| Celebrating those who stayed By John Coleman Jr.
UMCONNECTION STAFF 'A moment of hope, an opportunity for a new beginning,' was how Baltimore-Washington Conference delegate Sandy Ferguson described the General Conferences Service of Appreciation held April 30 in Pittsburgh. The service recognized African Americans who remained in The United Methodist Church despite its history of racism. 'It brought some closure to the pain and suffering, the historic indignities caused by racial segregation and oppression in our church,' said Ferguson. 'There were tears among our delegation. People were moved, even across color lines.' Impassioned delivery of Scripture, litanies and prayers of confession helped set a tone of reverence. Yet, the historically rich sermon by Bishop Charlene O. Kammerer, of the Charlotte, N.C., Area, grounded the service in a vivid recounting of contributions by African Americans to Methodism, as well as their suffering, struggle and resilience.  | ERIK ALSGAARD/UMCONNECTION | The Rev. HiRho Park and Sandy Ferguson place plumb lines on a display related to the racial repentance and reconciliation initiatives at General Conference. |
'For all those faithful and courageous black Methodists who stayed in our inhospitable, racist, abusive church,' proclaimed Kammerer, 'we say, Thanks be to God for you!' The bishop compared her personal encounters with racial discrimination while growing up in the South with the early Methodist Churchs own sins of bigotry, including its racially constituted Central Jurisdiction, created to segregate black churches. While she rejoiced in the abolition of that jurisdiction in 1968, with the formation of The United Methodist Church, Kammerer asked, 'Are we really now one church or are we still painfully divided by the color line?' 'I appreciate this service and all our efforts toward reconciliation,' said the Rev. Hattie Johnson Holmes, associate pastor of Hughes UMC in Wheaton and president of the conferences Black Methodists for Church Renewal caucus. 'But this must be part of a process. It took years to get where we are, and it will take more than one service to achieve our goals.' Holmes was part of a team monitoring General Conference for the National Urban Strategy Council, related to the General Board of Global Ministries. She said the outcome of legislation affecting African Americans in particular, such as support for reparations for slavery and the Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century initiative, would be the real measurement of progress toward racial reconciliation. Like Ferguson, other conference delegates found hope in the Service of Appreciation. 'I am dependent on those whom I have offended and excluded to be the agents of my reconciliation and healing,' said the Rev. Chris Holmes, pastor of Community UMC in Crofton, who was visibly moved by the service and reminisced about once serving a predominantly African-American church. 'It was a sterling reminder of what the future can be,' said the Rev. Vance Ross, associate general secretary of the General Board of Discipleship in Nashville and a reserve delegate. 'We recognized a people who had every reason to be hopeless, but they stayed and thats why Im here. I dont have a right to walk away.' | 
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