“And live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
– Ephesians 5:2, NRSV
We seem to have difficulty with the “loving your neighbor” thing. What would Jesus would say about the racial hurting in our world? What can we do to stop the hate and the haters?
In 1 John 2:9, we read, “Whoever says, ‘I am in the light,’ while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness.”
Solutions come slowly. United Methodism’s 11 Black College Fund-supported schools are sources of spiritual sanity during continuing times of racial injustice. Black, Asian, Hispanic, white and international students graduate with potential to be solutions to an ageless problem – our inhumanity toward others.
Kenneth Williams is a solution. A graduate of Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, Dr. Williams runs health-care facilities for the underserved. “We lean toward taking care of folks and what their heart is all about,” he said, “rather than what their pocketbook is all about.”
Another solution is Usha Satisha of Bennett College, Greensboro, North Carolina. By reactivating the school’s NAACP chapter, she brings attention to social justice issues. “We are definitely doing good things with the NAACP at Bennett,” she said. “We’re proud of it!”
The Rev. William Montgomery is not only a solution; he also found solutions at Rust College, Holly Springs, Mississippi. “They changed my life,” he said. “They transformed me mentally and spiritually.”
Today, be a solution by giving to the Black College Fund through your United Methodist church.
Offertory Prayer
Loving God, I watch the news and read the headlines. Yes, discrimination, injustice and violence make me angry and sad. Please give me the strength to do more than I think I can do. I don’t want to be a bystander; I want to be a solution. Amen.
Newsletter Nugget
By giving generously in our local United Methodist congregation, we applaud the life-changing work of our 11 Black College Fund-supported schools. You can find a list of them at [email protected].
The Black College Fund is an educational oasis for people of every race, class, gender and ethnic heritage. The old cliché still holds true, “Knowledge is power.” Historically black colleges and universities empower students beyond career goals to living lives of passion and dedication to things that matter to them – learning, leading and lending a hand.
Our diverse universities depend on your support of the Black College to allow students to focus more on outcome than income.
Giving to The Black College Fund, one of seven apportionments your church supports, is not about filling an offering envelope. It is about investing in students, many with odds stacked against them. Students without the best scores, with financial limitations and with dreams outside their small box often fall through the cracks. Please join other United Methodists in catching them before they fall.