How Would You Answer Charley?

Peace Lutheran Church in Toledo is a congregation that is facing death. There are about 30 people worshiping each Sunday, and the offerings are nowhere close to keeping up with expenses.

At a recent meeting, the members sorrowfully began wondering where they would go to worship if and when Peace closes. They voted, nearly unanimously, to move together as the body of Christ, so that their bond of Christian fellowship would not be broken.

Suddenly, Charley Mabrey, a wise, Spirit-filled woman who has served as Peace’s council president spoke: “But will they welcome us African-Americans?” The room was momentarily hushed. Of the 25 Peace members in the room, almost half were black. The question was so grave – and so hauntingly justified – that no one seemed to want to answer it.

Bishop Lohrmann did respond. To Charley, to all those present, and to the living God, our bishop confessed the sin of this church, that countless times black folks and other people of color, and poor people too, have come to Lutheran Christian congregations only to be received coolly by the members present. We all looked around at each other with profound sadness, and some of the members ticked off the names of congregations, Lutheran and otherwise, where they had not been welcomed.

How would you answer Charley?
What if the African-Americans from Peace came to your congregation? Would your people welcome them and celebrate the new vitality, hope, and color (!) that they would bring? Would your fellow worshipers give thanks to God for this wonderful gift that would dramatically strengthen your congregation’s ministry overnight, or would they give off signs, overt and covert, that would communicate disdain?

In our synod, we offer a ministry workshop titled Building Bridges: Christians Resisting Racism Together. It is designed to help us talk about these matters together, in grace and in truth, seeing how God designed the church to include all the people God has made. Peace, Toledo, hosted Building Bridges last year, and it brought great blessing to the participants. Maybe it’s time for your congregation, or a group of local congregations, to host Building Bridges!

You see, there’s a dreadful chicken-and-egg problem we have. Many congregations don’t talk about racism because they only have European-American members. If you don’t have people of color in your membership, what’s the point of talking about racism, many people reason. But then, how are we prepared for people of color to come to our church and find a welcome place?! Right now, the members of Peace are wondering where God is leading them…if they were near by, would they be able to consider coming to worship with you?

If you would be interested in hosting Building Bridges, please call me. In the meantime, join me in praying for Peace congregation, and consider joining your confession to Bishop Lohrmann’s. May God forgive our sin, and create in us new and clean hearts which do embrace the whole people of God.