The good news, or “gospel” of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection results not only in our reconciliation to God, having been forgiven and adopted as daughters and sons into his family, but in our reconciliation to one another. The church is called to unity not simply as a goal or mandate, because the reality is there are no dividing lines in God’s kingdom. In fact, any divisions throughout history have been manmade and not God’s original and divine purpose. As Vintage Church, we hope to grow in our awareness of the full unity of God’s kingdom and how we live out that unity.
To this end, this past Spring we hosted a Conversation on the Gospel and Race. It was one of the most important events we’ve had in the life of our church, and whether this is a conversation you’ve been having for years or just now starting to engage in, this night was an incredible blessing. The wisdom and teaching of Pastor Léonce B. Crump Jr. from Renovation Church and Phabienne Anderson, Office Manager for Kingdom Diversity Initiatives at Southeastern Seminary, gave us a great deal to consider and act upon.
Since that time, we’re proud of how the church has humbly continued to learn, discuss, and seek unity and reconciliation. The elder families have gathered for two trainings to continue growing and praying. The staff of Vintage Church have also had multiple trainings and various breakout sessions. At Vintage Church North, they’re hosting a book study on White Awake by Daniel Hill. Community Group leaders and coaches are gathering for an upcoming training with Pastor Léonce. Not to mention the dozens of stories you’ve shared of difficult conversations and people standing up for the way of God’s kingdom in the face of racist comments. While small, these steps show the movement of God’s Spirit in us to humble ourselves and seek God’s Kingdom, and we can’t wait to gather for this next event led by Pastor Léonce Crump.
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Registration for Conversation on the Gospel and Race – the $5 ticket price covers our dinner together. Childcare will be provided for those who register their children in advance. Feel free to pick up your dinner from Carroll’s Kitchen in the 1880 Room starting at 6:30p, and our discussion on the gospel and race will begin at 7p.
We hope to see you there!
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Resources from Part 1 – February 13, 2018
Whether or not you attended part 1, we hope you’ll register for part 2 and utilize the resources below. Even those who attended previously would benefit from watching or listening again to Pastor Crump.
The full audio from part 1 is available at this link or on the Vintage Church app.
We split up the video from the evening into three separate clips:
Part 1: Phabienne Anderson
Part 2: Leonce Crump, Jr.
Part 3: Q&A
Resources recommended during the sessions:
Hillbilly Elegy – J.D. Vance
Stamped from the Beginning – Ibram X. Kendi
Between The World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
Working Toward Whiteness – David R. Roediger
One Drop – Bliss Broyard
Divided by Faith– Michael Emerson and Christian Smith
Why We Can’t Wait – Martin Luther King, Jr.