TERRE HAUTE —
The sanctuary was packed inside Grace Temple Sunday night, although the pews were empty for most of the service.
The floors of the Maple Avenue church shook off and on for two hours as music and dancing outlined the Seventh Annual Black History Celebration there. A collaborative effort by Grace Temple Pastor David Fleetwood and Pastor Michael Russell of Shiloh Baptist Church, the message of unity was shared by members of multiple congregations and their musicians.
Fleetwood informed the assembly, the ranks of which spilled out into the foyer, that plans for the first umbrella were created by an African-American, as were the designs for the first car manufactured by Henry Ford.
Introducing Russell as the evening’s master of ceremonies, Fleetwood said despite their differences in skin color, the two men are brothers in Christ.
“We’ve got different mommas, but we have the same Father,” he said.
Russell likewise lauded the ongoing collaboration between churches, referencing America’s inaugural Olympic “Dream Team” in basketball, one that featured legends such as Larry Bird and Michael Jordan.
That team’s members came from different backgrounds and organizations, but at the Olympics, they became one under a unified banner, he said.
Musical numbers were performed by the Grace Temple Praise Team, Shiloh Baptist Church Choir, the Tones of Joy of Terre Haute and the Puritan Baptist Church Choir. A jam session launched from the altar’s stage as a dozen musicians improvised off “Have a Little Talk With Jesus.” Participants remained out of their seats for much of the musical numbers offered that evening as tambourines merged with drums and electric guitars.
Bishop Larry Grinstead of Puritan Missionary Baptist Church in Indianapolis served as the featured speaker, crediting the efforts made by local congregations to bridge racial gaps in worship.
“Greatness has to have a starting point,” he said, drawing his message from the Book of John’s 10th chapter. That passage references Christ’s welcoming different kinds of sheep, a message modern Americans need to heed, he said.
“It has sickened and saddened the heart of God that we have bought into society’s lies,” he boomed from the pulpit, stating that racial segregation is at its highest on Sunday mornings, when churches remain split along lines of color.
But in heaven there will be no ghettos. Nor will there be white or black neighborhoods, he said, quick to point out that God isn’t alone in ignoring race. The devil, too, “the enemy,” likewise ignores pigmentation. Drugs and alcohol don’t discriminate, neither does crime, he said. The struggles of a white man’s daughter should bother him as much as those of a black’s man daughter, and vice versa, he said.
But this fellowship among flocks begins with the shepherds, and Grinstead spared little in his criticism of fellow clergy.
“The kingdom of God has gotten a bad rap,” he said, blaming ministers for fostering division among God’s people. “When ministers fellowship together, flocks fellowship together.”
Grinstead said he plans to challenge Indianapolis ministers to consider the kind of inclusion offered by the Grace Temple and Shiloh Baptist congregations, adding that, “racism is wrong, no matter who does it,” black or white.
If participants didn’t know one another at the event’s onset, they’d shaken each other’s hands plenty by the end. Introduction times were laced throughout the music-soaked service, culminating in recitations of forgiveness and acceptance while holding each others’ hands.
Cheryl Fleetwood invited the group to fellowship and refreshments afterward in the church basement, to continue the time of sharing.
“This really feels like we’re just one big family,” she said.
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com
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