Dear Caldwell,
It’s almost time to come home and I am ready. The time here for study has been rich and nurturing but also intense. As we travel from Sunday to Sunday this week, I’m so keenly aware of my separation from you, the church family (and my own family).
I’m also keenly aware of what our country is going through … and our city. I awoke to the news of the church burning in Charlotte and was, at once, enraged and wary: Enraged that this could happen and wary about its potentially explosive impact on Charlotte. I join you all as we await more information from the investigation and keep the congregation of the Briar Creek Road Baptist Church in prayer.
Last week in the blog I lifted up Psalm 46 as a witness to God as our refuge in times of trouble. Then, on Sunday, the preacher at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston used it as his main text in addressing the horrific shooting. As I have spent more time with the psalm, I am struck by verse 6, which says God is in our midst even as “the nations rage, the kingdoms totter.” There is understandable rage in America in these days over the devaluation of Black lives and the denial of too many white folk over the legacy of the damage America has done to African-Americans, beginning with our national “original sin” of slavery but repeated long since.
So while God is our refuge, we need to acknowledge the rage and continue to engage in honest conversation about where we go from here. I am grateful many of you went to the Mecklenburg Ministries “can we talk” meeting earlier this week and will see you at the subsequent conversations. I’m also grateful for those who organized and participated in the vigil at Caldwell last night.
Class ends late tomorrow and I will head back to Charlotte first thing Saturday. I will look forward to seeing you Sunday. There will be no Caldwell This Week tomorrow, so I pass on the prayer requests below.
In Christ, John
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Prayer Requests
In the aftermath of the tragedy of Charleston, SC at Mother AME Emanuel Church, we are called more than ever to pray without ceasing. Our prayers should not be filled with terror, panic or fear, but instead with a sense of hope and reassurance that God is with us- Emanuel! Yesterday, at the prayer service at Caldwell in memory of the victims and their families, I shared moving words written by an African American colleague in ministry. My prayer is that they will bring comfort as we continue to prayer for Charleston and for our needs here closer to home.
Hebrews 12:1-3 states the following.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
“The writer of Hebrews refers to those who are the departed and those left behind. The families left behind in Charleston begged Dylan Roof to turn to God, prayed for his soul, invited him to repent and expressed forgiveness of him in the presence of him and the presiding Judge. One could not help but be moved by the power of their forgiveness and spirit of love not only for their departed family members but for their embrace of the teachings of Jesus Christ that set their beloved apart.
Prayer Requests:
Let us pray for Meg Haynes and her family, in the death of her beloved mother at Novant Health Hospice this week.
Let us pray for the families of the nine victims killed in Charleston, SC:
Cynthia Hurd, 54 years old; Ethel Lance, 70 years old; Tywanza Sanders, 26 years old; The Honorable Rev. Clementa Pinckney, 41 years old; Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, 49 years old; Rev. Sharonda Singleton, 45 years old; Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., 74 years old; Myra Thompson, 59 years old; Susie Jackson, 87 years old.
Let us offer prayers for Tracey Hewitt and her family.
Let us pray for the protection of all churches, including Caldwell.
Let us pray for our Music Director, Anne, as she enjoys a music conference in Montreat, NC.
We offer thanks for Mike Watson, who received good news about his health.
Let us pray for Gino’s brother, Emanuel Harris, as he recovers from surgery.
Let us pray for Richard’s wife.
We give thanks for Janie Lownes, as she finds relief from severe arthritis on her right shoulder.
Let us pray for Doreen Byrd, who is in Charleston, SC for a training and her hotel is across the street from Mother Emanuel AME Church.
Let us pray for Elora Heffner, in the death of her ex-husband, Robert Everett Heffner.
Please pray for Briar Creek Baptist Church, a predominately black church that authorities speculate was intentionally set ablaze. They sustained about $250,000 in damage. An investigation is underway.
Prayers for traveling mercies for pastor Evie, who will travel to Geneva, Switzerland from July 2-6 for a Pan-African Women’s Ecumenical Network Meeting with the WCC.
Prayers for a woman, who had a stroke and is recovering.
Let us pray for world peace and continual systematic change on issues of race and class.