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Dear friend,
In times such as these, poor and working class people—housed and unhoused, multi-faith and nonreligious—are rising up and seeking meaningful ways to come together. Across the country, grassroots communities are reclaiming prayer as protest, ritual as resistance, and liturgy as the work of the people.
We are excited to announce the release of We Pray Freedom: Liturgies and Rituals from the Freedom Church of the Poor, coming this fall!
We cry justice. We pray freedom.
Charon Hribar, Liz Theoharis & the whole Kairos Center team
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What to know about the book
Prayer has long sustained movements for social change. Ritual gives shape to our desire for justice, and liturgy lends power to our work. In We Pray Freedom, we learn from organizers and movement builders the songs, stories, and ritual practices that keep them going for the long haul. The Freedom Church of the Poor, called for by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has existed in many forms; today it includes laborers, poor folks, pastors, organizers, and others bound together by a conviction: It does not have to be this way.
Edited by Liz Theoharis, theologian, pastor, anti-poverty activist, and editor of We Cry Justice, and Charon Hribar, song leader, cultural organizer, and social ethicist, this book guides readers through a journey of remembering, healing, mourning, action, and celebration. It is a collection of prayers, resources, and stories from the communities in which they arose, including:
A Prayer to Protect a Sacred Place
A Prayer for Burials
A Black Friday Prayer for Workers' Justice
Passover Seder
Vigil for the Detained
Healthcare Vigil
A Shinnecock Song of Peace
Earth Liturgy
A Ramadan Ritual
A Poem in the Wake of Police Violence
A Revolutionary Advent Wreath
A Prayer for Diwali
Benediction for Homeless Persons' Memorial Day
Join Chaplains on the Harbor on their Stations of the Cross, Iglesia del Pueblo for Día de los Muertos, Domestic Workers United in their community garden ritual, and an encampment of unhoused residents in Alabama for their communion service. With more than fifty resources from eighty contributors, We Pray Freedom is useful for individual reflection, corporate worship, and protest and action. Through liturgies of liberation, join a movement that bears witness to the justice of God and to human faith, suffering, protest, and love.
Preorder now! ([link removed])
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Not in our name! Faith Climate Action at Chase Bank, NYC. September 14th, 2023
A taste of what’s to come…
“Ella’s Song”
“Ella’s Song” appears in Chapter 6 of We Pray Freedom, in the section titled “Liturgies of the People.” It was offered as part of a litany during a commissioning service for students stepping into leadership in the movement to end poverty. Rooted in the legacy of Ella Baker and her unwavering belief in grassroots organizing, the song served as a powerful reminder that it is ordinary people who have the power to lead and transform the world.
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“Courage”
Adapted from a South African anti-apartheid anthem, Courage has traveled across continents and struggles, carrying with it the spirit of resistance, remembrance, and collective strength. Originally sung by political prisoners being taken to jail—often used to learn each other’s names behind bars—the song has since become a hymn of liberation for movements around the world.
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Ceasefire Pray-in. October 24th, 2023. Photo by Audrey Bruner of Adalah Justice Project
** Don’t just take our word for it
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“An amazing and inspirational journey through the immense value of the incorporation of rituals and prayers within our multi-diverse communities. The vivid personal stories, the in-depth references to spiritual resources, and the encouragement to ‘reflect, embody, discuss’ at the end of each chapter gently, yet persistently, guide the reader toward a new vision of possibility. Through each chapter, We Pray Freedom offers a powerful blueprint for individuals, churches, unions, and organizations to work together toward liberation, justice, and equality for all.”
- Sweet Honey in the Rock
“When we sing together, we are not only supporting a movement; we are building it. Much of this collective song is rooted in our shared traditions of faith. The leaders and communities featured in We Pray Freedom embody this truth, teaching us to build movements through the harmony of our hearts.”
- Marshall Ganz
“We Pray Freedom is a call to move beyond the confines of traditional worship into a deeper, more inclusive prayer that embraces both our humanity and our divine calling. It beckons us to hear the cries of the oppressed – not as distant voices, but as teachers of a liberation that transforms us all. The liturgies found in this collection are not just words, but powerful acts of justice and compassion that invite us into right relationship with each other, with creation, and with God.”
- Richard Rohr
** Bonus preview: Love’s Calling
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This prayer poem, “Love’s Calling,” was written by Rev. Dr. Beth Johnson and shared as part of the Love Knows No Borders Interfaith Service of Witness.
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Love Knows No Borders action on December 10th, 2018. Photo by Steve Pavey: Hope in Focus ([link removed])
Love’s Calling…
Love’s calling
Can you hear it?
Love’s calling
All
all around
Love’s calling....
From the depths of our souls
It emerges
Love’s calling....
Stirring
Longing
Luring
Leading
Hearts
Beating for justice, beating for hope
Hearts beating
Pulsing through bodies on the line.
Love’s calling
Me
You
Us
Love’s calling
beating hearts
bruised and worn-out bodies
Rising spirits
Love’s calling
from the streets
from the border . . . from the margins
Love’s calling
Whispering
Shouting
Raging
Praying
Love’s calling
All
All around
Love's calling
for justice
Love’s calling
Igniting courage,
Love’s calling us…
On this journey, love knows no borders...love takes us to the depths of our grief,
to the depths of our longing and to the depths of our souls, love stirs in us with compassion and passion,
love rises into action…
love flows through us and among and beyond us to our siblings in exodus because love knows no borders…
So it is love that calls us here in this time, in this place, for this sacred purpose to prepare our hearts and minds and bodies to be witnesses for love and justice.
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Kairos Center is fiscally sponsored by Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your gift may be tax deductible pursuant to §170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. Please visit www.tides.org/state-nonprofit-disclosures ([link removed]) for additional information.
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