Regarding the Burned Churches in SC
Friends,
Thank you for
your many inquiries as to ways we might respond to the Black churches
which have burned in the past couple of weeks in the South.
In South
Carolina, as of yesterday at about 3:30 PM, according to Tom Berry, the
Public Information Officer of SLED, investigations are still underway at
both sites, Glover Grove Baptist Church in Warrenville and Mount Zion
African Methodist Episcopal Church in Greeleyville. According to Berry
the official report will be available in about a week.
Mean while here are some helpful ways of responding:
1. Pray for the
church and its leaders. Send words of comfort and support. If in your
area, offer the use of your space during the rebuilding process.
2. Regardless
the cause of the fire, the churches will rebuild. If you want to help
with the cost, volunteer time and building skills, or assist in some
other way, contact the congregation directly; or contact me and I will help you connect ( bkneece@sccouncil.net).
3. Many of our
Black congregations are concerned about security; and people have
expressed desire to support security details. If there is a Black
congregation in your neighborhood or community and you want to offer
this assistance, there are two vital contacts to be made before you show up to provide security.
First:
Contact the pastor or a key church leader. Ask if they are concerned
about security and, if so, would they welcome assistance. Please do not
go on site to provide security unless you are invited to do so by the
congregation.
Second:
Contact your local Law Enforcement agency and make them aware of your
intention to be on site providing security. Again, please do not go on a
site for this reason without the knowledge of Law Enforcement.
And, finally,
congregations of any Race or Culture or Religion may suffer pain and
loss due to lightening strikes, faulty wiring, vandalism, and any host
of troubles. I encourage you to be a part of the healing and protection
of any and all places of worship in your community.
One of my
favorite quotes is from Ram Dass. It sums up how we should relate to
each other. Ram said: "We're all just walking each other home."
Let's be sure to get each other home safely.
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