In our deeply partisan and polarizing society, it is very easy to pit one group of people against another group of people. Regardless of all the associations and attributions we make when hearing “Black Lives Matter” and “Blue Lives Matter,” we must be very attentive to the heart cry of African Americans who have long endured racism in a variety of forms, including policing. Similarly, we must be very attentive to the fears and concerns of people who serve in the police force. We must not dehumanize either group, or marginalize them, but maximize their identity. This session will seek to account for various injustices, including how we all too easily minimize people based on their skin color or the badge and uniform they wear. We need to ‘police’ our societal structures so that we can move to protect one another—black lives and blue lives—and enhance justice and dignity for all.

Presenters: Cliff Chappell and Paul Lyda, with Paul Louis Metzger moderating

• About Chaplain Paul Lyda:

Paul Lyda serves as Senior Chaplain for the Washington County (OR) Sheriff’s Office.

He is an ordained, rostered minister in good standing with the Oregon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), as well as a certified chaplain with the International Conference of Police Chaplains and Public Safety Chaplaincy. Prior to his call to be a full-time law enforcement chaplain, Reverend Lyda served as an Associate Pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, OR.

Paul holds certification in Mental Health First Aid, as well as individual and group Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) and other trauma interventions. Paul regularly facilitates courses on Peer Support, Resilience and Employee Wellness for the County’s Crisis Intervention Team training/certification. He believes a thoughtful approach to trauma-informed and culturally-competent public service is especially needed in conflicted, chaotic, and grief-stricken lives.

He received his Master of Divinity (MDiv) from George Fox Evangelical Seminary. Paul also serves on the Board of Directors for the Union Gospel Mission of Portland, the Advisory Council for Public Safety Chaplaincy, and the Ministry Council for New Wine, New Wineskins.

Paul is blessed to be a husband to Keri (married for over 26 years) and a father to their four daughters, Emma, Abigail, Olivia, and Molly. He considers it an honor to be called “abu el banat,” which means “father of daughters” in Arabic.

• About Pastor Cliff Chappell:  

CLIFF CHAPPELL has been in ministry for 40+ years including over 35 years as senior pastor. He currently serves as the pastor of the St. Johns All Nations Church Of God In Christ in Portland, Oregon, a multi-cultural/multi-ethnic church. Pastor Chappell has spent his life as a community activist working to promote strong family values for the good of the community.

Pastor Chappell, a US Navy Veteran, has a BS in Civil/Structural engineering, a Master of Divinity Degree, and a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Cross Cultural Engagement from Multnomah Biblical Seminary. He now serves as the Regional Administrative Assistant in the state of Oregon for the California New Journey Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ under the Bishop John Mark Richardson. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for Multnomah University and on the Board of Directors for The Institute for Cultural Engagement: New Wine, New Wineskins. He works with the National COGIC as a Regional Dean where he serves the Church Of God In Christ as the West Coast Region 3&6 Dean, to develop online and in person training for the CH Mason Jurisdictional Institutes for the Church Of God In Christ. He is the Founder and Director of Man-Up, a community outreach program that addresses Domestic, Sexual and Gang Violence by healing the “Soul Trauma” in men and women.

Pastor Cliff was recognized in 2014 by the Church of God In Christ as one of their ‘100 Influential Pastors.’ He lives in Vancouver, Washington with his wife Diana of over 47 years.

View or download the program for this session.

Register for this one session ($5) or the whole series of six ($25).

Regsitrants will receive unlimited access to the videos of sessions they register for.

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About the Maximize—Don’t Marginalize Conference Series

Watch the 5-minute introduction to the conference series:

Synopsis of the Conference Series:

We live in a day and age where it is so easy to depersonalize other humans. It is vitally important to maximize others’ personhood in view of their inherent dignity rather than minimize them. An all-encompassing Christian doctrine of creation will require that we treat the human as well as non-human creation as sacred rather than profane. New Wine’s upcoming conference “Maximize—Don’t Marginalize” will address various pressing issues along these lines: suicide prevention, end-of-life care, minority religious groups’ freedoms, the non-human creation’s welfare, racial sensitivity and policing, and LGBTQ+ youths’ wellbeing. Please join us for these live webinar sessions that will take place every Thursday evening from April 13th to May 18th. All sessions in this series:

• April 13: Suicide Prevention: Beyond Shame to Shalom
• April 20: End-of-Life Care: Wounded Healers
• April 27: Freedoms for Religious Minorities: The Fully Clothed Public Square
• May 4: Creation Care: Pro-Life, All Life
• May 11: Race and Policing: Black and Blue Lives Matter
• May 18: LGBTQ+ Youth: Fostering Care Close to Home