J. Fred Kauffman, MCC East Coast
“God is trying to show us something, and we’re just not getting it! Something is right here…” Rev. Elisha B. Morris leaned ahead and gestured, “…right in front of us, and we can’t see it.”
That illusive “something” began to emerge on a June day in Fr. Isaac Miller’s small office within the cavernous 1897 Church of the Advocate in North Philadelphia. Priest at this Episcopalian church, Fr. Miller was hosting a small group to begin shaping the public witness of a national conference called “Heeding God’s Call: a Gathering on Peace” planned for January 2009 at the Arch Street Friends Meetinghouse.
We were meeting to seek God’s leading and power to confront the deadly gun violence that threatens so many urban youth. Some in the group like Rev. Morris, from Jones Memorial Church of God in Christ, sees the ugly side of life every day as he counsels survivors of gun violence. Fr. Miller, veteran of the civil rights movement, searched for words. “I have no idea how the youth in my church cope with this constant threat. I never had to live with that.” So, what was that illusive “something” that Rev. Morris glimpsed?
Fast forward to October. A diverse animated task group of 10 is meeting around a table and a plan is emerging. We explore civil disobedience as a way to express the seriousness of the issue. Suddenly Rev. Morris gets up, walks around, comes back to sit down and beaming says, “This is the ‘something’ that God had for us back in June! This is it! I can see it now!”
As his message sank in we sensed hope and energy rising as we are finding ways for Christians and other citizens to confront this plague of violence.
The public witness on gun violence, called “We’ve Got Work to Do!” will be held on Saturday, January 17. In preparation for the Saturday action we will focus on a gun shop known to be a source of handguns for street corner dealers and ask the owner to sign a “Code of Conduct.” Developed by Mayors Against Illegal Guns and signed by Wal-Mart, the 10-point code aims to limit the flow of guns to the illegal market. If the owner signs the Code, on January 17th we will rally to celebrate; if not, we will rally to pressure him. We hope to create models for communities to take direct and immediate action to confront the scourge of illegal handguns in addition to our important long-term task of pressing for legislative reform to reduce gun violence.
Heeding God’s Call is a “working gathering” for 700 participants planned for January 13 – 19 and sponsored by the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Church of the Brethren and Mennonite Church USA. The vision of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. is at the heart of the conference. One of his co-workers, Dr. Vincent Harding, will serve as Elder for the Gathering. Each sponsoring denomination will send 100 participants, and an additional 300 have been invited from a wide range of other denominations.
The public witness, which will be held on the final day of the conference, will include many other participants as well. Ten congregations in Philadelphia will each partner with two congregations from rural and suburban areas. Anabaptist congregations that plan to participate include: Blooming Glen Mennonite, Circle of Hope (Brethren in Christ), Frazer Mennonite, Oxford Circle Mennonite, Philadelphia Praise Center and West Philadelphia Mennonite. Others plan to join in the Saturday action but not as one of the “triplet” congregational groups. National Gathering participants will join these congregations and hundreds of others from around the city, for morning worship and education about handgun violence. After lunch, all will meet for combined worship and a closing sermon by Dr. Harding. From there we will march to the gun shop for the public witness against illegal handguns.
The Saturday action is an opportunity for active public witness for peace which brings together people of faith from many denominations and faiths, national and local church leaders, the predominantly European American “historic peace churches” and African American congregations working for peace on the streets, as well as urban, suburban and rural churches.
If you and/or your congregation are interested in more information, please contact Fred Kauffman at jfk@mcc.org.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.