August 2014 Monthly Letter
My mother’s siblings and one spouse: Willie, Rose, Clarence and Lee.
Greetings Reconcilers in Christ,
July turned out to be a very busy month. Jannice and I celebrated our biennial Williams-McCollough Family Reunion in Atlanta, Georgia. There were 82 in attendance from several states. Not only did we enjoy food, fun and fellowship but also praise and worship on Sunday at Light of the World Church.
After we returned home we headed to Minneapolis–Duluth, Minnesota for a reconciliation seminar on Saturday, July 19th and I gave a sermon on Sunday, July 20th. The topic was John 4, the story of the Samaritan Woman. Jannice and I stayed with Pastor–District Pastoral Leader Doug Johannsen and his wife Betty. What wonderful hosts! Doug’s summary of the weekend is below.
(l-r) Pstr. Femi Oni of Faith Tabernacle Ministry, Curtis May, and Pstr. Philip Festus of Greater Works Christian Center.
45 people, representing 4 denominations (and a 5th one in the process of becoming a GCI congregation), and four states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Minnesota) attended the ORM seminar conducted in Minneapolis/St Paul by Curtis and Jannice May on Saturday, July 19th. The seminar was originally booked with the intent of being a District Network meeting, but the topic seemed to lend itself to include others than just our GCI fellowship. The Champlin United Methodist Church in Champlin, Minnesota rents its facility out to our GCI congregation as well as to the Faith Tabernacle congregation, a group composed of mostly Nigerian immigrants. Another small group of people from another denomination that made contact with us through mutual friendships with Baxter Kruger’s Perichoresis ministry also attended.
Grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and a potluck were provided between the morning and afternoon sessions. This nearly 2-hour noon break provided plenty of opportunity for fellowship between one another. The atmosphere was truly one of peace and joy.
The Johannsens and the Mays by the Mississippi River.
I believe the most important thing that Curtis and Jannice May accomplished was to help us all become much more aware of the many ways racism goes on around us. Their personal stories as well as excellent research provided a sound basis for their presentation. I fully expect that in the days and weeks to come we will be surprised on many occasions to notice acts of discrimination (gender, race, economic and others) that have been going on all around us without our being aware. Hopefully this will lead to transformation, inclusion and the development of stronger relationships between genders, races and denominations as we live the message of the gospel more fully. As one of the members in the Champlin congregation is fond of saying, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” Well, now we know. We all as Christians have been given the message of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:16-21), and this seminar was one of the many ways the Lord provides for us to learn how to proceed.
Thank you, Curtis and Jannice, for your sparkling personalities and dedication to push back the evil of racism and other forms of discrimination that have afflicted humanity since the Garden of Eden.
Blessings,
Doug Johannsen, District Pastoral Leader
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota