Pastors unite to improve race relations and worship together
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SHREVEPORT, La. (KTBS) — A group of pastors from different denominations and backgrounds are uniting to improve race relations in Shreveport.
And they appear have momentum with more pastors asking to join.
Charles Johnson, pastor of CJ Ministries and organizer of Community 365, said plans have been made for folks of different races and cultures to attend church together.
Johnson says he was motivated by a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – “It is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is eleven o’clock on Sunday morning.”
He says he started making calls to his fellow clergy all across the city.
“So the plan of action was to start bringing a fellowship where African-American and Caucasian-American churches worship together,” Johnson said.
David Rice, senior pastor of Brookwood Baptist Church in Shreveport, says it’s all about building relationships through dialogue.
“Well, I’ve heard it said recently that the rate of change comes at the pace of relationships,” Rice said. “And so, I think that’s what I’m looking for is the building of relationships.”
Rice says his congregation plans to hold a block party with nearby Baptist Bible Fellowship Church on Labor Day weekend.
He says his relationship with Johnson has grown because of their willingness to talk about race relations.
“It’s one thing that I love about my relationship with CJ is we’ve had some hard conversations,” Rice said. “Sometimes that means providing safe spaces to have those hard conversations.”
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