News (Media Awareness Project) - US GA: White Clergy Responds To I-185 Tragedy |
| Title: | US GA: White Clergy Responds To I-185 Tragedy |
| Published On: | 2003-12-18 |
| Source: | Ledger-Enquirer (GA) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-19 02:59:07 |
Bookmark:
http://www.mapinc.org/racial.htm (Racial
Issues)
WHITE CLERGY RESPONDS TO I-185 TRAGEDY
Various Ministers Vow To Take Up Rev. Baker's Challenge
Nearly 40 years ago, the Rev. Tom Weise was forbidden to walk across the
bridge with hundreds of civil rights activists in Selma, Ala. He got word
from his bishop that he'd be fired if he marched. Twenty-five years later,
he finally got to walk, in a more symbolic journey marking the movement
from Selma to Montgomery.
Tuesday, Weise was one of the few white clergy present at the funeral for
Kenneth B Walker, killed a week ago by a sheriff's deputy. A sister of
Cheryl Walker, Kenneth's widow, is the secretary at one of Weise's two
churches.
At a rally Monday, the Rev. Wayne Baker of the Interdenominational
Ministerial Alliance issued a challenge to white clergy: Don't ignore this.
"To the white church," Baker said, "you dropped the ball during slavery.
Your brand of Christianity brought about Jim Crow and segregation. You
failed to show during the civil rights era. Now you have another chance to
do the right thing."
Contacted Wednesday, various white clergy, including Weise, plan to take up
the challenge.
"I would like to see Phenix City, at least, start an organization similar
to One Columbus, or a committee on diversity," said Weise, pastor of St.
Patrick's and Mother Mary Catholic churches. Mother Mary is predominantly
black and St. Patrick's is mostly white.
"We have to start where we are," said Weise, meaning he'd at least like his
congregations to participate more with one another.
In Columbus, the Rev. Jerry Sauls of University Avenue Assembly of God is a
member of the Muscogee County Clergy Association. He said he would bring up
the incident in his mid-week prayer meeting Wednesday night and would offer
prayers for the grieving family. He also thinks the MCCA, a five-year-old
interdenominational clergy group, should address the issue.
"We need to pray for this family. It's a deplorable thing," said Sauls.
"Being brought up in the South, I understand this is potentially explosive.
"The white ministerial community should reach out to this family." He
added, "It'd be great if there could be a meeting" between the clergy,
Cheryl Walker and the deputy. Muscogee County Sheriff Ralph Johnson has so
far refused to release the name of the deputy who shot Walker.
The Rev. Ronnie Culpepper, district superintendent of the Columbus District
of the United Methodist Church, also attended the funeral at St. Mary's
Road United Methodist, one of the congregations under his leadership. He
knew Walker personally. He has made calls to Cheryl Walker and to Kenneth
Walker's mother, Emily.
"I mainly want to be supportive of the family right now," said Culpepper.
The other thing he's doing is waiting on investigators' results, urging
patience. "Everybody's doing everything they can for the truth."
Because the shooting happened during the Christian observance of Advent,
the four weeks leading up to Christmas, the Rev. Hal Brady of St. Luke
United Methodist Church addressed the tragedy on the front of his current
church bulletin. The message is titled "Christmas and Tragedy." In it, he
extends sympathy to Walker's family, he speaks out against prejudice and
discrimination and he applauds Sheriff Johnson's cooperation with outside
investigators.
The whole Christmas "story is one of goodness growing out of evil, of hope
emerging from out of the midst of tragedy and of love triumphing over the
powers of hostility," he writes. "Christmas is God's design, and only
Christmas makes sense out of life."
"I hope we can come together and work together," Brady told the
Ledger-Enquirer on Wednesday. "We have to come to the table to discuss
this. Out of this can come a stronger community. This is our prayer."
Issues)
WHITE CLERGY RESPONDS TO I-185 TRAGEDY
Various Ministers Vow To Take Up Rev. Baker's Challenge
Nearly 40 years ago, the Rev. Tom Weise was forbidden to walk across the
bridge with hundreds of civil rights activists in Selma, Ala. He got word
from his bishop that he'd be fired if he marched. Twenty-five years later,
he finally got to walk, in a more symbolic journey marking the movement
from Selma to Montgomery.
Tuesday, Weise was one of the few white clergy present at the funeral for
Kenneth B Walker, killed a week ago by a sheriff's deputy. A sister of
Cheryl Walker, Kenneth's widow, is the secretary at one of Weise's two
churches.
At a rally Monday, the Rev. Wayne Baker of the Interdenominational
Ministerial Alliance issued a challenge to white clergy: Don't ignore this.
"To the white church," Baker said, "you dropped the ball during slavery.
Your brand of Christianity brought about Jim Crow and segregation. You
failed to show during the civil rights era. Now you have another chance to
do the right thing."
Contacted Wednesday, various white clergy, including Weise, plan to take up
the challenge.
"I would like to see Phenix City, at least, start an organization similar
to One Columbus, or a committee on diversity," said Weise, pastor of St.
Patrick's and Mother Mary Catholic churches. Mother Mary is predominantly
black and St. Patrick's is mostly white.
"We have to start where we are," said Weise, meaning he'd at least like his
congregations to participate more with one another.
In Columbus, the Rev. Jerry Sauls of University Avenue Assembly of God is a
member of the Muscogee County Clergy Association. He said he would bring up
the incident in his mid-week prayer meeting Wednesday night and would offer
prayers for the grieving family. He also thinks the MCCA, a five-year-old
interdenominational clergy group, should address the issue.
"We need to pray for this family. It's a deplorable thing," said Sauls.
"Being brought up in the South, I understand this is potentially explosive.
"The white ministerial community should reach out to this family." He
added, "It'd be great if there could be a meeting" between the clergy,
Cheryl Walker and the deputy. Muscogee County Sheriff Ralph Johnson has so
far refused to release the name of the deputy who shot Walker.
The Rev. Ronnie Culpepper, district superintendent of the Columbus District
of the United Methodist Church, also attended the funeral at St. Mary's
Road United Methodist, one of the congregations under his leadership. He
knew Walker personally. He has made calls to Cheryl Walker and to Kenneth
Walker's mother, Emily.
"I mainly want to be supportive of the family right now," said Culpepper.
The other thing he's doing is waiting on investigators' results, urging
patience. "Everybody's doing everything they can for the truth."
Because the shooting happened during the Christian observance of Advent,
the four weeks leading up to Christmas, the Rev. Hal Brady of St. Luke
United Methodist Church addressed the tragedy on the front of his current
church bulletin. The message is titled "Christmas and Tragedy." In it, he
extends sympathy to Walker's family, he speaks out against prejudice and
discrimination and he applauds Sheriff Johnson's cooperation with outside
investigators.
The whole Christmas "story is one of goodness growing out of evil, of hope
emerging from out of the midst of tragedy and of love triumphing over the
powers of hostility," he writes. "Christmas is God's design, and only
Christmas makes sense out of life."
"I hope we can come together and work together," Brady told the
Ledger-Enquirer on Wednesday. "We have to come to the table to discuss
this. Out of this can come a stronger community. This is our prayer."
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