Seated in the second row of the beautiful, refurbished
church, I listened and watched enthralled as the speakers compared the Children
of Israel’s enslavement with that of the American Negro and their struggles for
freedom from bondage. The speakers and
guests represented every religious denomination in the town: Baptist,
Methodist, Catholic, Society of Friends (Quaker), Jewish Synagogue,
Episcopalian, AME (African Methodist Episcopalian) and Lutheran. They presented
a truly beautiful picture of people of varying backgrounds coming together with
a common, unifying purpose. As each speech ended, an individual or group from
that speaker’s congregation presented a musical number. It was Sunday evening. The
occasion was in celebration of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
From my vantage point I marveled at the warmth in the room
and the sense of one-ness. There were no overt signs or perception of aloofness
or division. No “us” and “them”. The music – from old hymns to newer praise
songs - was familiar to most. The congregation sang along with the performers,
standing, clapping, and celebrating. This is the way it should be, I thought.
This is how we’ll worship in heaven.
Later, I re-examined what I had witnessed...and realized
that of all the choirs, worship teams, and musical groups present, only one group
was truly integrated. Only one group had
singers of more than one race, leading me to conclude that only one church
could claim to be ethnically diverse. America, it seems, is still segregated on
Sunday mornings. I left with conflicting emotions.
We've made progress. Our neighborhoods, schools and colleges
boast equal opportunity for people of all ethnicities; there is more diversity at
the corporate management level than at any other time in our history; and there
seems to be acceptance – or at least tolerance - towards marriage between
people of different races; but on Sunday mornings we still worship at white churches or black churches.
But there is hope. Just recently a woman shared with me that her
daughter had left their home church to worship at a face of America church. It was a moment before I realized that face of America was not a new-age denomination,
but a description of the racial makeup of that congregation. Face of America. I like the description. It speaks of the hope that Dr. King
had for America, a nation living and worshiping together in peace. It speaks of
a heavenly worship experience where we will sing and speak with one
voice. We’re not there yet...but we’re close.
MaxineThomas
