reflections. Join the conversation online.

🤝 Stay Connected: Build community with folks from diverse walks of life who are also seeking to integrate faith and justice.

• ​Start a F+J group at your church
• ​Support the F+J Network​

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