Dismantling Racism, One Wall At A Time

“You do well when you really fulfill the royal law found in scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself.  But when you show favoritism, you are committing a sin, and by that same law you are exposed as a lawbreaker. Anyone who tries to keep all of the Law but fails at one point is guilty of failing to keep all of it.” (James 2:8-10)

Some of you may know that in the wake of the recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and related protests across our country, leaders of our United Methodist Church have recently launched a plan of action to encourage and equip church members and others to actively stand against racism.  If you haven’t already, you will begin to see billboards around major metro Atlanta trafficways highlighting “Dismantling Racism: Pressing on to Freedom,” a multi-level effort by our United Methodist Church to initiate a sustained and coordinated effort to dismantle racism and promote collective action to work toward racial justice (Read more about this initiative HERE).

While ending racism throughout our country and world is not a problem that any one of us can solve by ourselves, each of us can do our individual part – we can “tear down the wall” that’s directly in front of us (so to speak), one wall at a time.  And while our church alone can’t fix all the systemic issues that we are inherently part of, we can be more intentional about becoming aware of what those issues actually are, so that we can do better about not unintentionally buying into them or giving them power.

To that end, here are several things “in the works” here at McKendree UMC which are designed to help us both as individuals and as a church to “do our part” in dismantling racism and racial injustice by addressing one “wall” at a time:

● We are currently putting together a task force to prayerfully discern exactly what things we can do as a local church to address this systemic problem.  While we have several McKendree members who have already volunteered, if you would like to be part of the steering team for this (or even just an interested member), please email me HERE and I’ll let you know when we are ready to get started.

● Rev. Teddy Rollins (Senior Pastor of the predominantly African-American United Methodist Suwanee Worship Center on Brogdon Rd.) and I have begun meeting not only to get to know one another better, but also to prayerfully begin considering what our two churches might do together as ministry partners to address this issue in our local Gwinnett communities.  At this point, we don’t know exactly what form this partnership will take:  it might result in an occasional pulpit swap between the two of us in our respective churches; a joint Bible/topical study shared with both congregations; a joint mission project or activity; or something else that the task force I mentioned above may help us figure out.  But please be in prayer that our relationship together bears fruit which will help us as God’s people jointly to address this issue.

● We as a church will strive to be more intentional about showing more ethnic diversity on Sunday mornings and on online/streaming worship services.  While we at McKendree are in many ways already a more diverse congregation than some churches (approximately 30% of our active membership is non-white/Caucasian), for the past three months during our time of quarantine, our online services have unintentionally lacked that diversity.  For this we are truly sorry, and agree that we need to be more intentional about reflecting who we actually already ARE as a diverse congregation (as well as what we seek to become more of in the future).
           So, whoever you are and whatever your background, we would love to have you to help us lead a prayer, read a scripture, do a welcome, or something else (perhaps even in a second language!) for either one of our in-person or online worship services (or both).  If you are interested in helping us show who we really are, please contact Nada Long HERE.

● To help us as individuals become more aware of the power and unintentional control that “Implicit Bias” already has over most of us, I want to invite and encourage those who are interested and willing to exploring this topic to join me in taking a $20, “at-your-own-pace” short online course sponsored by the Commission on Race and Religion of our UMC called Implicit Bias: What We Don't Think We Think.  You can read about the course, what it offers, and sign up for it HERE. 

● (If you’re reading this before July 1^st), You’re invited to join fellow United Methodists around the world in a live, denominational online Town Hall meeting Dismantling Racism: Pressing On to Freedom on Wednesday, July 1^st at 12:00pm CST (1:00pm EST) HERE to look at the history of our nation and church regarding the issue of race, and how being more aware of the stark realities of our past can help us build a more Gospel-grounded future together for both our church, country and our broader world.

Of course, none of these things alone can solve the depth of pain and hurt in our society caused by racism, prejudice, implicit bias, and racial injustice.  But it’s my hope that as we seek to address them “one wall at a time,” we will be doing our part in the name of Jesus to take down the larger “Wall” of racism in our country and world, and to fully keep the Law of Love that James talks about in the opening scripture for this article.

Always remember that God loves you and I do, too!

Father's Day Scriptures

As we celebrate Father’s Day, here is collection of just a few inspirational Bible verses that are especially for men and fathers:

Deuteronomy 1:29-31

“Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.’” (NIV)

Joshua 1:9

Be brave and strong... Don't be alarmed or terrified, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (CEB)

Malachi 4:6 

[God] will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. (NIV)

Psalm 103:13 

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. (NIV)

Proverbs 3:11-12

Don't reject the instruction of the Lord, my son; don't despise his correction. The Lord loves those he corrects, just like a father who treats his son with favor. (CEB)

Proverbs 10:9

The man of integrity walks securely, but one who takes crooked paths will be found out. (NIV)

Proverbs 23:22 

Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old. (NRSV)

Ephesians 6:4 

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (NRSV)

Colossians 3:21 

Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart. (NRSV)

This Father’s Day, be sure to take time to thank God not only for your father but also for the father-figures in your life.  Remember that God loves you and I do, too!

WE, not I: A Plea from our NGA Bishop

“But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the part with less honor so that there won’t be division in the body and so the parts might have mutual concern for each other.  If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part gets the glory, all the parts celebrate with it.  You are the body of Christ and parts of each other.” (1 Corinthians 12:24-27, CEB)

As we approach the time on June 28 when we will re-open our facilities for Sunday morning worship, there are some important topics and concepts that I believe we as a church need not only to consider and be aware of, but to practice even more intentionally than before.  I talked about one of them in my previous blog article from last week titled “LOVE, not FEAR” (read it HERE if you haven’t yet). 

But late last week, Sue Haupert-Johnson, the Bishop of our North Georgia United Methodist Conference (aka “Bishop Sue”) shared a video plea for another concept that I believe is equally essential for our future as God’s church.  If you have not already watched/seen it, I want to invite, encourage, and in fact urge you do so.

WATCH BISHOP SUE’S 

“WE” VIDEO HERE

In her video, she addresses not only issues related to the regathering/re-opening of our churches for in-person worship, but about the vital work that we must do as God’s people to end the scourge of racism.  She does this by calling attention to the important practice and understanding of the concept of “WE,” not only by the early church, but also by early Methodism, and by the church in America during the “Spanish Flu” pandemic of the early twentieth-century.

When we resist the cultural urge to think (and live) in terms of “I, me, and my,” it radically changes our perspective not only on life, but on the issues and relationships around us.  My prayer is that all of us can increasingly learn together to be a people that practice more “WE,” and less of a people who insist on “I, Me, and My” – to put the needs, cares and concerns of the those among us who are most vulnerable and who are hurting before our own.

While it's 24 minutes long, I urge you please to take time to watch the entire video, and then let the Holy Spirit speak to you about what she says. As you do so, please also remember that God loves you and I do, as well!

LOVE, Not FEAR: Why I Wear A Mask In Public

“’Food will not bring us close to God.’ We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.  But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak…. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.”
(1 Corinthians 8:8-9, 12-13)

“To wear a facial mask, or not wear one”… that has become a hotly debated question in today’s culture.  While I understand the reasoning and rationale that’s used to advance the respective views, what truly bothers me is how the rhetoric on both “sides” usually seems to assume that our motivations have something to do with FEAR:  if one wears a mask, it’s assumed that they are afraid of getting sick; if one does not wear a mask, it’s assumed that they are proud to show to the world that they are not afraid of getting sick.  And whether the “fears” of becoming infected are valid or not, this often creates at least a perception of judgement and a “I’m better than you” attitude by both “sides.”

To make matters worse, some Christians seem to equate the practice of mask-wearing (or not) with faith in God (or lack thereof).  I and others have heard well-intentioned church folk explain that they don’t wear a mask in public because they “have faith in God,” implying (perhaps without realizing it) that those who DO wear one don’t have faith in God.  I hope I don’t have to state how untrue this is, but in case there’s any doubt… it is.  And for me, at least, such a perspective totally misses the main reason why I, personally, think Christians DO need to consider wearing a mask in public:  out of LOVE and respect for our neighbors.

In the Roman culture from which the 1 Corinthians 8 scripture comes, food that was left-over from being sacrificed to idols in pagan temples was often taken to and sold in markets.  As a result, debate arose in the early church (at least in Corinth) about whether or not it was appropriate or acceptable for Christians to buy and consume the left-over idol-sacrificed food.  Some said it didn’t matter, because idols weren’t real, anyway.  But in the scripture above, Paul essentially says that while it is true that idols aren’t real, out of respect for those who don’t know any better, Christians should nevertheless still refrain, so as not to create a spiritual stumbling block for those who don’t understand that.  While today’s health crisis situation and circumstance is, of course, much different, I believe the principle is exactly the same:  consideration and love for OTHERS should be the basis for what we do as Christians -- NOT whether or not we have the “right” to do it, or because we’re afraid of getting sick from others or not.

According to data from the C.D.C., 35% of people who are infected with coronavirus are asymptomatic --  meaning that you and I can be carriers of the disease to others without ever developing symptoms ourselves (Read about this HERE).  As a result, in these last few months, I have tried my best to practice proper social distancing, wash my hands correctly, wear a mask in public, etc., etc..  However, the C.D.C. information tells me that there’s really no way for me to guarantee that when I’m around you, I might not unknowingly pass something to you.   Consequently, I currently wear a mask in public and in close quarters with others NOT because I’m afraid, or lack faith.  Instead, because of my faith, I choose to wear a mask out of love for others and a desire to protect them.

Please know that I do not judge or think badly of you if you choose not to wear a mask -- your choice is your own, and I respect and honor that.  But as we approach the time where we will be re-opening our church buildings for in-person worship, I simply want to highlight another way for us to frame the practice of mask-wearing:  that it should be about LOVE, not FEAR.  I want us to prayerfully consider doing what is best for ALL (including the most hesitant among us), rather than doing what’s best for US, individually.  I invite us to prayerfully consider “loving our neighbor” enough to do what makes them comfortable, rather than making the choice a statement about faith, trust or fear. 

So, if you see me wearing a mask in close proximity to you in public or at church, please remember:  it’s NOT because I’m afraid of you or that I lack faith; instead, it’s because I love you because of my faith!  Always know that God loves you and I do, too!