05/17/2008
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Staff photo by David Leamingfrom the Kennebec Journal
Inspired residents share historic night
Democratic National Convention: Obama's party
Second suspect indicted in home invasion attacks
Many facing higher costs for E-911 services
PITTSTON 2nd suspect indicted in attacks on Guerrettes
Inspired residents share historic night
HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY: Junior class worth watching
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTES: Husson has tough road ahead
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Kennebec Journal
from the Morning Sentinel
Inspired residents share historic night
Democratic National Convention: Obama's party
SKOWHEGAN Two men arrested in theft
Towns face 911 rate hike
Thieves steal veggies grown for charity, gardener says
WATERVILLE Motorcyclist gets injured in collision
HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY: Junior class worth watching
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTES: Husson has tough road ahead
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel
At the national level, the church called upon its 5,700 congregations to talk about race in part because of the controversy over comments made by Trinity United Church of Christ former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Wright, former pastor for presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, caused an uproar when parts of his sermons showed him referring to the U.S. as the "US of KKKA" and when he made other remarks about the government.
In Waterville, the Rev. Kenneth L. Smith, a retired United Methodist pastor, will talk about race at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. while filling in as a guest pastor at the First Congregational Church.
"We're calling on God to lead us in a very timely and important endeavor," said Smith, who serves as chaplain at Inland Hospital.
Despite the political tie-in, the sermons won't be about politics. "We're stressing mostly that it is a sacred conversation," he said. "We believe God is still speaking."
David Deas of Winslow, an African-American who is church-council president at the Winslow Congregational Church, said Sunday presents a chance to have a more candid conversation about race. "Most people who are looking with their eyes open recognize a lot of what Rev. Wright has to say is true," he said. "Most people don't want to admit it and face it head on."
A former lead deacon at the church, Deas said the discussion needs to be broadened beyond black and white.
"I hope people come away with a heightened awareness of racial issues," he said. "It's not just black and white, it's Hispanic, Asian. It's every race."
For the Rev. Kimberly Murphy of the Winthrop Congregational Church, it's a chance to look at the issue with the help of a Christian perspective. "How do we faithfully address these issues?" she said.
And while Murphy said she was initially "dismayed" by what she saw on YouTube, she said a closer examination of the sermons showed at least some of his comments were taken out of context. She hopes her sermon on Sunday will help to broaden the discussion beyond short sound bites that don't tell the whole story.
"The service was not out of the norm, but people felt that anger and they didn't have a context for it," she said. "It surprised a lot of people. People were hit between the eyes."
National United Church of Christ leadership, based in Cleveland, initially decided to call for "a sacred conversation on race" on April 3, the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's last sermon in Memphis, said the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, director of communications for the national office. But as the Wright controversy grew, the church decided to expand on the idea.
"As the United Church of Christ and others have been watching the controversy surrounding the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., and as the nation has been discussing through the media issues of race surrounding the presidential campaign, we felt it was time the church initiate a more honest, more mature, sacred dialogue than we were seeing taking place through the media," he said.
The idea is not just a one-day sermon on race, but the beginning of a longer conversation about race. Auburn Mayor John Jenkins, an African-American who attends several churches, including a United Church of Christ affiliate in Auburn, said history shows churches have been a starting point for change in racial issues.
"It was through the church that many civil rights had its birth," he said. "It allowed people to be courageous enough to stand in front of the dogs to get the vote."
Jenkins said he hopes discussions about race extend beyond the church to mosques, synagogues, temples and town halls.
In Hallowell, the Rev. Susan Reisert said part of her preparation for Sunday's sermon included watching a video called "Anchor of the Soul" that portrays the African-American experience in the Portland area. She said those who attend her church understand discrimination from their experience as French-Canadians or because they know how the state has treated Native Americans.
"We're not just talking about racism toward blacks," she said.
Reisert said she'll work to blend Bible passages, current events and Psalm 8 into a message that will keep people thinking beyond her 20-minute sermon. She said Psalm 8 is particularly relevant because it focuses on the wonder of human beings.
"Shouldn't we be marveling instead of creating stereotypes about each other?" she said. Reisert hopes the conversation about race will lead to more discussions.
"I hope people will be intrigued by this," she said. "If they don't get to church on Sunday, I hope they will be thinking about this. How we can be more caring and responsible?"
The United Church of Christ has 166 churches in Maine, with 22,400 members. Nationwide, its membership numbers 1.2 million.
Susan Cover -- 623- 1056
scover@centralmaine.com
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