Black History Month

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Black History Month reminds us of the important people and events of the African Diaspora. It is celebrated annually in the US and Canada in February and in the UK in October. Carter G. Woodson and The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second week of February to be Negro History Week. In 1970, this was expanded to Black History Month and President Gerald Ford formally acknowledged it in 1976.

During Black History Month in the US, we acknowledge the contribution that African-Americans have made to our nation. They have held some of the highest offices in our government (including president) and have made their mark in the sports world. Thousands of less recognizable African-Americans have and are making significant contributions to our national life in academia, science and the arts (see the P.S. below).

Black History Month also reminds us of the tragic record of misunderstanding, prejudice and cruelty that has been a part of our history. Thankfully, things have improved. However, I shudder when I think that only a generation or so ago much of this country was still mired in outright segregation and blatant prejudice.

Of course, this is not just an issue in the US—and here it is not just a white and black issue and not just a matter of race. The genocide in Rwanda at the end of the last century was a clash of two tribes of the same race. The deadly Bosnian conflict was between peoples who share a common language, much common history and possibly ancient ancestry. The cruelties of Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia were perpetrated mainly by Europeans on Europeans. Imperialist Japan and Communist China committed atrocities against fellow Asians. In the long and sordid history of racial/nationalistic conflict, no people can plead “not guilty” to prejudice and discrimination.

Sadly, these atrocities are often committed in the name of God. It is sobering to remember that those who do these things have often used the Bible to justify their actions. Surely, this is one of the greatest perversions of Scripture. Regrettably, such teaching continues and still affects the way some think about others and even about themselves. I have friends who grew up with segregation who tell me that the scars take a long time to heal. And I wonder if, perhaps, the greatest damage is done by those who, considering themselves superior, look down on fellow human beings.

There is nothing in the Scriptures to indicate that any people are inferior or are excluded from God’s saving grace on the basis of ethnic origin or skin color. God is “not wanting anyone to perish” (2 Peter 3:9). The book of Revelation explicitly expresses great joy that heavenly worship involves those “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9; 7:9; 13:7; 14:6). Jesus paid the same price for everyone. No race, nation, tribe or people group are outside the embrace of his love. As the old song goes, “red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in his sight.”

The Bible is clear that God created humanity in his image, with one common ancestor. There is, in actuality, only one race—the human race. Within this human race, by God’s design, there is great diversity in culture, language, skin color and other physical characteristics. It is interesting that the Human Genome project has discovered that every human being on the planet is 99.9% genetically identical. There is only one-tenth of one percent of DNA that differentiates us from one another, no matter our race.

Furthermore, Jesus has done everything to forgive and redeem us all. When the angels appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus, they said it was good news for all peoples (Luke 2:10). Jesus taught that he would “draw all people” to himself (John 12:32) and from east and west, north and south (Luke 13:29). The apostle Paul declared that Jesus was the new Adam, the new head of all humanity (Romans 5:14; 1Corinthians 15:45) and that, in Christ, there is one new humanity (Ephesians 2:15). We celebrate this truth and there is no one who should be appreciated any less than another.

When Carter Woodson created Black History Week, he hoped that racial prejudice would eventually be eliminated when black history became fundamental to American history. We have made progress, but we are not quite there yet. There are still many tragic examples of hatred and oppression in the world today. So we still need Black History Month. It reminds us of where we have been and where we need yet to go. The more we learn about the accomplishments of our brothers and sisters, the more we learn to appreciate the variety God has given his children.

GCI is multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multi-national. We may be a small denomination, but we are a rich tapestry of many peoples from many different backgrounds and nationalities, working together with the same purpose. Let’s thank God for that.

Your brother in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

P.S. Can you name the notable African-Americans pictured here? See the answers below.

Upper left corner: George Washington Carver was an American scientist, botanist, educator and inventor. Carver’s reputation is based on his research into and promotion of alternative crops to cotton such as peanuts, soybeans and sweet potatoes, which also aided nutrition for farm families. He wanted poor farmers to grow alternative crops both as a source of their own food and as a source of other products to improve their quality of life. The most popular of his 44 practical bulletins for farmers contained 105 food recipes using peanuts. He also developed and promoted about 100 products made from peanuts that were useful for the house and farm including cosmetics, dyes, paints, plastics, gasoline and nitroglycerin.

Upper right corner: Finishing his master’s degree, Lonnie G. Johnson joined the Air Force and was assigned to the Strategic Air Command, where he helped develop the stealth bomber program. His other assignments included working as a systems engineer for the Galileo mission to Jupiter and the Cassini mission to Saturn. Johnson also created the Super Soaker squirt gun, which became one of the most popular toys in the world.

Lower left corner: Author of more than 30 books, economist, social theorist and political philosopher Dr. Thomas Sowell served on the faculties of several universities, including Cornell and the University of California, Los Angeles. Also, he worked for think tanks such as the Urban Institute. Since 1980 he has worked at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

Lower right corner: Zora Neale Hurston was a novelist, playwright, folklorist and anthropologist. She was born in 1891 in the tiny town of Notasulga, Alabama and raised in Eatonville, Florida. While earning her bachelor’s degree at Barnard College in New York, she studied under pioneering anthropologist Franz Boaz, whose work inspired her to collect the African-American folklore that would inform her most famous literary works, such as Their Eyes Were Watching God, Mules and Men, Jonah’s Gourd Vine and Tell My Horse.

Howard Blakeney

Howard Blakeney, a district pastor and senior pastor in South Carolina, has been part of GCI since age two. “My mom was baptized in the Greensboro, North Carolina church in 1966. She then moved from Greensboro to Charlotte, North Carolina where we attended church and that is where I grew up. I was mostly absent from church from about age 19 to 21, though I would return during basketball season and that kept up my relationship with other teens.”

Howard and his wife Wanonia Myers-Blakeney are in their 28^th year of marriage. “For me it was love at first sight. We dated in high school and afterwards for a total of four years before getting married. We have three children (Kashonta, Ladaisha and Dale), one son-in-law (Bryant, married to Kashonta) and two grandchildren (Trevon and Kaylonee). We love to spend time with our children and our grands.”

Howard was baptized in May 1988 and began serving in the Charlotte church. He was ordained an elder in 1996. “I was then asked to assist Pastor Greg Williams in the newly planted Myrtle Beach, South Carolina church. He was pastoring three congregations at that time. After one and a half years, Pastor Greg and District Superintendent Keith Brittain decided I had a call to pastoral ministry. Eventually I agreed and became the senior pastor of the Myrtle Beach congregation in January 1998.” Howard planted the Marion, South Carolina congregation in 2000.

Howard, who is currently working on a master’s degree in theology, loves the history of GCI. “I love the long road that Jesus Christ has led us on. Our journey has been humbling, yet distinct in the body of Christ. I believe it enables us to help minister to folks who are trapped in legalism and works-oriented faith. Many still do not understand the grace of God!”

When asked about mentors, Howard noted the influence of Deacon Curtis Polk, Pastor Martin Manuel, Pastor Greg Williams, District Superintendent Keith Brittain and District Pastor Paul David Kurts. “These men taught me a lot about being a pastor and a leader.”

Howard’s passion is “To raise up things that God wants raised up. To help guide and grow what God wants grown. To develop and equip members to advance the kingdom of God under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Our congregation hosts the Myrtle Beach fall conference each year. God has also given me a great passion for this.”

Recently, Howard was appointed to serve as the district pastor in North Carolina and part of Georgia. “The thing I enjoy most about pastoring is helping people, serving people, and seeing the growth in people as they stay the course and learn to trust Jesus in their lives. If I had to choose one moment as a pastor that is most memorable it would have to be baptizing all my children, my brother’s wife, my younger brother and both my sisters. Praise God!”

When asked when he feels closest to God, Howard said, “I feel closest to God in the midst of tribulation and difficulty. He has always given me the strength and power to trust him in the storms of my life.”

Converge West

About 85 leaders from GCI Generations Ministries’ camps, mission trips and administration gathered recently in Southern California for Converge West. Also participating were GCI youth ministry leaders from outside the U.S. and special guest Jeff McSwain who leads Reality Ministries.

Converge West McSwain teaches — Special guest Jeff McSwain

Converge West Stapletons — *Converge West* coordinators Mark and Anne Stapleton

Converge is the annual summit of GenMin’s leaders, held this year in two locations: Southern California (now completed) and Ohio (in April). The purpose of Converge is to gather for inspiration, encouragement and instruction. Participants worshipped, shared meals and fellowship, and participated in discussions with Jeff McSwain and various GenMin leaders.

Information about Converge West and the upcoming Converge East is found on GenMin’s Facebook page and the GCI website.

Converge West time line TJ leads — Ted Johnston facilitates brainstorming

Megan Stapleton presents brainstorming results

Converge West Broadnax preaches — *Converge East* coordinator Jeff Broadnax

Converge West Mullins teaches — GenMin director Anthony Mullins

Converge West McSwain and Williams — Jeff McSwain and Greg Williams in prayer

ORM update

This update is from Curtis May, director of The Office of Reconciliation & Mediation (ORM), an independent ministry, which partners with GCI on projects of mutual interest.

Left to right: Pastor Michael Paige, Pastor Gene Blissett, and ORM director Curtis May at the ORM event in Phoenix

ORM and its 28 chapter leaders continue to reach out to churches both inside and outside of GCI. We recently held reconciliation workshops in Portland; Vancouver: Detroit; Phoenix and Beaumont, California (where we had a particularly lively gathering). Due to the nature of our ministry, ORM works both interdenominationally and internationally.

On January 24, ORM’s editor Neil Earle interviewed the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s close friend and colleague Dr. James Massey. Dr. Massey is an accomplished scholar and author of 18 books. He formerly served as the Dean of Chapel at Tuskegee University and during the turbulent 1960s he pastored in Detroit. Dr. Massey stated emphatically that people “must know that we are one, then the commitment to fix our experiment in democracy will surely follow.” For a full report on this interview, click here.

I invite you to learn more about ORM at atimetireconcile.org where you will find upcoming ORM events, information about ORM local chapters and ideas for celebrating Black History Month.

Boston church plant

GCI elder Dishon Mills with his wife Afrika are in the process of planting The Redeemed of Christ Church (ROCC) in Randolph, Massachusetts (near Boston). Here is an update from Dishon concerning their progress as they prepare for a public launch in September of this year.

As we continue to follow where the Lord leads, we grow closer to the time of our public launch. In preparation, our focus has been on prayer, building relationships with people in our focus community, strengthening our core team, establishing administrative systems and fundraising. Here are some of our key activities:

Preparing to move our meetings to a more central location
Conducting Food & Faith gatherings where we build relationships with new people in our focus community
Fine-tuning financial and other key administrative systems (with much-appreciated help from the folks in the GCI home office)
Visiting area churches to talk about what Jesus is doing in Randolph
Serving needy people in our focus community through home care, providing food and sending children to GCI’s New Heights summer camp
Equipping our core team through various conferences including the CMM summit and the Exponential conference

Please pray for us, asking the Lord to supply our need for additional workers and for guidance and support through this critical period.

Tuskegee Airman visits

This update is from George Hart who pastors one of GCI’s churches in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.

As part of our celebration of Black History Month, Christ Community Church was visited by a true American hero—Mr. Leslie Edwards, one of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II fame.

Mr. Edwards was born in 1924 in Memphis and joined the military where he rose to the rank of staff sergeant and flight chief. He was part of a team handpicked to maintain planes used in night flight operations to train navigators. In 1945, while stationed in Seymour, Indiana he witnessed the so-called “mutiny” at Freemen Field. African-American officers tried to enter a whites-only officers club and many were arrested. Mr. Edwards insisted that it was not an act of rebellion, but an effort of African-American officers to stress the importance of a fully integrated military. Mr. Edwards said, “Sometimes you just have to do the right thing.”

Mr. Edwards is critical of the movies about the Tuskegee Airmen, even the latest, Red Tails, by George Lucas. He referred to these movies as “the Hollywood version of the story” that are full of inaccuracies, including the following:

The Tuskegee Airmen did not receive inferior aircraft and equipment but were provided the best the Air Force had to offer.
It is inaccurate to say the Tuskegee bomber escorts did not lose bombers. They did have the highest return rating but “no one went up against the highly trained Nazi pilots in superior equipment and returned with no loses.” They witnessed many young white bomber crews plunge to their death.
The movies fail to mention the number of white military and congressional leaders and people like First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt who fought for full integration of the military, or President Harry Truman who wiped out segregation in the Armed Forces by Executive Order in 1948.
There is no mention of the many awards and citations the Tuskegee Airmen received including the Legion of Merit, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. In 2006 they were awarded the distinguished Congressional Gold Medal. Mr. Edwards brought his medal for the audience to see.

Mr. Edwards encouraged us to watch the soon-to-be-released documentary Double Victory, which more accurately portrays the Tuskegee Airmen story.

Mr. Edwards stressed that humanity, with its diversity, is better together than separately. He referred to segregation as an evil of our past that has hurt everyone in the nation. Several times his eyes welled with tears as he spoke of the hurt caused to both blacks and whites.

Mr. Edwards attended the recent inauguration of President Barack Obama. Of the thousands of Tuskegee Airmen who served as pilots, mechanics and ground crews, 187 were present. Most were in wheelchairs, though Mr. Edwards was able to walk out under his own strength. The airmen were recognized as a significant part of history that led to an African-American being elected president.

Mozambique

Pastor Manuel Vasco, the GCI contact in the African nation of Mozambique reports that Northern Mozambique has been severely impacted by flooding (click here for a news report). About 32 of our congregations there have had their villages destroyed, leaving about 800 of our church families destitute. We don’t know the extent of injury or loss of life.

Through its US, Canada and South Africa relief funds, GCI is giving financial aid. Please pray that God provide those in need with food, other supplies and comfort.

Brian Queener

This prayer update is from Mark Queener and his wife Rhonda, concerning their 33-year-old son Brian Queener who attends the GCI church that Mark pastors in Belleville, Illinois. Click here for the original prayer request.

Brian is out of the ER and into a regular room at the hospital. We thank God for this progress—his kidneys, which had shut down, are now working normally and he is breathing on his own without the help of a ventilator. However, Brian’s pancreas may have been affected severely enough that he will have diabetes, and so we continue to pray for his complete healing.

Thanks to all of you who are praying for Brian and also for me and Rhonda.

Financial assistance rules

This announcement for GCI churches in the US is from GCI legal counsel Bernie Schnippert. It sets forth rules related to financial assistance to members and others.

From time to time, congregations are approached by individuals seeking financial assistance. Perhaps they have experienced a calamity (like a house fire, which affects the one family, not the entire neighborhood) and need assistance. Or perhaps the members, seeing a person in need, (like the fire victim) want to send money to the congregation, which they hope will be receipted as tax deductible, then forwarded to the person in need. Situations like these present an important question: Under what circumstances may tax exempt, receipted, donation money be given to a needy person?

The answer pertains to situations when single persons or families in need seek church assistance. IRS rules are different when there is a group need and a group calamity, such as when storm Sandy hit.

A couple of rules come into play in answering the question posed above. It may surprise you that IRS rules forbid the church from simply helping the fire victim with money that was receipted with tax deductible receipts. The reason is that it is NOT permissible to help such persons unless there is a program in the local church, which identifies a “charitable class.” It is not enough that the person needs help. Giving such help must be pursuant to a program and plan to help a whole class of individuals. This rule is somewhat counter-intuitive because people believe that churches should be quick to help disaster victims and should not get caught up in bureaucracy. However, IRS rules are clear on this matter (see IRS publication 3833)—a member is NOT allowed to earmark their donation for the use of a specific person.

It is vital to plan ahead in order to both give help and comply with IRS rules. Begin by establishing a policy (with a related program), which sets out criteria concerning who can and who cannot be helped by the church. Such criteria might include the nature of the person’s need, the church’s ability to meet those needs financially, whether or not the person helped need be a member or relative of a member, etc. (these are example criteria). In this way, the policy would define a “charitable group”–when someone asks for assistance, you will already have established that you will help people who are part of this group under certain specific situations. Then your “approving committee” (or whatever you call the group that makes such decisions in your church), can hold a meeting to decide if the needy person in question meets the predetermined group criteria.

Caution: In giving financial assistance, you are NOT allowed to favor a person or persons who are in management control of the church (such as pastors, ministry leaders, etc.). It may be okay to help such people, but ONLY if they otherwise meet the criteria, if their conflict is disclosed (the fact that they are church leaders) and if the approving committee approves the need based upon the established criteria.

Note also that donors must be told that they may state a preference as to who might be helped with their tax deductible donations, however they are NOT permitted to force the church to aid their person of choice. So, perhaps in the receipt or accompanying paperwork, you should say that any preference of the donor will be considered but that the final decision is that of the approving committee and that the donation is not revocable, even if their stated choice is not honored.

These rules for helping needy people can be complied with rather easily: Start a program for helping people who you define as a particular “charitable class.” Advertise the program’s existence, so that when a needy person who fits the criteria comes along, the program and its criteria are not considered a contrivance. Such criteria can be simple, but should be written down with notes kept of approval committee meetings. Then tell people that they can donate to the church but that the church cannot be bound to their choice of who should receive the assistance money. Of course, these steps presume that the donor wants a tax deductible receipt. When a donation goes directly to the recipient and is thus not tax deductible, these rules do not apply. Also, if the congregation wishes, it could collect checks from numerous donors and forward them, either unreceipted in a bundle, or receipted but clearly NOT with tax deductible receipts, to the needy person. In the second case, having a statement on the receipt that it is not tax deductible is a good move.

By following these rules you will meet your goal to help needy people while complying with IRS rules. Questions about this policy may be directed to the GCI Treasurer’s office and also be sure to note related policies in the GCI Financial Management Manual.