When you spend a weekend on an Emmaus Walk, one of the things that happens over the course of the weekend is that you receive lots of little "gifts of agape" made by people who've been on an Emmaus Walk in the past.
An interesting thing happened a few months ago during a Walk weekend. We had passed out some of the 'agape' at mealtime (it's on their tables when they come in to eat. So they're surprised by it, usually pleasantly surprised). This time, there was a beaded key chain with the different colors of beads that correspond to the song "MY heart was black with sin,(black bead) until the Savior came in. His precious blood I know (red) has washed me white as snow (white bead) and in His word I'm told I'll walk on streets of gold (yellow bead). Oh wonderful, wonderful day, He washed my sins away."
On this Walk there were to men who were AA. One of them came to a Board memeber and handed back his keychain saying that he was offended by this. When asked why, he said that whenever we as Christians want to portray "sin" we always use the color black. And when we want to portray that sin being cleansed, we use the color white. Well, to him that was saying that Black is bad (sin, after all!) while white is good (christian, after all!)
We learned thru this that we really have to be careful and aware of how other people might receive what we are trying to say. Who would have thought???
__________________
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of a battle ! ! ! !
It was only two weeks ago, I was at the UPCI General Conference, and a couple from Arkansas approached some of the young people from our church who were African American, and asked them where they were from because they hardly see Apostolic that were black.
Who are the prominent African American pastors in the UPCI, besides the brother that is incharge of Black Evangelism, McKenzie from Canada, and Naylor from NJ? What ever happened to CE (fromer Black Evangelism Head)?
From my observation in my area and the ring of fellowship my church is in I've noticed that there are more blk ppl in our churches which are conservative ind. than in the UPC here.
__________________ For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! (Gal 5:13-15/ NKJV)
There is a precious young AA* lady in our church who recently married a PAW fella from out of state and it caused me to ask this question. Why on earth would any AA family with children want to join up with the UPC?
This young lady's mom was an Olympic sprinter and has a college degree, and in my mind would have been a wonderful catch for any man.
You also don't see any (to my knowledge) any AA's in the UPC leadership.
Why is that?
*African American
There are many AA's in the org. NY Metro district is now majority black. I'm ok with white churches, black churches, latino churches...sometimes its a cultural thing and IMO I see nothing wrong with that.
Now about the leadership thing... I don't get that, but then we've never had a AA President...I just don't get it! Is it racism? ignorance? I don't know.
__________________ Don' Take Your Organs to Heaven!
Don' Take Your Organs to Heaven!
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