Madeleine's drawing of Emanuel AME Church
Source: Melanie and Madeleine

Moving Forward

Like many others I am shocked, angry, horrified, and deeply saddened by the tragedy in Charleston, South Carolina. As we begin to put all of the pieces together surrounding this violent attack, the systemic cancer of racism and hate embedded in our culture rises to the surface.

I grieve the loss of those nine saints and also the countless other lives that have been touched by violence, repression, and hatred because of the color of skin or ethnicity.

I grieve for the families, friends, and colleagues who will be forever changed by the senseless murder of loved ones.

I grieve for the congregation of Mother Emanuel who must now find a way forward without those beloved members of their community.

I grieve for the family of the assailant who are reeling with confusion, shock and heartbreak.

I grieve for the wider church, for even as we  strive to share Good News of God’s love in Christ Jesus  though our words and actions, we are human and fall short, and the news that so many of our impressionable young people are hearing is not good news at all; it is tainted with hatred, bias and vitriol.

I grieve that the central message of our faith- that in Christ all are welcome, all are loved, all are equal and all are justified in the eyes of God is not louder, deeper and wider than the other messages that we encounter on a daily basis. Instead we are barraged with messages driven by anxiety, suspicion and fear.

In an era when “radicalized” is a buzz-word often combined with extremism and hate, God calls the church to radical love. Perhaps it is only now in the wake of yet another tragedy that we are recognizing the enormity and urgency of God’s counter-cultural expression of reconciliation and love.

Indeed this is a wake-up call.

But even as the waves of grief continue to crash over our hearts, we see do see this radical love in action. Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, who even in the throes of the deepest pain and horror and unimaginable sadness, opened their doors for worship this Sunday. Their  response to this maelstrom of fear and hate was to provide sanctuary, hope, and God’s peace.

In the midst of this storm, God shows up bringing healing and comfort and grace; grace enacted by those family members who stood up at the bail hearing of the gunman and spoke of their pain and loss and also spoke of mercy. Rather than let sin have the last word; they spoke forgiveness. They resisted the urge to meet hate with hate and instead met hate with love and hope. Their words echoed through the court room:

“I forgive you… confess… repent…May God have mercy on your soul… God forgives you… I forgive you.”

Those powerful words were not just meant for one lone wolf attacker, but were meant for us all;  prophetic words that cannot be ignored. 

We as individuals and as a church must look outward and address issues of racial inequality in our culture and institutions and listen deeply to the experience of our brothers and sisters who face discrimination and injustice.

We must look inward and examine our own actions, our own bias, our own complicity through our silence, and engage our communities in honest dialogue about race.

We must look to the future and educate our children and grandchildren so that they will not only see the color of skin but will see the beautiful image of God in each and every person they encounter.

We must look to Jesus and take to heart God’s vision for the kingdom- a place where loving one another as Jesus loved us is not a lofty goal in the sky, but a way of life for the here and now.

As leaders we must look at the inauguration of a new day, an opportunity to explore new directions for ministry, and engage in new mission.

Let us follow Jesus and let us continue on the Way, and rebuke the fear, anger, anxiety, and hate and still this storm of injustice. Like those members of Mother Emanuel, let us act in faith and be the instruments of God’s mercy, peace, comfort, hope, and love in this age and in the age to come.

Wake up the Christ that is in you, and still this storm.

It is a time for us to move forward together-In Jesus name. Amen.

Resources:

ELCA:

Racial Justice Resource Page

New England Synod: 

"I Have Dream Fund"  (Grant Process)

Providing financial resources for those who long for an end to racism and an increase in understanding across cultural barriers, established by Margaret and John Payne.

Faith and Leadership at Duke University:

Articles pertaining to Reconciliation

Forward Leadership Moves Into It's 2nd Year!

"Holy Experiment" Progress Report

What does it mean to be a congregation today when attending church is no longer a priority for much of society?  

How do we measure progress and growth? 

How do we adjust to a changing culture and context?  

What is real adaptive change and what is only a temporary technical fix? 

Where is God leading us, here, now, in this place? 

How will we guide our faith communities as we move forward?

Those are just some of the questions that the Forward Community asks together as we journey through the program year. In the quest to find answers to those questions, we look to recent research and scholarship, congregational self assessment, and prayerful reflection. But more importantly, we look to the shared experience of our faith communities; learning from one another, exchanging ideas, and developing relationships as we seek to know ourselves in the present and discern God’s call for the future. While no one is an expert, and each congregation’s direction will be unique, we are all bound by the  common cord of hope which drives us forward in ministry and mission.

Having just completed our pilot year with the 2014 Forward Leadership Community, we can’t say that we have all the answers, but we can say that we’ve seen some remarkable initiatives grow out of our time together. Rev. Sara Anderson and I would like to thank the Leadership and Accountability Teams from Christ the King, Holliston, MA, First Lutheran of Lynn, MA, First Lutheran of Southington, CT, First Evangelical Lutheran, Waltham, MA and Holy Trinity, N. Easton, MA for their dedication and support. It was a truly a blessing to see the enthusiasm, creative energy, and faith of each of these teams translate into active ministry and mission. Their suggestions and insight have helped us to make changes to the Forward timeline and curriculum for the 2015 program year. Although they have completed the one year commitment, they are still a part of the Forward Community and we will continue to offer opportunities for learning and fellowship in the coming year.

Forward Leadership Community Retreat January 2015

In January we embarked on our second year of Forward Leadership, welcoming nine new congregations to the learning community; Bethlehem of Sturbridge,  MA, Christ of West Boylston, MA,  Faith of Gardner, MA, First of  Ellington, CT, Good Shepherd of Monroe, CT, Grace of Needham, MA,  Immanuel of Holden, MA,  Redeemer of Woburn, MA, and St. Mark’s of Woonsocket, RI. The Leadership Teams have set goals based on their Church Assessment Tool responses and are in the process of implementing changes. We’re moving forward!

We’re also happy to announce that we have received funding to continue the Forward Leadership Community through 2016. Applications are available for download by clicking the 2016 Application Tab. Additional information about the program year and leadership resources are also available on the site, but if you really want to know more about the Forward Leadership just talk to one of the 14 congregations that are part of this community!