Dear Caldwell,
As I have interacted with so many of you, it’s clear we land on a spectrum of reactions and states of mind relative to the events of last week and what we should do as people of faith. Some have done little more than pray and, perhaps, weep. Others have gone to more than one vigil or healing service and are ready to ACT. Still others want to engage but have hesitated out of concern they may inadvertently offend because they are not certain what to so say or do. Whatever we do, this is a time for practicing what the Apostle Paul called mutual forbearance, hearing everyone’s truth in shared respect and civility.
As I mentioned in worship on Sunday, we have a chance to gather this Thursday in Belk Hall at 5:30 to both listen and act. Sorry for any confusion on the dates. We unintentionally had two dates out there for Summer Nights at Caldwell, and I thought we should meet sooner rather than later, while our emotions, thoughts and ideas are fresh.
Dinner will be at 5:30 – please bring something for a covered dish if you want to eat. We will start talking at 6 or close thereafter.
We will have two parts of the discussion:
1. We will make a safe and civil space to listen to each other, to those who want to be heard, especially those voices that can teach the rest of us something constructive about perspectives and experiences that differ from our own.
2. Then, we will consider what actions we might take as the body of Christ. I’ve asked Caldwell friend Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler to join in. He has worked with the Charlotte police and is a respected community activist in addition to being a professor at Union Presbyterian Seminary. You may remember the sermon he preached at Caldwell last fall.
This is an important moment for Caldwell to help make a difference, so I hope as many as possible can come to lend their voice to our shared discernment. You may want to watch some or all of the video of the healing service at St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church yesterday. CMPD Chief Kerr Putney spoke as well as several elected officials. Video available here.
Please join me in prayers for Jean Nance, facing a medical procedure, and for Kim Bohannon, who underwent successful hip surgery Monday. We continue to pray for Linda Schick and her family as Linda’s mother is in hospice care, recovering from a bad fall last week.
Please let me know of any other pastoral concern situations.
In Christ
John