Engage • Experience • Extend   

Home Visitor Info Worship Beliefs Vision Podcasts Programs Outreach Sermons Staff Links Directions Contact Us

Brentwood Christian Church is spending six weeks celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy, examining race in today's culture.


Linda Leicht
News-Leader


Phil Snider wants to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. by working to build a "beloved community" in the Ozarks that reflects the teachings of the pastor and civil rights leader.

Snider, who also is a pastor, has asked his congregation to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day for 40 days, when they will intentionally work toward justice and nonviolence.

"We need to become aware of the ways that racism still occurs," said Snider, pastor of Brentwood Christian Church. "We need to recognize how we fall short of nonviolence."

During the 40 days — representing the 40 years since the assassination of King — the church will provide various opportunities to examine those issues and to act on their commitment to what Snider calls the "beloved community."

"It's a transformation journey," explained Emily Bowen, associate pastor at the church.

Get to know each other

"Building the Beloved Community: 40 Days of Justice & Nonviolence" began at Brentwood on Wednesday night with a call to "reach out and touch somebody. Let them know that you care."

Those were the final words of the message brought by the Rev. Larry Maddox, pastor of New Growth Ministries and president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Springfield.

 

Maddox was the guest speaker at the service Wednesday.

"If we are serious about looking at racism and building a better community, we need to get to know each other," the African-American pastor told the mostly white congregation. "We have more things in common than different."

Snider invited Maddox to the service, which included Bible passages, songs and readings that reflected the message of justice, love and equality.

Timothy Pritz doesn't know much about Martin Luther King Jr., but the 11-year-old was excited to talk to Maddox after the service.

"It was good," the boy declared.

Maddox challenged the youngster to learn about King and write an essay to submit in the annual NAACP contest.

"I want to be able to read your essay one day," the tall man said as he bent down to admire Timothy's artwork.

Madelyn Schnick, who has attended Brentwood for the past three years, has been involved in "peace and justice fellowship" for years. She was drawn to Brentwood because of the church's interest in those same issues.

Tom VanDeBerg, a church member for about a year, was drawn by the same things.

Both are excited about the opportunities the church is providing.

"It's great," said VanDeBerg. "More awareness is needed, but too often we choose not to see."

Beyond one day

As MLK Day approached, Snider began to think about something he heard King's widow, Coretta Scott King, say about the national holiday.

"She said it should not just be a day off, but a day on," he explained.

Building on that, and King's admonition that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, Snider began looking for ways the congregation could honor King beyond one day.

Searching the Internet for ideas, Snider found the "40 Days of Nonviolence: Building the Beloved Community" on the www.mlkday.gov site. Using some of the ideas there, he and Bowen and outreach director Tracy Burgess began to create a program.

"It's all about connections," said Burgess. "We want to raise awareness of the interconnectedness of all people, then take it to the larger community."

On Monday, the church will participate in the MLK Day parade in Springfield. On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 6, they will take part in the worship service on Park Central Square.

A discussion series on "Christians and Racial Justice" will give members an opportunity to talk about racism in their lives.

Youth programs will include Sunday school sessions on peacemaking, and Wednesday night youth group sessions on a variety of topics relating to issues of justice and nonviolence.

Church members are also helping to build a Habitat for Humanity house on Saturdays.

At the end of the 40 days, they will meet again to discuss what they have learned and where they want to go from there.

Snider hopes the discussions will offer opportunities to share personal experiences of racism. He will tell an experience he had when serving as a youth pastor in another church.

While taking a group of kids, all white, from the church on a trip, they stopped at a fast-food restaurant in a primarily African-American section of a city. Standing in line to order their food, "an innocent, sweet kid, about 10 years old" with his group reached up and took his hand.

"He said, 'I think we're in the wrong McDonald's.' My heart was very saddened," Snider said.

"Honest conversations" can lead to healing, he said.

"Most of us don't want to be racist or unjust," Bowen added.

The conclusion of the 40 days is about halfway through the season of Lent. That is appropriate, said Snider.

"We want to build an Easter kind of world."

 

---