You might have heard of Green Street United Methodist Church
in Winston Salem. This is the congregation that voted last winter to stop
celebrating weddings of heterosexual couples until gay couples can also get
married in North Carolina. They are one of the few Reconciling worship
communities in the Western NC District of the UMC (Last I checked, the other
one is the campus ministry at UNCG). For those reading this who are not Methodists,
that means that they are welcoming and supportive of LGBTQ folk. It’s sad, but
that’s where I live.
For the record, some other denominations, including my own,
have better track records in this neck of the woods, so don’t write off North
Carolina as backwards—well, except out state government at the moment. I am
just grateful I get to work with the UNCG chaplain and community.
So since I have been on vacation for July, I decided to do a
mini version of the sabbatical trips I took last year to churches doing things
differently. Greet Street also had a reputation for being well integrated
economically, age, wise, race, community, etc. And they have a jazz group
leading the music. More than enough reason to visit.
Green Street sits in an area that is close to both poor and
middle class communities. At church, tattooed bikers sit next to elders in
suits. Gay couples feel comfortable holding hands sitting next to solo middle
aged women. Almost the kingdom of God, right?
Well, not exactly. I think I was the only black male in the
full nave who was not in the music team. And has anyone examined the question
of why the Black women are almost all in the rear and to the sides? There is a
dynamic going on here that I don’t really understand, but I certainly noticed
it. Someone should be asking that question.
I thought it was interesting that almost all the music was
old hymns. “I Woke Up this Morning“, It’s Me, O Lord”, and “This Little Light
of Mine” were all sung. Mostly hymns that don’t need hymnals, though we did
pull them out before the service was over. Of course, in my near perfect
record, I managed to go there when the pastor was not preaching (see also an
upcoming report on Renovatus in Charlotte), but Mandy Mizelle did a fine job.
Announcements went on entirely too long, and even the pastor
Kelly Carpenter had to jump in to stop it. I must say the congregation really
reached out during the passing of the peace. They seem genuinely happy that
people are there. It’s a large enough crowd that you don’t know everybody, and
sometimes that leads to visitors being ignored. Not here!
But I have one question for Green Street and the UMC in
general. Everybody else is getting on the communion bandwagon, recognizing it
as the principle service of Christian communities since the ancient church. All
the new non-denoms are clear on its centrality—they may not know how to do it,
but they do see it as important—so why do y’all act like stubborn holdouts? You’re
doing a great job so far in bringing people together. Celebrate that in the
Lord’s Meal for heaven’s sake! Yes, I know you are not well set up for that
logistically. So what. You can make the changes if you want it to happen.
Anyway, you obviously have a lot of good things going on.
And, to be truthful, I’ve been the only Black man in worship many times on the
congregational visits (except the sound guy who is almost always Black!), so it’s
a problem a lot of folks are having. Your marriage stance on the other hand, is prophetic. The Shalom Project (their
outreach ministry) is admirable and keeps the worshiping community outwardly focused.
Just offer me communion. Please?
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