Dear Caldwell,
On Sunday, scripture reminded us once again that the Lord is always with us. The Lord sees us and whispers, “My eye is always on you.”
So it was with Hagar, maidservant to Sarai and Abram, when she liberated herself from their abuse, as we read Sunday in Genesis 16:1-16. In turn, she gave God a name, “the one who sees me.”
Names are holy and sacred things – or at least they should be. They certainly are in holy scripture. They inevitably define how we understand ourselves, how others see us and, most important, how we are seen by God.
With the importance of names in mind, on Sunday I raised a question: Is it time to revisit the truth of our church’s name, given that the Caldwell family earned its wealth (that was ultimately left to our church) on an ante-bellum plantation that enslaved Black women, men and children.
So we set out on what I hope will be an unhurried conversation about that, leading to some resolution. The Session will be meeting soon to outline a process to hear all voices who have something to add. In that process, we will strive to be open, transparent, sensitive, respectful and, most of all, faithful. In seeking truth together, may we be reconciled to each other just as we are reconciled to God in Christ.
Tonight at the Preachers’ Porch at 7 on Zoom, we will revisit the Hagar story and exchange ideas about what it and the sermon brought to mind and heart. We won’t solve any problems or make any decisions. We will gather under the light of God’s word, share and process together what God is always calling us to do.
If you want to read Sunday’s sermon, click here or go to our Youtube page to watch it. You may also want to read a very important sermon by elder and former member Beth Van Gorp, in which she revealed who the Caldwell family was to us in 2014. It is here.
See you on Zoom if you would like to join us.
Yours In Christ,
John