Online Archives

BY DRED SCOTT

As the incoming coordinator of the conference Black United Methodist for Church Renewal, I am acutely aware of strengths and weaknesses in the local church and especially the black church in the Baltimore-Washington Conference.

BMCR exists to offer remedies that address the socio-political injustices in the life of the church and within the lives of families and communities. In the coming year, we’ll renew our fervor and work to restore Christ’s mandate to “love one another.”

At the creation of BMCR in 1968, we organized ourselves to Empower black Methodists for effective witness and service We are called to:

+ Encourage black Methodists and others in the struggles for justice;
+ Expose latent forms of racism;
+ Engage and act as an agitating conscience within the denomination;
+ Enlighten the church on crucial issues facing black Methodists;
+ Enlist those who will initiate and implement strategies for growing strong, healthy churches; and
+ Educate and cultivate greater awareness to the needs of black Methodists.

As United Methodists we need to return to the roots of our cultural realities, in which God, family and the community are important and the church and the preacher are central.

On Friday, April 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., BMCR will host a conversation on the state of the black church in the 21st century at Emory UMC, 6100 Georgia Ave., NW in Washington.

The inclusive discussion about the present and future condition of black United Methodist churches in this area will be led by Wesley Thelogocial Seminary professors, the Revs. William McClain and James Shopshire.

The cost is $10 and lunch will be provided.

In conjunction with the event, on the evening before, at 7 p.m., a worship service, followed by a jazz concert will be held at Emory UMC.

At St. Matthews UMC, where I pastor, the ministries that have had the greatest impact for us are those in which we have invested in God’s economic cycle of planting, growing and harvesting. For instance, our youth-focused community garden has enabled us to feed, at no cost to them, members of the church and community.

The garden’s bountiful blessings provide ample evidence that if we return to the basics we can produce a corrective action that will put us back on track.

I have heard that the great coach, Vince Lombardi, started off each training camp for the Green Bay Packers by holding up a football and saying, “this is a football.” This was his entry point to emphasizing the importance of the “basics.” For the church the basics are to love God and love the people.