By Annika Hauer

Special to the Reporter

The Congregational Church on Mercer Island (CCMI), of the progressive United Church of Christ denomination, is taking three trips this year to places of historical significance.

“If we truly believe that all people are created in the image of God, the fact that some people are not treated fairly or equitably is a problem for us,” Jennifer Castle, pastor of CCMI, said. “So as an expression of our faith, we need to look at our own biases. What does it mean to be a predominantly white church and work in this area?”

CCMI is committed to providing “a safe spiritual home for all,” and has worked to do so by recently being involved in Pride celebrations, Juneteenth festivities, and bimonthly visiting nearby prisons.

CCMI and Plymouth Congregational Church of Seattle (also a United Church of Christ) is partnering with Museum without Walls, a nonprofit leading eyewitness programs in historical places. The goal is to provide people today with a more deep and emotional understanding of oppressive histories, and how those times influence people and society today.

People affected and family of those affected will speak at the tours, which pushes the experience beyond learning history abstractly, Castle said. “It’s a privilege to have a tour guide who’s basically said ‘here’s my community, and it’s not what you think it is.’”

There are three trips planned; the first is on Aug. 9 to the Tulalip tribe’s reservation to visit a former boarding school site, the Tulalip tribe cultural center, and hear testimony from descendants of those impacted and impacts existing today. The second is Nov. 15-17, an overnight trip to Portland, Oregon, to learn about the sudden destruction of Vanport, a city that housed thousands of shipyard workers during WWII and disappeared in a day due to flooding. A third trip is scheduled for Feb. 29-March 6, 2025, to Alabama to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday.

“I think mission trips often have the connotation that the white savior is coming in to do something for a community that can’t do it for itself,” Castle said. “That’s not what this is. This is an opportunity for us to learn…and to realize the power that we have, that we have to make a difference, and also the power that we have been infused with through merit or just because we’re white.”

About 20 people between the two churches signed up for the Tulalip trip so far. The Tulalip trip costs $95 per person, which goes to compensating those speaking at the tour and the provided lunch.

There is significance in having a local trip, Castle said. “I think it’s really important to learn about what the history of racial injustice is right here, that it isn’t just a problem of the American South, that it is something that has had impact on folks and every place and in every time.”

The trips are open to the public, and “not particularly churchy,” Castle said. Signups can be found at https://www.ucc-ccmi.org/about-5-3.