As we sat there, the food was great.
What is my role?
What is my gift? Someone asked.
A comment was, you
need to be rooted in one church, Greater Joy.
Here is the
reflections as articulated in that restaurant, some good old Hibachi
Chicken.
Hispanics worship
one way; Mexicans worship one way, Puerto Ricans another way
altogether.
The language is the
same, but the songs represent different cultures. The old ways are
represented in the Puerto Rican church, versus, the “new style of
worship” in the Mexican churches, modern choreographs.
Black people have a
distinctive style of worship. Their songs are of a different legacy.
The people in
action, the white church, Wendell Baptist, are doers. They help.
They get out there. Hence, tonight, I was supporting them and
supping with them, and, they had tacos, good stuff too.
Hephzibah has the
songs, the white songs, but I have long been departed from them. The
are the Hills Song type, awesome at times. They worship moreso with
Hymns, etc. of the white tradition. The preaching tends to be
sounding brass and tinkling cymbal because no field work from the
head, but the body is not the same.
So, what is the
reflection. You cannot get everything from one church. Nobody
fellowships with each other. Blacks stay blacks, Hispanics with
Hispanics, whites with white.
A stark example, was
in the lobby of the church, a church picture of all the members
there, all white, not a Mexican in sight; but, the Hispanic church is
housed in the White Church. Some Hispanic churches have services in
the evening, but, can attend other services during the day time. So
too, the whites in the morning, but can come back in the evening to
fellowship with the Hispanics, in the same building, but, that does
not happen.
The days in New
York, at Universal Temple, included 7:30 AM service, 11 AM service,
and 4 PM service. But during the week and on Sunday evenings, it was
often going on the road to visit other black churches, all over, Get
on the bus and go to that Revival in the Bronx, etc.. It was always
attending other church services.
Because I love all
worlds, I visit multiple racial churches.
It was hard in the
parking lot of Colonial/Shepherd’s church, when she told me, “I
do not feel comfortable with the whites in our services”. But, the
Hispanic church there housed in the White church, did not want the
mixing of races.
Tonight, I asked my
son, you want to go to the white church with me, he said “no”.
Why I asked? Because they look at me funny, look at the monkey “they
don’t want me there”. I told him that despite others, you have
to show yourself friendly. I feel out of place at most churches,
because, there are just no other wheelchairs there.
We discussed when I
first came to North Carolina. Elevation Baptist church had slews of
church vans bringing the wheelchair and elderly and the disabled in.
That was the discussion with two brothers, one from Word Tabernacle
and one From Primera Asemblea.
I feel most
comfortable at Word Tabernacle because, they have the most disabled
people. The second place is Greater Joy. But, Word also, like
Hephzibah and other churches, have slews of vans and autos that are
not used to bring the disabled on Sunday Mornings or during the week.
If we all are
Christians, then, there should be a universal membership and no
balking at attending services at different churches, “all whom are
called of God” they say. She said, tonight, but they have
different beliefs. Pharisee, Sadducee, argument I heard tonight.
Then, they left my table.
The scripture never
changed to invite the disabled to be with you and take care of the
widow, etc.. Not only are the churches divided based on race and
culture and keep that boundary intentionally, but, they also elect
not to have the disabled in their midst.
