I did it. I have completed the first week (and now on second week) of my internship with the Training and Counseling Center at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Atlanta. It's a Clinical Pastoral Education program set in an urban ministry context. Basically, I work with homeless and low income families in the downtown area. With the program, I work with ministries that provide various social services like vouchers for birth certificates, clothing, driver's licenses, food, and medical needs. It gives me the opportunity to extend forms of pastoral care, which mostly means I listen to people and often lend words of encouragement and the ministry of presence. The ministry of presence simply is being in one's space (not talking them to death or offering words when you don't know what to say) as an authoritative/comforting figure in their time of need. I specifically work with a ministry call Crossroads, which feeds close to 300 mouths daily. Most of the clients who come for services are black males. It has been disheartening at times to see people who look just like me in this setting. You can never really tell where a person is in their life by appearance along. People who come through Crossroad come in all colors, shapes, sizes, ages. Some look deathly broken. Others look like they work in corporate America. However, they all need some sort of service because they have ran into a situation or two that has made them homeless. It's disturbing that most of the clients are black males who seem to be in the age range of 25 and up. What's most upsetting is the fact that the people offering the services are predominately white. Why aren't more blacks in Atlanta involved with helping the homelessness situation of the city? I have to say that Atlanta's homeless population is the worst I've seen in all of my travels. New York City, in my opinion has a better handle on their situation. Most of the churches in the inner city who deal the homeless are white. Why is that? As a black seminarian it is very frustrating; especially, when your white counterparts are looking to you for some explanation. I don't know what to say. I do know that there are hundreds of black churches (several mega ministries) in this city and there are nearly 1.5 million blacks in Metro Atlanta. Where's the reinforcement for their people? I can't say that there aren't any black churches or people doing anything. But, the number of black laborers in this field of service aren't well proportioned in comparison to the number of white churches or people that have taken initiative to do something. It's sucks, but it's true.
Where are the black churches? Where are the black people?
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6 comments:
Very true. Blacks in the Atlanta metro area are not vested in the city. Concequently, there aren't many innercity chruches in Atlanta compared to places like NYC, Detroit, or LA who are vested in offering services to persons in need in an urban context. ATL...an appearance of subburban wealth at its finest.
i often wonder abt the black church in general... just as you speak of in atlanta ... have black churches become so caught up in traditions and status quo that we are turing our backs on the exact communities that we grew from?
It is sad to know that what you are saying is true. I must say, I often wonder about the motives of the black church in general. What is the goal? What is our purpose. Historically church had been a place where social activism took place. It was a place where refuge could be sought, but now it has taken a turn. A turn for the self. I am all for self-improvement, but I think the concept of building up one's self has an underlying tone denying others. When the question is asked "How can I help someone else if I can't help myself?" How do we respond. It is a knee jerk reaction to agree, but helping someone else is helping yourself. Unfortunately the black church has not effectively passed that thinking along, nor has the black family.
All of the comments above are so true. The black church is definitely at a lost of identity. It's like we've misplaced our social activism and voice of liberation for "bless me" theology and prosperity gospel practices. Basically, we are more concerned about seeing the riches of God for ourselves than praying for the power above to make a difference and heal our land/country/people. As I study the black church tradition and look at the practices of existing ministries, I hate to say it, but I often get discouraged because it feels and seems that the power/ability for positive change is out of our hands. Only God can give us resolve.
More importantly, the question becomes, "what do we do to combat the situation?" How can we as the present future of the black community work through servant leadership to heal a broken community? We cannot heal a community until we are healed ourselves. Jesus told Peter that when he was converted he can then go and strengthen his brothers. The conversion comes first. Most of us want to strengthen, yet we've not gone through the conversion process ourselves. We are all broken and need to be mended. Dr. King informed us that an injustince anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. When one member of our community suffers we all suffer. I commend you all for your comments. Now how do we curve the deaths? How do we destroy the degredation? We have a responsibilty and the community has become our challenge. We can do it! We will do it. If the community continues to fall it will be because of us (generally). The choice is ours and I have faith in those of us that remain faithful to the fight and true to the call: Servant Leadership. It's really an immunization for a dying community.
I feel your heart in regards to "where is the Black church?" Yes, this is prosperity time, yes, the church USED to be a place for activism, but now, we (generally speaking) are so emotionally & mentally barren & shallow, we cannot offer to help anyone past a B-3 organ.
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