you can go home again...

Michael and I are a part of the generation of Baptists that were beaten up and beaten down as we watched our denominational home place disintegrate into a swamp of anger and despair. We left Baptist life and have not been to a Baptist meeting since 1990. We loved our heritage, and our memories of growing up Baptist were sweet. Our adulthood had been devoted to the Baptist church. It was the centerpiece of our life as a family and as a couple. Michael was an associate pastor, pastor, seminary professor and pastoral counselor. The bitterness of the divorce from our religious homeland lingered, along with a faint embarrassment whenever we told strangers we had been Baptist. That changed this week in Atlanta at another big Baptist meeting, the celebration of a New Baptist Covenant.
As we walked into the huge hall, people of all colors streamed by us. Young, old and in between, dressed to the nines and in blue jeans, gay and straight, liberal and conservative, laughing and excited, we all headed down the escalators to the lower level. The hall was filling up and large screens provided a close up view of the platform. Somewhere between 16,000 and 20,000 people were in the hall and it felt like we knew most of them, even the strangers. All across the auditorium, people were greeting and hugging and introducing themselves. The family reunion had begun.
We found a place to sit and I sat while Michael cruised the hall. The Greater Traveler’s Rest Baptist Church Choir rocked the congregation up on its feet and we were off to the revival. William Shaw, President of the National Baptist Convention, USA, and pastor of White Rock Baptist Church in Philadelphia was the first preacher for the evening. He set the tone for our time together, gently poking fun at our white need for schedule control while honoring his culture’s more relaxed approach to the length of a sermon. Doctor Shaw preached on "The Bible Speaks About Peace With Justice" using the Bible, often quoting from memory, turning well known phrases upside down and inside out as he brought us to our knees and to our feet in appreciation. I caught the eyes of the black man sitting next to me in my row and we laughed together, shaking hands as Doctor Shaw began to cut loose. And he cut us loose with his preaching... loose from our worry about doing it right, loose from our need to please, loose from anxiety about our worship differences as black and white children of God, loose to love with open hearts and hands as we began this historic gathering in of Baptists who have been lost from one another.
The Mercer University Singers, beautiful young black and white college students, provided the special music before Jimmy Carter rose to speak. Carter, the co-chair of this gathering, is surrounded by a force field of humility and strength that is impressive. His piety and simplicity are informed by his extensive education. The congregation gave him a standing ovation as he stood at the podium. We knew this reunion was the dream of many people who had worked tirelessly. He had not done this alone. We also knew that this man represents for many of us what was and is good about Baptists. He challenged us to focus on the central message of Jesus Christ as of utmost importance, letting the differences rest. For the rest of our time together we were asked to put away our habit of speaking negatively about those with whom we disagreed in the name of the God who loves us all.
I wept that night, and laughed and held hands with strangers, met some Baptists who were very different from me and very much like me at the same time. Old friends, some not seen in decades, the awareness of all who were there as friends yet to be discovered, smiles and laughter and tears on faces all around, glad, glad reunion. I weep as I write, feeling the sweetness of my homecoming that Wednesday night wash over my soul. The first evening was over and I could hardly wait for the morning worship. To be continued...