“We must face the sad fact that at eleven o’clock on Sunday morning when we stand to sing ‘In Christ there is no East or West,’ we stand in the most segregated hour of America.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
When I was a boy, the lingering effects of segregation confused and then saddened me. My earliest memory of the dying policy of “Separate But Equal” stems from an argument between myself and my mother in a Greyhound station when I was about 5. When I told her I wanted to drink from the water fountain with the “pretty water,” she would not allow it – that’s how my innocent mind interpreted the sign over one water fountain that said “Colored.” By the time we moved back to Missouri when I began fifth grade, Kirkwood schools were integrated, but the Afro-American kids (as we called them then) hung together and were disinterested in any attempt on my part to make social connections.
To my shame, I didn’t try very hard.
Over the years, I have shed my naïveté and worked hard to understand and combat the pernicious evil of racism, both in myself and in the world around me. I confess to still having a lot of work to do. But what has helped me most has been the relationships I’ve had with loving Christian siblings from other ethnic groups, Black, Latino/a, Japanese, Korean… These folks have been patient with me and vulnerable to me and have done my best to return that care.
So, it was a great joy for me and for Connie when we found our first church home back here in Missouri at The Antioch Baptist Church in “The Ville” neighborhood of north St. Louis city. Even though we moved back during the pandemic, the sisters and brothers at Antioch welcomed us warmly and heartily. Connie was quickly recruited to join the choir and I was honored by being asked, first, to teach Adult Sunday School once a month and then, by being invited to preach… on Black History Sunday, no less! I guess I passed the test, as Pastor Benson continued to open the pulpit to me about once a quarter, had the Board of Deacons recognize me as a volunteer Associate Minister of the church, and even suggested that he might put my credentials forward to have my ordination recognized by the National Baptist Convention, USA, “the nation’s oldest and largest African American religious convention.” Rev. Dr. Benson and his wife, Brender, as well as Antioch’s Assistant Pastor, Rev. Desiree Davis and her husband, Lenny, continue to be cherished friends to Connie and me.
I am delighted to say that, after a false start earlier this year, we will have a “Pulpit & Choir Swap” with The Antioch Baptist Church on Sunday, April 21st. Pastor Benson will preach at St. Andrew’s and the Antioch choir will sing here while I preach at Antioch, accompanied by the St. Andrew’s UMC choir. Those of you who aren’t going with me will not want to miss this opportunity to hear a top-notch choir and excellent preaching here in DeSoto.
I hope we will do you all proud up in “The Ville.”
Our United Methodist Council of Bishops take the problem of racism seriously. They have called for every United Methodist to name the egregious sin of racism and white supremacy and join together to take a stand against the oppression and injustice that is killing persons of color.”
As I have learned in my journey, the fight against racism begins with relationships. Since April 21st is also a “Potluck Sunday” at St. Andrew’s, I encourage you all to not only come and worship but to come and fellowship and make new friends among the Antioch choir and leadership. Connie and I can tell you; you will be blessed! Let’s do our part!
Pastor Chris