worship online tomorrow with first congregational church, williamstown

Tomorrow, Sunday, May 31, 2020, is Pentecost Sunday. I will be leading worship for First Congregational Church, Williamstown, MA in place of my regular FB live-streaming reflections. For friends who have joined me on Sunday morning on the Be Still and Know page, this week I invite you to log onto the FB page of First Congregational Church of Willimastown as I will be leading their Zoom worship. Worship starts at 10 am. Please find the link to join the streaming @ https://www.facebook.com/FirstChurchWilliamstown/

My heart grieves tonight - as well it should - for racial and economic justice too long deferred in the United States. As our cities burn and our people rage in righteous anger, I think back to my time in Cleveland when I had the privilege of being part of an inter-racial reform team along with Larry Lumpkin, Susan Leonard, and Leon Lawrence. Working with Mayor Michael R. White and his education assistant, my friend Chris Carmody, was a most satisfying, demanding, wild, creative, challenging, hopeful but only modestly successful endeavor. I will forever be grateful to those on both sides of the divided city - black and white - who not only welcomed me and our team even if it never accomplished all our goals, but also taught me so much about acceptance, earning trust, and keeping the faith.