SELAH - MARCH 2022

MARCH 2022

COMMUNICATION BRIEFINGS

WELCOME

The vision of the National Convocation is to be a leaven in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) under One God as One Church with One Mission in the world, as a voice promoting pertinent issues related to the African American Church, carrying out the biblical mandate to transform lives.

SELAH will feature the vital ministries of worship, education, justice, advocacy, fellowship, and discipleship that abound throughout our congregations as well as ministry resources; and Convocation events that are crucial for discerning future ministry and leadership of the National Convocation. There is strength in community. Please send congregational updates, ministry concerns, and prayer needs here.

FEATURED ARTICLE

"The Civil Rights Movement and Interracial Unity within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)"

Below is an excerpt from the aforementioned essay by Rev. Dr. Lawrence Burnley on interracial unity. It centers and critically examines Black Disciples history and religious life in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He will be presenting at the upcoming DCHS Kirkpatrick Conference, Visions of Wholeness: Systemic Racism, Antiracism, and “Reconciliation” in Our Shared History and Tradition. Click below his bio to access the full essay.

What role did the Civil Rights Movement play in the mid-twentieth century as an agent of religious unity? Conversely, what role did this movement play in exacerbating preexisting racial divisions? On the one hand, unity from the perspective of some European American (white) leaders within Protestant Christian movements can be understood as a salutary theological idea that has impacted race relations both negatively and positively. On the other hand, religious unity—specifically interracial unity within Protestant ecclesial expressions of the Christian faith—can be understood as the development and implementation of collaborative interracial strategies, policies, and practices committed to understanding, identifying, and dismantling all forms of racism (structural, systemic, and individual) within the church and the broader society.

Christian interracial unity is an outcome of interracial social relationships grounded in an understanding of the gospel of Christ, intentionally functioning in direct and purposeful opposition to all forms of racism. Put simply by James Cone, “racism is incompatible with the Gospel of Christ.”

Interracial unity understood in this way results in members of the Body of Christ seeking to transcend racialized divisions in the church and broader society, compelled as followers of Christ to understand and dismantle racism in all its forms. Interracial unity begins with naming, examining, and understanding what race actually is. This includes an intentional and ongoing examination of socioeconomic and historical forces that created this false social construct and its persistent and pervasive impact on the human condition.

First and foremost, interracial unity begins with a willingness of all members within the Body of Christ to talk about race. As simple as this may seem, efforts to achieve interracial unity are often thwarted due to reluctance, largely by whites, to engage in such conversations.

Civil Rights Movement

For many African Americans, and later others, any notion of interracial unity was fundamentally flawed apart from addressing issues of power and reparations. After efforts by African Americans and their allies to achieve equality and racial justice were met with outright and sometimes violent rejection by whites both within and beyond the church, a call for black empowerment and the creation and control of separate spaces emerged in various forms. Prohibited from equitable access to spaces of worship, education, employment, healthcare, business ventures, and civic engagement, African Americans were forced either to accept an imposed dehumanizing status of second-class citizenry or create spaces for themselves that responded to their needs.

I discuss in The Cost of Unity the historical conditions that informed the creation of the Black Church and the choice by African Americans to form and sustain these spaces. It would be a gross understatement to say that freedom in church worship was important for blacks. Before and after manumission, worship provided a great many blacks with one of the few opportunities to express fully—with mind, body, and spirit—the pain wrought from the brutality of chattel enslavement. It also enabled them to express the pain of other forms of racial, class, and gender oppression as well as vocal moans born of unimaginable emotional, psychological, and physical pain. Conversely, worship also provided the opportunity for many to express the joy born of experiencing the evidence of God’s grace and love in the midst of seemingly insurmountable circumstances, a joy that surpasses rational understanding. To be able to engage in such expression without fear of white reprisal or judgment is a point often missed by historians and other religious scholars. Church was where blacks could express their hope for a better day while living in ostensibly hopeless situations.

It must be noted that history does provide evidence of sincere and authentic efforts to achieve interracial unity, albeit motivated by conflicting concepts of unity. Some of these efforts include: ● Anti-slavery/abolition movement

● Underground Railroad ● African colonization movement

● Education reform/literacy access and development

● Anti-lynching movement ● School desegregation

● Social gospel movement ● Labor movements

● Niagara movement and the creation of the NAACP

● Freedom schools ● Organized marches (Washington, Selma, Chicago, etc.) ● World Council of Churches

● Clergy Opposed to the War in Vietnam

● Participation in the National Council of Churches

Each of these and many other efforts provide examples of attempts at achieving interracial unity. But again, the theological constructions, as well as the ontological and anthropological assumptions that informed them and the goals persons attempted to achieve with them, were mixed. Many of them were fundamentally paternalistic and not driven by a vision of deconstructed racialized hierarchies or the achievement of the beloved community as articulated by King.

Rev. Dr. Lawrence

A. Q. Burnley

Lawrence A. Q. Burnley is the inaugural chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for the Shaker Heights City School District.

Dr. Burnley, is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), he holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in history of American education with a minor in multicultural issues in education from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He also holds a Masters of Divinity degree from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana, and a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in African (formerly “Afro”) American Studies with a concentration in history from the University of Cincinnati.

His first book, The Cost of Unity: African American Agency, and Education, in the Christian Church, 1865-1914, is published by Mercer University Press. He is also a contributing author in The Stone-Campbell Movement: A Global History, St. Louis: Chalice Press.

Read Full Essay

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on Interracial Unity

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which is one of three major streams of the Stone-Campbell Movement, provides an interesting case study for examining the effects of the Civil Right Movement on interracial unity in American Christianity. In response to a divided Protestant Christianity, the Stone-Campbell Movement came into existence in the early nineteenth century with a plea for Christian unity on the basis of the Bible alone. As this unity movement eventually endured internal divisions, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) emerged as the Mainline stream of the Stone-Campbell Movement, firmly committed to the goal of Christian unity as illustrated in its efforts with the ecumenical movement. Therefore, this denomination provides a helpful indication of the opportunities and challenges of interracial unity in American Christianity. Efforts to achieve interracial unity within the Stone-Campbell Movement before, during, and following the Civil Rights Movement have reflected patterns of progress/regression and support/resistance as experienced in other parts of the nation. They can be viewed as forms of interracial unity as conceived by Shattuck.

An example of the type of paternalism Brittain noted about the Episcopal Church (i.e., the rhetoric of unity did not translate to the practice of racial equality) is demonstrated in the Stone-Campbell Movement, whose silence on slavery is well-documented. This silence was fueled largely by the leadership’s acquiescence to the demands of Southern members of this movement for the sake of maintaining unity within church. Also well-documented is the comparatively slow response on the part of churches within the Stone-Campbell Movement (within the context of Northern Protestant movements in the U.S.) to establish schools with and on behalf of enslaved and, later, formerly enslaved African people in North America.

There is evidence of whites within the Stone-Campbell Movement who demonstrated unity with those seeking to abolish slavery. One example of this is an Indiana preacher named Pardee Butler, who moved to Kansas in 1855 to help stem the spread of slavery in the Western territories. Pro-slavery activists tarred and feathered him and threatened to hang him if he persisted in his work.

It could be argued that the work of the Christian Woman’s Board of Missions (CWBM) to establish schools for African Americans in the South is an example of interracial relations. On the surface, this appears to be an example of interracial unity in an effort to advance African American freedom and empowerment. A closer examination, however, reveals other motives at play. I address this in my study, The Cost of Unity: African American Agency and Education in the Christian Church, 1865-1914.

UPCOMING EVENTS

MARCH 15TH at 7ET/6CT/4PT

PLEASE NOTE: We are using a new platform, not Zoom. You must register in advance to attend this event. After registering, you will receive an email with the link to join us, on the new platform, on the day of the event.

2022 Kirkpatrick Conference

Systematic Racism, Antiracism, and "Reconciliation" In Our Shared History and Tradition

REGISTER NOW for the 2022 Kirkpatrick Conference. This academic conference, Visions of Wholeness: Systemic Racism, Antiracism, and “Reconciliation” in Our Shared History and Tradition will be held March 18-19, 2022, at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The conference is sponsored through DCHS’s Kirkpatrick Lecture Endowment.

Bringing together leading Disciples and Stone Campbell scholars and church leaders, this is an academic conference open to the public. Papers and panel discussions will critically analyze the impact of systemic racism in Disciples and Stone-Campbell history and tell important stories of resistance to it from the earliest days of our movement to the present time.

We will conclude with a conversation about where we go from here as we live more fully into the antiracism priority we have claimed as a church.

FRIDAY, MARCH 18th

Rev. Sandhya Jha will open the conference. Rev. April Johnson, Dr. Charisse Gillett, Dr. Leah Gunning Francis, and Dr. Lawrence Burnley will also participate in the conference. Dr. Edward Robinson will present a paper on Preston Taylor. Rev. Yvonne Gilmore will present a paper titled, “Postbellum missionary woman: The “unity” of Sarah Lue Bostick.”

Rev. Dr. William Barber II, will present the keynote address on Friday evening of the conference.

SATURDAY, MARCH 19th

On Saturday morning, participants will gather at Reconciliation Park in the Greenwood Community for a remembrance of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre.

Rev. Dr. Frank Thomas will be the preacher for the closing worship on Saturday, and Rev. Teresa "Terri" Hord Owens will give the charge as the conference closes.

The registration fee for the day and a half event is $70, which includes three meals. Register for in-person or Livestream attendance.

Fellowship of Black Disciples Clergywomen

Invites you to

a virtual celebration of Black Disciples SHE-roism

March 25, 2022

@ 5 pm Eastern

Mrs. Josie McClorine
Elder May Reed
Rev. Dr. Julia Brown Karimu
Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale
Rev. Dr. Yowanda Bowens

PLEASE NOTE: You must register in advance to attend this event. After registering, you will receive an email with the link to join us, on a new platform (not zoom), on the day of the event.

Flourishing Brochure

Flourishing in Ministry:

Exploring Meaning, Means and Practice

April 24-29, 2022

(Virtual workshop)

Do you feel tired and disconnected from your call to ministry?
Do your days continue to provide meaningful work?
Are you struggling to improve the quality of your daily life or are you seeking a time for personal reflection on what comes next?
Are personal or professional transitions impacting your ability to thrive?

Ministry can be both exhilarating and exhausting especially in the midst of seismic cultural shifts. While you as a pastoral leader have opportunities to bring good news, the expectation to over-work and be consistently present is normalized. These dynamics can be particularly challenging in the midst of change and routinely lead to burnout.

This week-long, online intentional workshop is designed for mid-career clergy interested in exploring the different facets of personal and professional flourishing and in developing strategies for increasing one’s resiliency.

Click HERE to read more.

The deadline to apply is April 4, 2022. Once your application is received, it will be reviewed and notification of acceptance into the program will be sent no later than April 8, 2022.

Apply Now

NEWS & MINISTRY UPDATES

Rev. Dr. Dale C. Braxton called to serve as

Interim Regional Minister

Rev. Dr. Dale C. Braxton

Rev. Braxton received a bachelor's degree from Athens State University in 1977, a master's degree from Auburn University in Montgomery in 1981, a second master's degree in administration and supervision in 1983, and a doctorate degree from California Coast University in 2006.

Alabama-Northwest Florida Regional Board calls Rev. Dr. Dale C. Braxton to serve as

Interim Regional Minister. At its meeting on February 26, 2022, the Alabama-Northwest Florida Regional Board voted to call Rev. Dr. Dale C. Braxton as Interim Regional Minister, beginning in June, 2022.

Rev. Braxton has spent his entire life and ministry in the Alabama-Northwest Florida Region. He has served as Pastor with Snow Hill Christian Church, Mt. Willing, for nearly 39 years. He has served as Associate Regional Minister in Alabama-Northwest Florida for nearly 17 years. Rev. Braxton brings his experience and spiritual leadership to the Region as the Region goes through a time of transition from one settled Regional Minister to another. Under his guidance and care, the Region will continue to serve as an effective instrument in the ministry of Jesus Christ. Both clergy and congregations can have confidence in Rev. Braxton's care for them and for their ministries.

Rev. Janae Pitts-Murdock installed as Senior Pastor of Light of the World Christian Church

Rev. R. Janae Pitts-Murdock

Pastor Janae is a graduate of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies, Carnegie Mellon University with a Master of Science degree in Public Policy & Management, United Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree, and University of Memphis with a Master of Business Administration.

She is a candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric at Christian Theological Seminary.

Rev. R. Janae Pitts-Murdock was installed as Senior Pastor of Light of the World Christian Church (Disciples Christ) in Indianapolis, Indiana on March 6 in person. In November 2020, Light of the World Christian Church elected Pastor Janae to be their sixth Senior Pastor and first female Senior Pastor in their 154-year history. Rev. Dr. Howard John Wesley preached. Rev. Teresa Hord Owens, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), presided over communion. Rev. April Johnson, Rev. Dr. Delesslyn Kennebrew, and Rev. Virzola Law also participated in the service. Following the installation, the celebration continued with preaching from Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale, Senior Pastor of Ray of Hope Christian Church, and Rev. Jeffrey Johnson, Senior Pastor of Eastern Star Church, on March 7 and 8.

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Pastor Janae was ordained at New Bethel Baptist Church under Rev. Robert Smith, Jr. Previously, she served as Lead Pastor at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Memphis, TN under Pastor Frank A. Thomas, and as Connections Pastor at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Rogers, Arkansas. More here.

Important Announcement

The ministries of National Convocation, Obra Hispana, NAPAD have prayerfully decided to cancel “It’s Real: The 2022 Experience.” Since 2019, we have been planning a one-time in-person gathering for the whole church to experience the diverse theological, multicultural, and multilingual identities, history, and culture of our communities. In care for the health and wholeness of our church, as cases of covid-19 and the omicron variant surge globally, we have discerned that we cannot host the event with excellence and integrity.

We thank God for the care and labor of our respective National and Executive Pastors, our Moderators and Presidents, the local arrangements committee, TCU representatives, institutional sponsors, and supporters of this event over the last four years.

Click here to read more

MINISTRY RESOURCES

Who Do You Say That I Am?

2022 Lenten Devotional Resource for you to enjoy across the church. Included are litanies, daily affirmations, meditations, reflections, a playlist, and prayer.

Our beloved guest contributors are Reverends Bere Gil Soto, Deenabandhu Manchala, Kristen Peters, and Tyler Thompson.

Let us remember Jesus together!

Download the Devotional

Several times a year, congregations receive a special offering to support the ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). These gifts are given above and beyond the regular core support of Disciples Mission Fund.

The Easter Offering, received by most congregations on April 10 & 17, 2022, supports several of the general ministries of the Christian Church including the National Convocation. Your gift supports college students in leadership development programs, global mission partners, health and social service ministries, the formation of new congregations, support for pastors and chaplains, and so much more.

2022 Easter Special Offering Video (English)

Give Now

Black Leadership Projects Grant

Funds are granted to applicants whose projects develop, nurture, and strengthen church leadership in African American congregations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Project categories must include one or more of the following:

Leadership in Congregational Life
Leadership in Outreach Ministries
Faith Development of Leaders
Scholarship Support for Leaders
Leadership in African American Programming

If you are interested in submitting a project, please review the guidelines and

application.

NBA Ministry Grants and Incubate Partner program

Your congregation or nonprofit ministry may be eligible for grant funding to support programs for older adults, or education for youth and young adults!

Learn More

The National Benevolent Association is accepting Incubate Partner applications from Disciples health and social service organizations.

Learn More

HELM Leadership Fellows Program Application

The application period is currently open for those wishing to apply to be part of the upcoming cohort in the Leadership Fellows Program.

The Leadership Fellows Program seeks to cultivate and strengthen participants' potential for leadership through an intentional focus on the Christian community, societal transformation, global awareness, and leadership engagement.

Each year of the four-year program will include an intentional focus:

Investigate the nature of Christian community
Explore how faith communities help transform society
Cultivate cultural competency and global awareness
Leadership formation with a year of mentoring

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Learn more about available positions across the Christian Church here on our website in addition to the opportunities featured below:

National Convocation launches a search for its next Administrative Secretary

The National Convocation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Board of Trustees is searching for its next Administrative Secretary.

“In seeking out this new leader we are casting a wide net through the life of the Church. We are asking for bold and courageous leaders to step forward towards liberating, transformative and prophetic leadership of Black Disciples and be considered for this role.

The qualified candidate must have a working knowledge of the NCCC, the NCMC, and other structures of the

CONNECTIONS

National Convocation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)