Radically Inclusive Parenting Project
Engaging, Equipping, and Empowering parents and caregivers to pass on a radically inclusive spirituality to their children.
The Radically Inclusive Parenting Project is a new initiative of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, an ecumenical and trans-denominational network of faith communities creating, sustaining and celebrating community on the margin.
Our values are to:
Listen - Listen with compassion. We want to foster spaces of deep listening to hear what parents and caregivers of children have to say. We also want to help parents & caregivers develop greater capacity to listen to what their children have to say. Children have innate abilities to engage in spiritual experiences and we can learn so much from them!
Learn - Learn with curiosity. We’re committed to learning together in community. We lean into teachings from spiritual leaders, activists, theologians, and psychologists who all share a passion to see social healing, justice, and transformation take place.
Love - Love with care. We center ourselves in the infinite source of Love which has the capacity to hold us all in our diverse and dynamic identities and expressions. It is through deep love that we find the power to nurture ourselves and our children in a spirit of radical inclusivity, embodying hope, freedom and healing for the world.
More About The Project
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed to us the importance of home life during times of collective trauma and crisis. Therefore, it is our conviction that we must learn to re-center the household as one of the premier places of spiritual development for our children rather than completely rely on religious programming outside of the home.
Through this project we aim to empower parents & caregivers of children with resources to pass on a spirituality that fosters radical inclusivity and care for all people and for all of creation.
Our approach centers the experiences and wisdoms which arise from BIPOC and LGBTQ+ households. For far too long, colonial systems and dominant culture have tried to silence the voices of our BIPOC and LGBTQ+ relatives and we see our project as a counter to these forces.
Through our efforts, we draw from the wisdom of liberation and womanist theologians, as well as wisdom from the Christian contemplative traditions. These spiritual traditions impart to us the power of our spirituality in sustaining us as we live out active resistance to societal systems and structures that seek to dominate and oppress.
Thus, we hope to demystify spiritual practice and formation in household life and seek to support parents and caregivers to creatively pass on their spiritual values in ways that their children can grow in experiences of the sacred.
If this resonates with you and you’re a parent or caregiver of children or someone who works to support families, you’re invited to join us on this venture!
You can access our News Release here
Our Team
Bishop Yvette A. Flunder
Rev. Nereyda “Neddy” Yong
Elena Allen
Nubian Flunder
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Visionary
Bishop Flunder is an unapologetic disciple and proponent of the radically inclusive love of Jesus Christ, who has raised her voice for justice from the church house to the White House and the steps of the Supreme Court. She has successfully united the message of the gospel with social justice ministry and action for over 30 years.
She is the Presiding Bishop of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, a multi-denominational coalition of over 100 primarily African American Christian leaders and laity representing churches and faith-based organizations from all parts of the United States, and extending to Mexico, three countries in Africa and most recently, Asia.
This parenting project is an extension of her vision to amplify outreach to those whose lives are most marginalized in society and the church.
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Project Director
Rev. Neddy is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) whose passion is to support diverse families with resources that nurture a compassionate and just spirituality in daily life. Rev. Neddy seeks to center the well-being of children and their parents/caregivers as a way to foster healing, wholeness, and liberation in the world.
She has also received an MBA where she was trained in business management and a certificate in the Art of Spiritual Direction as she is continually cultivating her spiritual direction practice.
She is a devoted mother herself, raising her four young children alongside her lifelong partner, Rev. Dr. Aizaiah Yong.
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Project Coordinator
Nubian Flunder, L.Ac. is a holistic health practitioner, seasoned medicine woman, and multi-faith spiritualist who has dedicated over 25 years to empowering others, disrupting oppressive systems, and healing intergenerational trauma. As a Bay Area native, her life's work is heavily inspired by diversity in nature, spirituality, music, food, and culture.
She is an acupuncturist with a Master of Oriental Medicine and the owner of a holistic wellness company where she encourages the need for diverse approaches to health and spirituality.
She is a community member, daughter, partner, and mother to two beautiful young men who have deepened her commitment to building healthy families that contribute to healthy communities.
Upcoming Events
“When our children experience a greater capacity for compassion, wholeness, and justice, it will give us the best chance to parent our way into a different kind of future.”
— Rev. Neddy Yong
