You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
— Mahatma Gandhi
Durham CAN
Since 2005, WSBC has partnered with Durham Congregations, Associations and Neighborhoods to proactively work across racial and ethnic lines for positive, non-violent social change. Durham C.A.N. is nonpartisan, and works with action teams on specific public policy issues. Issues addressed include affordable housing, jobs and living wages, police accountability, and opportunities for youth.
Peace and Reconciliation
For more than 40 years ,the WSBC Peace & Reconciliation Mission Group has sought to express the love of God through education, non-violent action, and statements/actions of conscience. The members work to foster a reconciled community and strive to combat systemic discrimination. During recent years, the group has organized refugee advocacy, support and sanctuary; outreach to the LGBTQ+ community; participation in the Poor Peoples Campaign; hosted the annual WSBC/St. John’s Missionary Baptist joint Martin Luther King Sunday worship and other conversations around race and justice.
Reconciliation and Re-entry
The Reentry Faith Team, in collaboration with Northside Missionary Baptist Church, forms a support circle for persons returning to society after incarceration. This work involves building relationships across racial and social lines and learning to love the stranger. A Faith Team is comprised of five volunteers and a Reentry Partner. The Durham Criminal Justice Resource Center and the Religious Coalition for a Non-Violent Durham provide training and ongoing assistance to Faith Team volunteers.
Walltown
Walltown Neighborhood Ministries seeks to bridge churches, non-profit agencies, schools, and families in the Walltown neighborhood and close vicinity. This organization is engaged in relationship building and street-level justice activities including: partnering together to host a food bank, providing education and training for community organizing, supporting the Urban Hope youth camp, and hosting activities through the year for the community to come together for worship and fun.