PASTOR/STAFF ZOOM MEETING 06/10/2020
GUEST SPEAKERS: David Hooks, Pastor, Bryant Ave Baptist Church, OKC
Calvin Miller, Pastor, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Stillwater
Highlights of Today’s Conversation:
· The church has not stood up for the Black race as it should and until racism is dealt with, we cannot move forward.
· How do we address Black Lives Matter in a Christian connotation instead of politically? What the black people are saying is that Black Lives Matter ALSO, not more than white lives. Because of the injustice and the brutality that they have had to endure, Black Lives Matter is important for them to hear.
· It is ok to remind Christians that Jesus dies for all and he called out Jews in the way that they treated the Samaritans.
· We are too lazy to educate ourselves and want others to do the research for us. If we would take the time to research what the truth is behind the hot issues, we would find out the background history and we would understand the problems and see them from a different perspective.
· It is necessary for white people to recognize that there is white privilege and that we haven’t experienced the issues that black people have experienced.
· Too many people in the church are party affiliated and are not willing to think outside the party beliefs and guidelines.
· Unless you are willing to set down and hear a black man’s heart, you will never understand why they think and feel the way they do.
· White privilege doesn’t mean that as a white person you didn’t have it difficult growing up or even now, it means that it wasn’t your skin color that made it difficult.
· Racism and injustice are alive and well. We must learn to move on and break down barriers and try to live our lives that model change.
· We must acknowledge that there is a problem so we can begin to fix it. Too many people won’t acknowledge that there is a problem. When you acknowledge the problem, you become part of the solution. We need to make sure we aren’t part of the issue. As a pastor, if racism is not an issue for you, it shouldn’t be an issue for your congregation.
· If the black people are truly our brothers, when they hurt, we should hurt. You cannot hear their cries without acknowledging their pain.
· We must continually work together and it’s not just for this moment. Are you going to continue to reach out? This is an ongoing process, model what you say all the time not just some of the time.
· There is going to be continual inequality. We need to acknowledge it and call it out. Don’t allow this movement to fizzle out. Continue to build relationships and encourage your congregation to build relationships.
· Those with the loudest voices and the biggest profiles have remained silent during times that their voices should have been heard. The church cannot remain silent any longer.
· We need to realize we have more in common than we do differences. We should not be passive to the problem.
· We need to teach and disciple our youth on how to treat others that may be different from themselves.
· Skin color doesn’t matter, it only matters how you treat people.
· All people want to be treated equal with no differences!
· Black people do what they feel is necessary to survive. They have always received the crumbs in life. The heart of the issue is our society was not set up for the black race. Society was started with slavery and being treated with hostility, this way of thinking as never changed with many people.