What is a community activist? In the case of the Rev. Kelley Becker, it is one who attempts both to lead her spiritual community in support of the human community at large and also to serve that larger community and the too-often forgotten and neglected communities within it.
Becker is this year's recipient of the Grabill-Homan Community Peace Prize. She will be recognized at a Monday reception.
As associate minister with Bloomington First Christian Church Disciples of Christ, the city’s oldest congregation, Becker assists in imparting a message of compassion and inclusivity and overseeing an outreach program that has included FCC’s now 17-year-old, multi-church Westside Block Party and construction and promotion of the Tiny House, a modular mini-home that could prove a key solution in transitioning people who currently are homeless into a socially and economically sustainable life.
The Tiny House exemplifies Becker’s commitment to the disenfranchised of the Twin Cities. She has ministered to local people who are homeless on a personal level as well as through the church, and helped communicate with local police authorities and highlight the plight of homeless persons following last spring’s eviction of individuals from an outdoor encampment on Bloomington’s Market Street.
Becker also is attuned to the challenges facing the Twin Cities Latino community and issues confronting immigrants caught up in political controversy. She has traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border, witnessed federal deportation “show trials” in the Southwest, and through photos, stories, and sermons has helped illuminate complex issues of immigration, border security, and human rights.
Further, at a time when events in Ferguson, Baltimore, and Chicago underline concerns about police-community relations particularly along racial lines, Becker continues to communicate regularly with law enforcement officials, to affect greater understanding of community needs and police perceptions. In the pulpit and in the community, she has worked to uphold respect for and inclusivity of the LGBT community – she helped organize First Christian’s new One and All progressive service, which provides a worship opportunities for those who may not have felt welcome or accepted at other area churches.
Her commitment extends to supporting solutions to mental health issues that can exacerbate the challenges of poverty, substance abuse, crime, and East Side/West Side relations, as a board member with Bloomington’s non-profit INtegRIty Counseling. Last year, Becker agreed to chair Not In Our Town: Bloomington/Normal’s fledgling Faith and Outreach Subcommittee, which is devoted to fostering interfaith understanding and aiding area churches in efforts to address bigotry and attaining social justice for all Twin Citians. She played a key role with local Jewish and Islamic leaders in a December interfaith solidarity event in downtown Bloomington aimed at countering anti-Islamic sentiments.
