Working ecumenically is a joy for me in ministry and this way of working is at the heart of the Moravian Church. You could say it is in our DNA. Zinzendorf, when founding the church in the early 1800s, was against creating a new denomination as he would rather we work with other churches rather than steal people away, one of the reasons why the Moravian Church is small in the UK today. The Moravian Church was one of the founding members of CTBI, the World Council of Churches, and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. So, for me as a Moravian, working collaboratively with others comes naturally, we all have gifts and can learn from each other.
I was delighted to be asked to be part of the Racial Justice Sunday writers group. However, my brain quickly clicked into ‘impostor syndrome’ mode and made me doubt my capability and to ask whether I was the right person for the job. Luckily, I quickly realised that I did have the skills to be part of the group and I took up the challenge with relish.
When the writers group first met to discuss Racial Justice Sunday we all shared our initial ideas and some suggestions were a ‘coat of many colours’ and also a ‘tapestry’ of things coming together to make something beautiful. The theme developed as we talked, and people brought ideas from their contexts. The weaving analogy struck me immediately as I am a creative person both personally and in my ministry. I thought of the women who would have reared the sheep or goats, dyed the wool, wove the cloth and made up the coat of many colours. They are not mentioned in the story but without their skills there would have been no coat and the story could have been very different.
When thinking of those not mentioned in the narrative it reminded me of the many people forgotten or not heard in our churches not just today but historically. A phrase we use in Holy Communion, ‘the great cloud of witnesses by whom we are encompassed’ always jumps out to me. All that we have today is by the hard work and dedication of those unseen now. Just as we remember those gone before us in our church families, we must also remember those who are unseen today, who suffer or are ignored because of the colour of their skin. Being a small part of Racial Justice Sunday has been a privilege and reinforced to me the need for us all to be more aware of the injustices black people face every day, to keep recognising the bias and privileges we all have, and to keep on learning to ensure everyone belongs.
Read Rev Lorraine’s reflection in the Racial Justice Sunday 2025 resources (page 54 onwards).
Rev Lorraine Shorten is a minister for the Moravian Church in the British Province and currently serves two congregations in the Bath, Somerset area. She is a Provincial Ecumenical Officer and also chair of the Church Service Committee for the Moravian Church. Rev Lorraine is a member of the CTE Racial Justice Working Group.
Read more about the 30th anniversary of Racial Justice Sunday.