Parkrose United Methodist Church

Why is the Church So Segregated?

From Ryan · June 14th, 2009 ·   |   3 Comments

Check out this article From Relevant Magazine:
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/features-reviews/god/17095-why-is-the-church-so-segregated

With Parkrose UMC and the other faith fellowships worshiping “Under One Roof” at the church, we seem uniquely poised to transcend a common (and often destructive, in my opinion) “race doesn’t matter” misconception. This will propel us toward a better understanding and appreciation of important cultural differences in how we live, gather, serve, and praise.

There’s a sad “juice vs. coffee” reference (and equally sad follow-up note by the author) in this article that I think is symptomatic of a hands-off and very superficial approach to connecting with faith communities of different cultural backgrounds around us.

Read the article (as well as the comments below it) and then answer this question:

If we’re truly called and committed to connecting each other to Christ’s message and mission, what does it actually take?

- Ryan

Tags: Featured · Under One Roof

3 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Pastor Bill // Jun 16, 2009 at 4:07 pm

    Point well taken. Convenience and comfort weren’t high on Jesus’ priority list, I’m sure. Just to be clear, I’m with you on this. I’m just trying to be honest about the obstacles of getting different shades and textures of God’s creatures in the same pews. (Take the dang pews out, first of all. OK that’s another topic).

    Stuff like language and generation and styles of worship are all ‘nice-try’ excuses for staying apart. Maybe it’s my creation-centered spirituality that helps to move my “worship” out of the sanctuary and into the streets or garden or table conversation (read ‘food’ and culture and history…), where boundaries of all kinds seem to disappear. I think that’s what you mean by qualitative.

    I like the term “symbolic olive branch” offered as you enter another’s turf. Do you have a story from your experience when that happened for you?

    Anyone else?

  • 2 Ryan // web gardener // Jun 14, 2009 at 2:54 pm

    Since when was Christ’s message about “convenience?” Cumbersome and messy is the stuff of true connection. Is the traditional service at PUMC in Hasau, or Spanish? Well, no, but yet a portion of the congregation is culturally Nigerian. And they participate in services on Sunday. I say show up to the Oromo worship and be a sponge. Be a gracious guest and let the Spirit touch you in ways that are possibly NOT about language. In time, the guest learns about the host and the host about the guest. It’s not about me, the English speaker feeling comfortable at first. It’s about making a connection. Does that lead to multi-language services? Maybe. Maybe not. The point is that the symbolic olive branch you extend when you show up with an open mind and open heart (”Here I am, Lord…”) will be returned at some point and will begin the cycle of respect and sharing within the Parkrose UMC micro-communities. Integration is a quantitative term. Fellowship, community, and sharing are qualitative terms. God’s message, in my opinion, has always been one of quality over quantity.

  • 3 Pastor Bill // Jun 14, 2009 at 1:52 pm

    Integration may take giving something up to receive something greater. I’m thinking about language, first of all.
    The leaders of our Hispanic Fellowship are mostly bi-lingual and are attracting many new immigrants who are Spanish-speaking only. To join them would mean entering their culture through language (OK, as well as shared food, music and laughter). Worship, prayer or service opportunities with the same message/instructions in Spanish and English is cumbersome and messy… but always rewarded by a magnified sense of God’s Holy Spirit. Just think of the implications of intergration with our Hispanic friends AND our Oromo (Ethiopian) friends. Oh, my!
    Peace,
    Bill

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