“In a time of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” George Orwell
Dear Caldwell,
This morning’s dreary weather only seemed to lengthen what already seems like a long week. Perhaps it was our added time and energy digesting Tuesday’s election results or just a kind of hangover from the months and months of awful political ads. But now the sun is breaking through, and I welcome that.
The quote from author George Orwell above seems apt this week for a number of reasons. Many of us are so sick and tired of the deceit he mentions, in politics, yes, but in so many other aspects of society. The Gospel calls us to be people of light in the face of such darkness. One of the best ways we can do that is to tell the truth and to live honestly with it.
Last Sunday, Elder Beth Van Gorp revealed truth about our church’s namesake family – their generosity here and also the source of their financial resources, one of Mecklenburg County’s largest plantations. Beth called us to live with the truth that our sanctuary was built with funds from an estate created in part through the sweat, bondage and blood of enslaved people. It was a multi-layered family history that she shared and you may want to read it again – it’s available by clicking here on our website.
As we live with this truth, I’ve so deeply appreciated the caution many of you have voiced that we ought not be in a hurry, lest we undercut the weight and potentially transformative power this truth holds for us. This will not be a one-week Sunday-to-Sunday journey. One can’t put a stopwatch on the process of reconciliation, between people or in how we reconcile ourselves with certain truths.
- The cemetery of the old Caldwell Presbyterian Church, founded by freed slaves around 1870.
On Monday, I felt compelled to drive to the northwest corner of north Mecklenburg where the Caldwell’s old Glenwood Plantation was, near the banks of what is now Lake Norman. There are still a few farms there, which helped me imagine that country 150 years ago. Beth’s research found that there was a Caldwell Presbyterian Church before long ours – a church started by freed slaves around 1870. It later merged with another congregation and its old building burned. But there is still a cemetery there and it is indeed hallowed ground with many marked, and perhaps even more unmarked graves. We want to organize a field trip there in the weeks to come, so we can walk with some of our history.
For now, though, we are called to just live with history and what it means for our identity as a congregation and as followers of Christ. If you would like to talk about that in a group setting, mark your calendar for next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. for a very informal covered dish (just bring whatever you have in the fridge) and discussion in the Fellowship Hall (below the sanctuary). (Yoga had already been cancelled.)
In worship on Sunday, we will take up Jesus’ proclamation in John’s Gospel, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” (full passage Sunday will be John 8:31-36). Jesus was speaking to his Jewish followers about the meaning of discipleship. While we all have much to process, taking our time and processing it together, we know we live under the same promise today, the promise that in Christ we can find freedom from our sins and failures before God.
Watch for Caldwell This Week tomorrow with more news, events and announcements. Meantime, let us also pray for the safe return of our mission team from Koinonia Farms in Georgia. I’m sure we will hear many stories about their joyful time together.
In Christ,
John