inside / outside

Over the past couple of weeks I've read a couple of books* on the history of African Americans in the Episcopal Church; I was asked to comment about that history for the St Cyprian's Oral History project. There were two consistent themes which caught my attention – The Church always saw the African American population as a mission field for evangelicalism yet not quite comfortable bringing them into the fold of the Church, and, the African American response of we are all equal in the eyes of God, we will not be kept to the side. These two issues played out not only in the obvious way of separating whites from black in the church, either the same building with whites in pews and blacks in the upstairs galleries or totally separate congregations but also Afro Am congregations did not / have limited voice in the diocesan and national conventions that govern Church life. This behavior created a narrative, a story of who was inside and who was outside as members of the Body of Christ. To the credit of the Church, it was (and remains) an issue debated in conventions from the start, for as many voices believed the Church shouldn't involve in changing society (that's politics) there are the faithful who said the Christian prophetic mission requires challenging society's norms and all are equal and welcome in our congregations, the insider and outsider.

You may have read about the Cyprian's Lenten Book Series on Radical Welcome (S Spellers). Spellers directly addresses the issue of inside / outside in the congregation of which we are part; as people we gather the like minded together, however, the outsider is not given the same welcome. The point is we are called to welcome everyone to our fold, our congregation; and not just strangers but the strangers who make us uncomfortable. What struck me is that uncomfortable stranger may be the homeless or addicted but also outside of our own culture norms – and how we react to their presence speaks volumes on our commitment to bringing the outsider inside, into the Body of Christ which we belong.

I ask we think about how the stranger is treated when they appear at the door. Are they welcomed inside, and yet kept outside our conversations, from the peace in the pews to the conversation at fellowship following service? Let us bring the outsider into the fold, into our conversations and our congregational life so they to will feel the joy of being one with the Body of Christ.

Come visit Turk and Lyon, we'll welcome in from the outside.

peace

eric

*Yet With a Steady Beat, Harold Lewis

Episcopalians and Race, Gardiner Shattuck Jr