A childhood friend of mine shared with me this past week, about an incident with her child and one of his friends. Her child told his good friend that he and his family was moving away. Welp, this good friend decided to post, his thoughts of this news to an “internal” social media platform. He stated “We don’t want no N****** here anyway” – I’m paraphrasing
Love still Wins in 2019! Hate is taught, but Love still wins. We are all God’s children, of high value and worth. It’s time for a change of heart and soul. We can no longer be silent to hateful language, and behaviors that harm and oppress. It’s inexcusable! It’s time for the church to have honest conversations about the systemic systems, that are set up to give some advantages over others. It’s time, oh beloved siblings, to speak truth about race relations in our communities and the church. It’s time to hear and listen to the cries of the oppressed voices. IT’S TIME to confess ours sins of omission, and conversations about the “elephants in the room.” It’s time to commit to real behavior changes, and accountability systems to ensure all people can safely attend schools, play sports, and go to work and be their authentic selves- unapologetically. Not subjugated to degrading language and behaviors from peers.
It is time to unearth the diseased dirt, in communities, and systems so that reconciliation can be had. It is past time for the disruption of systemic systems, implicit, explicit and complicit bias, where wealthy Anglo families can illegally pay money for excellent SAT/ACT scores so their children can get into ivy league schools of choice – The mother is found guilty, receives fourteen days in jail, and a 30k fine etc… While on the other hand an African American homeless woman falsifies where she lives, so that her child can attend a good preschool, in a good neighborhood. The mother is found guilty, receives five years in prison and a 50K fine, etc. Disruptor’s where are you (We)! Time for real conversations about sentencing equity of the rich and the poor, white, black and brown. Church, something is broken.
Harriet Tubman was a disruptor – She escaped slavery to freedom in the North, but she dared to disrupt the system of slavery. Therefore risking her life, returned numerous times back to the south, to set the captives free. Harriet was a disruptor.
Jesus was a DISRUPTOR. Mark 11:17-18 Jesus said, “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations, But you have made it a den of robbers.” He turned the tables over in the temple. Jesus disrupted the church, because the money changers were cheating the poor and the widows.
John Wesley, founder of Methodism was a DISRUPTER –
So, what are you called to disrupt? Poverty? Homelessness? Illiteracy? Sex trafficking? Injustice? Hopelessness? Fear etc…? Lord in your mercy, give us the courage to disrupt, in Jesus Name. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Stephanie Moore Hand, A minister in the United Methodist Church and a Charlotte, NC Macedonian Ministry Cohort Member – #i85
Rev. Dr. Stephanie Moore Hand is presently serving as a Vitality Strategists for the Western NC Conference of the United Methodist Church, focused on revitalization, church planting, leadership development, and social justice.
Stephanie has served as the Pastor of Discipleship and Evangelism ministries as well as Lead pastor of a newly developed worshipping community. She also had the awesome opportunity to be the three-day keynote speaker, for the Greater New Jersey and the New England Annual Conferences of the United Methodist Church, with over fifteen hundred people in attendance.
Dr. Hand also worked as a Community Outreach Manager for Charlotte Family Housing; a non-profit organization who focused on collaborating with community partners in the civic, business and faith communities, fund raising for the organization. assisting persons transition from working homelessness to self-sufficiency, and presently serves on two organization’s Boards of Directors.
She holds a Bachelor degree from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, Masters degree from Pfeiffer University and seminary from Hood Theological Seminary. Dr. Hand earned her doctorate from Wesley Theological Seminary, in Washington D.C.
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