Richmond IONS January 2022 Meeting (January 15) and Central Virginia IONS Community Group Meeting. It will feature a talk by Ben Campbell.
Where: Online and in person, through ZOOM (Meeting ID: 865 1815 1952, Passcode: 142841) and in person at River Road United Methodist Church, Contemporary Worship Center, 8800 River Road, Richmond, VA 23229.
When: On Saturday, January 15, 2022, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
Richmond IONS January 2022 Meeting
“Richmond’s Unhealed History”
Our January 15, 2022, 26th Anniversary program will feature a talk by the Rev. Benjamin P. Campbell, Pastoral Associate at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, longtime community leader and activist, and author of Richmond’s Unhealed History (2013).
In his detailed look at the history of Richmond, Ben Campbell examines the contradictions and crises that have formed and shaped the city over more than four centuries. John Moeser, PhD, of the University of Richmond, describes Richmond’s Unhealed History as a “unique book which should be
required reading for every Richmonder, better yet, every American.”
Ben argues that the community of metropolitan Richmond is engaged in a decisive spiritual battle to transcend the self-created shackles of its turbulent past as the slave capital of North America.
He believes that Richmond, more than any other city in the nation, has the potential for an unprecedented and historic achievement. Its citizens can redeem and fulfill the lofty ideals of their ancestors, proving to the world that race and class divides can be conquered by the deliberate and prayerful intention of honest and dedicated citizens.
Ben Campbell has been an indefatigable advocate for racial equity and justice through his 55+ years as an Episcopal priest. In light of the events of recent years the tenor of his message has never been more timely or more important than it is today.
Those events include Charlottesville in 2017, the removal of the Confederate monuments on Richmond’s Monument Avenue in 2020 and 2021, and the Capital insurrection of January 6, 2021. They also include the populist resurgence of Jim Crow-style voter suppression laws now being enacted in state legislatures across the country.
There also has never been a more important time for Richmonders to step up and light the way for others to follow. This promises to be another great program and a perfect way to celebrate our 26th Anniversary.
About Ben Campbell, our Richmond IONS January 2022 Meeting Presenter
A native of Arlington, Virginia, the Rev. Benjamin P. Campbell studied political science and economics at Williams College in Massachusetts and studied theology as a Rhodes Scholar at the Queen’s College in Oxford.
He received a Masters in Divinity plus an honorary Doctorate in Divinity from the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. He was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1966.
He came to Richmond in 1970, has ministered to three Episcopal churches, and served as Communications Director and Program Director of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. He directed two non-profit corporations – the Richmond Urban Institute, and Home Base, Incorporated, a neighborhood-based low-income housing corporation.
In 1987 he co-founded and became Pastoral Director of Richmond Hill, an ecumenical Christian community and retreat center on Church Hill . He is co-founder of the Micah Association, which links more than 100 faith communities to 25 inner city elementary schools in Richmond, and of the Armstrong Leadership program. Currently, he serves as Board Chairman of the GRTC, and as a Pastoral Associate at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
About Central VA IONS Community Group:
Central VA IONS Community Group is an unincorporated association and a local community group of The Institute of Noetic Sciences, an international association based in Petaluma, California (www.noetic.org).
We do not promote any religion, religious organization, doctrine or set of beliefs or practices and we are open to all. Central VA IONS entirely depends on voluntary donations of its members and friends to support its programs, mailings and other costs.
We appreciate a love offering at each meeting from those attending who are not dues paying members. Richmond IONS/Central VA IONS meetings take place each month at locations announced in its program notices (currently on Zoom) and are open to all. Our website is at richmondions.com.
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