February is Black History Month, “an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history” (History.com).
February has the birthdates of both the Great Emancipator Abraham Lincoln and the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
Each week of February 2022 Morningside celebrated African-American contributions to our hymnody, including gospel hymns by Charles A. Tindley as well as traditional spirituals:
Give Me Jesus
Were You There?
Precious Lord, Take My Hand
Nothing Between
On February 20, 2022, we also held a panel discussing racial reconciliation. Black history is full of injustice, much of it suffered at the hands of professing Christians. And the injustices endured by African-Americans are certainly not all in the past. But as Ephesians 2:11-22 says, the gospel is able to unite us across racial barriers. Our panelists discussed racial reconciliation from a Christian perspective and helpful strategies for overcoming racial divisions among believers.
One of last year’s panelists, Pastor Ben Gordon, is our special speaker on the evening of Feb. 19.
Pastor Gordon is the senior pastor of Hope Baptist Church, located in one of Greenville’s historically Black neighborhoods. During this Black History Month, we pray for the ministry of Pastor Gordon and Hope Baptist. We also pray that God will help us enjoy gospel unity across racial divisions. We look forward to seeing how our unity can display the gospel.