Since the last presidential election, political strife has dominated the airwaves and conversations, and racial strife continues to create division between people. In a strife-filled world, where people can be more loyal to their political ideologies and racial biases than they are to their faith, Eric Dubach, Brookside Church pastor, Fort Wayne, Indiana, wanted to bring his church together. He began asking, “What does it look like for the church to rise above the strife and unite under the banner of Jesus?”
As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., remembrance day approached this year (January 21, 2019), Eric planned to celebrate King’s life and achievements and bring the church together around a common conversation about racial reconciliation. He planned a series of talks called “Bridges: Building racial bridges instead of continuing to watch them burn down” and invited three Fort Wayne men to lead the conversation, February 3-24. The panel included Josh King, Yul Martin, and Luther Whitfield.
Each panel guest shared his personal experience with racism and with the gospel. Then, on separate weekends, the men explained how the gospel had taught them to build racial bridges instead of burning them down. Their messages encouraged listeners to build the kingdom together as brothers and sisters.
Luther Whitfield, New Covenant pastor, Fort Wayne, challenged Christians to be more Christ-like than cultural. This fall, New Covenant Church members will join Brookside Church members for cross-cultural conversations.
