Comments

1. Thanks for sharing Trilla's perspective. That was valuable for me to hear.
   
   www.nourishingfaith.com
   posted by Kimberly von Oeyen
   on Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 7:28 am
2. I really appreciate this article as I am white, but I work with a group of primarily black, below poverty level black girls at church. Their caretakers look at me and this program as an hour and a half of free babysitting. I look at it as a precious hour to speak God's Word into them with a bus trip to and from home.
   
   posted by Lori Crank
   on Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 8:29 am
3. Good article, I am a black middle-aged female that has always been in a black church in the north so the problems she expressed has not been my problems. After high school, I have always worked in predominiately white environments.
   
   If the Lord leads, I could probably worship in a white church but it would be uncomfortable. Sometimes I think white people in the church my age and a few younger feel uncomfortable with my "blackness" and it may make things ackward. Also, there is the issue of being in leadership or ministry. I am a teacher and am not sure if I would be accepted if I were to move my membership.
   
   posted by Elveria
   on Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 9:42 am
4. Thank you, True Woman, for being brave and tackling this tough issue. As a member of a predominantly white and Hispanic church (one that reflects my community), we have few black members. We get lots of black visitors from nearby communities, however, when when we have black speakers during our summer Bible conference or for particular musicians who visit. Some black visitors have stayed after returning on subsequent Sundays, because they were exposed to our pastor, who preaches solid biblical truth.
   
   My own "journey" with black church members (especially one named Joanne) is similar to what Trilla described ~ yes, we talked about hair and sunburns (LOL!). But we also talked about reactions to "blackness." I discovered that if a black person is overly-sensitive or nervous, or isn't comfortable with a group of white believers, the whites will tend to react... they will sense the black person's discomfort. I've often wondered how we might "oil" the relationships and make them less "friction-filled." My friend Joanne was confident in her relationship with Christ, and she didn't want to be like "white people" to be accepted... she just wanted to be more like Jesus (who happens to be Jewish!) and to grow into Christ along with us. I loved her perspective, and that became the basis for our interactions and friendship.
   
   Joanne helped me "see" her uniqueness, but also her common"bloodlines" (bought, like me, with the precious blood of Christ). We welcomed Joanne in our home at special holiday dinners and shared some good times; but most of all, I loved learning from her about "how black people think." She was eager to help others understand, and she spoke the truth with compassion toward her white brothers and sisters.
   
   Unfortunately, black people often need to overcome some (real and imagined) barriers to fellowship with whites ~ and I want to do all I can to help those barriers come down.
   
   http://heartchoicestoday.blogspot.com/
   posted by Dawn Wilson
   on Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 11:43 am
5. I appreciate the point sitting underneath, that switching up the music program to include some songs for other ethnic groups is utterly insufficient... sadly i think churches chocked full of middle class whites expect to make minor concessions like a couple songs while people of other races must abandon an entire cultural context that has existed their entire life to enjoy inclusion. we must penetrate many layers deeper and face to issue with honesty and bravery. sadly the first commenter showcases the problem... patting ourselves on the back for running a program that gives the air of includes while looking with distaste at the people who show up. maybe those "care givers" are single women working 2 jobs to raise three kids... and they can sense the conceit that hovers behind the eyes of the people who run the program.... its not hard to tell when your not welcome somewhere, even when the door is opened... i think the dialogue needs to happen, but the underlying righteous indignation with which so many conservative middle class Christians deal with the issue needs to be addressed first... if we cannot acknowledge our own failures first, we can never expect true fellowship... the fact that we design programs to include other races is a problem... christ and the holy spirit should lay waste to such ridiculous barriers.. but they persist, and this underlying emotional response is what keeps races from coming together joyfully to experience the lord together.... like i said, people can sense when they are not welcome, no matter your words.... and this is why men like Piper are left with developing "programs" to try to bait people in the door... "we are playing some of your songs at worship"... people should show up and keep coming because they feel welcome, loved, and wanted.
   
   posted by Briana werner
   on Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 11:05 pm
6. I thank God of rthis blog I am a black female pastor and I find it hard to cross the lines with other white churches for one they always judge me and for two it is hard to mingle with them on that leve. I love all I was raised with whites and hispanics as my closest friend but being in the south where my church was planted has been difficult becuase it is hard to break the barrier in our minstry to allow it to become multicultural. We sing songs that all can relate to and I rpeach messages that i would think could relate to all. I want to break this barrier and to fellowship with causcasion people in the body of christ in the south where i live. I love my brothers and sisters in christ there wont be any seperation in heaven. I love all of you.
   I find tha tis it easier for blacks to submit to a white church rather a white person to submit to a black church. The one white member that we had when their family found out they told him that he needed to leave and find a church ta would be more appropiate for him and eventually he did because of color.
   
   posted by Dwan jackson
   on Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 11:34 pm