It was called a historic occasion Monday evening, because nobody could remember this happening before in Springfield, but the event seemed ordinary, like something that should happen all the time. Four churches – two black congregations and two white congregations – got together on Springfield’s east side to begin a program called “Sacred Conversations on Race (+Action).” Organized by the ever-busy Faith Coalition for the Common Good, the process is modeled after a successful initiative by St. Louis churches in response to Ferguson. After meeting together, the four Springfield churches – Union Baptist, Calvary Baptist, St. Cabrini Catholic Church and Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation – will meet separately twice to discuss racism, which the program defines as “race prejudice plus abuse of power.” Then they’ll all come together again in April to worship, reflect and plan what action they’ll take. During the opening session, the participants prayed together, “We gather amid the swirling storms, longing for a new creation.” –Fletcher Farrar, editor and publisher
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 2, 2016.
