From Pastor Heather | Jan 15
As we head into the holiday weekend, I am excited and proud that we will be represented in the Martin Luther King Jr. parade in downtown Tulsa on Monday. This year is the Centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Even though I grew up in a racially diverse community only 35 miles south of Tulsa, I was never taught anything about the events that happened in Tulsa in 1921. For many, many years this historic week was referred to as the “Tulsa Race Riot.” But the research has revealed what truly happened that week and the name has been changed to reflect the truth of it. It is important that we remember so that we can never allow this type of injustice to happen in our community again. We will proclaim in the parade that we are “United by Christ” and reference the verse from Ephesians 2:14 “ For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” I hope that you will watch the live stream of the parade on The Gathering Place Facebook page. We are number thirty-eight!
Last summer when President Trump decided to hold a campaign rally on Juneteenth in Tulsa, the eyes of the world were cast on what happened here. People from outside were passing judgement and discovering this awful part of our history. This year we are doing many things as a faith community to try to build bridges between our church and our neighbors in North Tulsa.
Our support for Pastor Gwen and her new church plant is one of the ways we can work towards progress. She will be riding on our float with banners announcing the new church on our trailer. Faith will be presenting her with the funds that you so graciously gave to help from our Christmas offering. Our support team met with her for the first time last week to encourage and resource Kingdom Fellowship.
Next week Rev. Dr. Robert Turner will be preaching at the Oklahoma Annual Conference Orders meeting and worship service. He has been invited by our Bishop to lead all the UMC ministers for the day. Pastor Robert is a friend of mine and he pastor’s the Vernon AME church located in the only building still standing. He was recently pictured in National Geographic kneeling at the mass grave sight as it was being excavated in Tulsa.
We can not go back and change what happened in Tulsa but we can spend our time and energy working for racial equality and justice. We can pray for our city and the healing that it needs. We can be a church that stands up for truth and the belief that God holds all lives as valuable. Monday we begin.
In February, the United by Christ group is offering Movie Club again with the emphasis on Black History. You can join this group by notifying by email myself or Tricia Jenkins that you would like to participate. We will assign movies to be watched and then gather on Sunday nights to have discussion and debate and what we thought of the movies.
This history is painful yet it is important for us to know the legacy that we have inherited. This remembering matters and as the people of God we are called to cry out for a new and better way. May the Lord bless us and keep us as we do this important work.
Pastor Heather