By Carn Catherwood
HOUSTON, Texas--Fifteen ministers and members gathered here Dec. 8 for three days of training in conducting racial reconciliation workshops and worship services in Worldwide Church of God congregations.
Cherry Steinwender, co-founder of the Center for Racial Healing headquartered in Houston, directed the various workshops and led the discussions.
Chris Beam, pastor of our Houston North congregation, was host for the attendees, who came from various parts of the United States.
Though the primary focus of the training was racial reconciliation within the WCG, it was a time of personal renewal and growth for all attendees.
"This was indeed a life-changing and unforgettable experience for all of us," commented Curtis May, regional pastor for Southern California.
On Tuesday evening, Dec. 9, attendees met with members of the Houston North congregation, along with representatives of other evangelical churches in the Houston area, for an evening of praise and worship.
Guest speaker for the occasion was Doug Stringer, who directs an interdenominational network of ministers in Houston called Somebody Cares, representing more than l40 congregations.
Their basic goal is to reach across denominational and racial lines, breaking down barriers that divide Christians. This allows Christians of many backgrounds in Houston to pool their resources and together meet both the physical and spiritual needs of the community.
At the close of his message, Doug asked all WCG pastors present to come forward for a ceremony exemplifying unity, brotherly love among Christians of differing traditions, and the desire of the local Christian community to affirm publicly that the WCG has a place in the body of Christ.
A basin of water was provided and Pastor Stringer then washed the feet of all WCG ministers present.
In turn, our pastors also washed Doug's feet.
This was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. We came to Houston to learn more about racial reconciliation in our own fellowship, but God wanted us to experience reconciliation on a much broader level.
An oft-heard comment from the attendees was that renewal had not only been discussed, but had been experienced on a deeply personal level.
At least l0 racial reconciliation workshops have already been conducted in the United States and Canada in the past year. Several more are scheduled for 1998.
Dec. 23, 1997, WN, page one
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