By Thomas C. Hanson
The Pasadena church was host to a racial reconciliation weekend in the Ambassador Auditorium June 22 and 23.
The weekend was conducted by Curtis May, pastor of the Los Angeles congregation; and Richard Parker, pastor of the Long Beach and Orange County, California; and Honolulu, Hawaii, congregations; along with Barbara Hacker and Cherry Steinwender, co-executive directors of the Center for the Healing of Racism in Houston, Texas.
Ms. Hacker and Mrs. Steinwender conducted a similar weekend in Houston in January (see Feb. 13 Worldwide News).
Mr. May outlined the goals for the weekend: (1) increase awareness and sensitivity in the area of race relations; (2) strengthen relationships among people of all races; (3) develop a greater appreciation for cultural diversity; and (4) avoid polarization.
"One of the things that I appreciate about the work we've done with the Worldwide Church of God is that it is a diverse group, and that's to be celebrated," Ms. Hacker said. "Many groups would be envious of the diversity you have.
"Racism, to us, is something that is learned. No one came into this world racist or prejudiced. We hope to help people unlearn that incorrect information.
"The other way that racism gets perpetuated is that we are kept separated from each other so we never get to find out firsthand that that information was wrong.
"We must get correct information and we must overcome those patterns of separation and truly interact as one family."
Racial reconciliation is "not about making people feel guilty," Ms. Hacker continued. "It's not about making them feel responsible for something someone else did. It's not about stirring up the trouble of the past. It's about focusing on the future. It is about coming out of denial and acknowledging what happened. In our country horrible things happened. Slavery happened. Segregation happened. Racial discrimination happened, and it still happens.
"It's not just about what happened many years ago, it's about what happened this morning.
"It's not our fault ... but it becomes our responsibility when we become aware of it, to do whatever we can as individuals and as groups to heal it, to change it.
"When we deny things or tell people who are experiencing pain and hurt that they are being too sensitive or that they shouldn't feel that way, or `I didn't do it,' `I'm not racist,' `I'm not prejudiced'--what we are doing is denying them their feelings, denying them their reality of what they have been experiencing."
Ms. Hacker said that one purpose of the weekend was to allow people to speak their pain in a safe, protected, respectful environment.
"You don't have to comment," Ms. Hacker said. "You don't have to approve or disapprove. You don't have to fix it. You just have to give people space to get it out. And once they've voiced it a healing takes place. And then they can use that energy to go about something else.
"The job of the listener is to acknowledge that another has experienced pain. `I'm sorry you have experienced pain.' Not to tell them that it didn't exist or that they shouldn't feel that way. `You didn't deserve that. I'll be a listener to you.' "
Mrs. Steinwender related that she happened to meet an African-American couple two weeks before the racial healing weekend. The woman said: "I am a member of the Worldwide Church of God, but I have distanced myself, and I'm not attending anymore."
Mrs. Steinwender replied: "From what I understand, from things that have been told to me, I understand the division, and that many people have left, and I know that's very hard."
Mrs. Steinwender continued: "You've told me that you've been in the church for 29 years. You see, from where I stand (not being a member), it's just getting good. It's time for you to go back."
Racism is hard to dismantle because we don't know what it is, Mrs. Steinwender said. "It's not productive to call anyone a racist. This is not what we are about, nor are we about bashing other groups of people."
In a panel discussion about 25 people, black, white, male, female, Asian and Latin shared painful experiences in the Worldwide Church of God.
Mr. Parker, in opening the panel discussion, said: "We are to be selling Jesus Christ and him crucified, not prejudice. As we explore this panel discussion, I want to ask, `How successful have we been? Has it been harder for minorities to enter the Worldwide Church of God?' "
Durrell Brown, the second African-American graduate of Ambassador College, who served 11 years in the field ministry, said: "As I listened to the tenor of the sermons I realized that as a black I would have to accept second class status in the church."
Neil Earle commented: "A common expression heard during the day from white members was: `I had no idea, I just didn't know.' Many of us just did not understand the effect our past policies had."
Mr. May said that the key is to hold on: "I had some good mentors. When I would get discouraged I would go into Harold Jackson's office. He would refuse to allow you to wallow in self-pity. He would say, `Young man, the church moves forward on its knees.' I didn't want to pray. I wanted to complain. I would go and pray, and everything would work out."
Mr. Albrecht was the first white minister that I heard say that Martin Luther King did something that was good and that he was a Christian minister, Mr. May said.
Murdock Gibbs, a local church elder from the Dallas, Texas, North church, related how Ambassador College at one time did not accept blacks. Mr. Gibbs asked: How would you feel if your children could not attend the school you were donating so much money to?
Mr. Gibbs eventually attended Ambassador and was interviewed for the ministry shortly before graduation. "I told them I didn't feel that interracial marriage was a sin. I didn't think it was something that would determine someone's salvation. That it wasn't something I would kick someone out of the church over."
The presiding minister replied: "Well, until we prove to you that it is a sin, you will never be used in this work."
Mr. Gibbs said: "From that point forward I said, `God, if you want me to be used, it's up to you. I'm not going to try to work through men and please men. And about a year ago I was ordained an elder in what I consider is a new Worldwide Church of God."
Mr. May received a number of comments from people of different nationalities relating how thrilled they were to have attended such a workshop. "Many said they heard things they were totally unaware of. It was a tremendous lesson in awareness and sensitivity training."
Mr. Parker said: "The topic of racial healing is one that touches us all even if we do not realize it. It is also one of the key issues of Christianity. I hope and pray that we as a fellowship will continue to move along the direction that truly causes us to be neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, bond nor free. We must all become one in Christ."
| WCG Home | Issues | Contents |
Copyright © Worldwide Church of God,1996