CBI Blogs

Shabbat Shalom, my friends at Congregation Beth Israel! I must start with a note of deep gratitude to you for sharing Rabbi Kelly Levy with me and the work of SACReD for over four years! Rabbi Levy is a founding member of this alliance that grew out of Texas to change the culture around faith and Reproductive Justice across the country.

We believe that in a SACReD world, religious communities shift the culture to make Reproductive Justice a lived reality. On Repro Shabbat, we recognize the stories deeply rooted in the Jewish tradition that guide our values to support abortion access and reproductive freedom for all.

We recognize that religious fundamentalists have weaponized religion as a political tool, causing a disproportionate amount of damage to healthy sexuality and reproductive dignity in this country. Therefore, religious people are uniquely positioned to have a crucial role to play in healing and justice creation. This dominant narrative threatens not only reproductive freedom but also religious freedom, as a particularly narrow understanding of Christianity is the driver behind political movements restricting abortion access and bodily autonomy. This highly effective force creates laws that do not represent the full religious plurality in this country, and yet, we all live with the impacts of one theological understanding.

I do not need to tell you how harmful this is to your community. You know that the assumption in this country is that if you are religious, you are Christian. If you are religious, you are anti-abortion. That is simply not true.

We know that we are stronger together.

We know that our different beliefs, practices, and communities create opportunities to learn, deepen our understanding, and do our part to repair the world. As a Christian pastor, I have learned so much from the deep well of wisdom in the Jewish tradition, especially the teachings of Torah and the Rabbis that show true respect for women and their autonomy in reproductive decision-making. There is work we must do within our communities and there is unique transformation that happens when we work in partnership/coalition. Building resilient relationships and breaking isolation makes us a powerful force for building a new future. 

SACReD works with partners to create a religious movement that breaks the silence and stigma, holds courageous conversations, critically examines the intersection of religion and Reproductive Justice, and equips leaders to facilitate the work that is specifically ours as people of faith. The SACReD alliance plays an essential role in the broader, long-term struggle for culture change and social transformation that will bring reproductive liberation for everybody and every body. 

SACReD engages culture change and movement mobilization through  

• Biennial National Gathering

• SACReD Congregations Designation

• Media Advocacy

• Practical Support Organizing

We make space to tell a different story. We tell a story of religiously-rooted support for Reproductive Justice in the media. We train religious leaders to support people making reproductive decisions free from shame, judgment, and stigma. We build a movement to show our power through our SACReD Congregations Designation. Communities learn together over time and commit to public action in their communities. We bring the movement together to rewrite the narrative at our SACReD Gathering.

In January 2022, we held the first-of-its-kind national gathering of faith-based leaders focused on reproductive dignity and justice, attended by over 450 people from 40 states, 4 countries, and 30 different religious traditions and denominations. So much of this work happens in silos where people feel alone. It is important for us to come together, to see each other, to remember that we are stronger together.

That’s why we are holding the next SACReD Gathering in person May 7-9, 2024, in New Orleans with the theme Ignite Healing | Rewrite the Narrative | Create Culture Change. 

The SACReD Gathering is a multi-faith space that centers Reproductive Justice. While Christian Nationalism is working tirelessly to destroy our communities and undermine our spirits, we know that by strengthening our cross-movement connections and capacities, we can build a liberated, just, and abundant future. We gather to deepen our connections, craft healing together, hone our organizing skills, and amplify our courage to build reproductive dignity and bodily autonomy for all.

The SACReD Gathering is for:

• anyone who is beginning to learn about faith and Reproductive Justice; 

• secular movement partners who want to explore and/or deepen faith-based organizing; 

• more experienced leaders who want to translate theory into deeper practices;

• all who want to connect to a network of people for whom religion and the call for justice are inextricably linked.

If this describes you, I hope you will join us, in-person or virtually. Help us tell a different story. Registration and Sponsorships are open now. Join us to be a part of changing the culture.

Rev. Angela Tyler-Williams (She/Her) is a queer pastor ordained by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) into her call to engage people of faith to speak publicly and politically in support of reproductive health, rights, and justice and LGBTQIA+ equality. Angela holds a Master of Divinity from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The Center for American Progress named Angela as one of the 22 Faith Leaders to Watch in 2022. Angela learned about faith-based community organizing and building people power to create positive social change from the Industrial Areas Foundation. In her free time, Angela volunteers as a clergy counselor with Faith Aloud Talkline. She finds life in experiencing music, listening to podcasts, exploring creation, and engaging in theological discussions that go off the beaten path.