Alabama Pastors Join Hands Across Racial Divide to Forge 'One Montgomery'
by Jim Brown and Jenni Parker
October 20, 2005
(AgapePress) - Christians in the city known as the cradle of the civil rights movement are seeking to promote racial harmony in the body of Christ. Through the "One Montgomery" movement, a number of churches in the historic Alabama city are preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the bus boycott set off by Rosa Parks' arrest. The citywide movement is being led by Fresh Anointing International Church, a mostly black congregation, and First Baptist Church, a mostly white congregation. The two churches have already distributed 10,000 black and white wristbands bearing the words "One Montgomery" and also plan to make 10,000 black and white crosses for people to place in their yards as symbols of Christian unity.
"When the world comes to Montgomery, it would be fantastic if the international media -- which will be looking for stories -- will see thousands of black and white crosses all over this region," explains First Baptist Pastor Jay Wolf. "And those crosses will activate what Jesus said in John 12:31 -- 'If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to Myself.'"
The goal of the One Montgomery movement, Wolf notes, is to have black and white churches functioning as one and striving for racial reconciliation and harmony. "It's our goal to make a statement about racial reconciliation and pray that it will be catalytic to revival," he says.
As part of that effort, predominantly black and predominantly white congregations are being challenged to share a meal together and pray with one another on a regular basis. Although the ideal of racial reconciliation will never be completely realized on Earth, the Baptist pastor hopes his city will serve as a model for what he calls "the unified church."
A Historically Correct Approach
However, not all the local clergy are applauding the One Montgomery effort. One local Presbyterian minister, Elizabeth O'Neill, has raised objections -- for instance, claiming the black and white crosses are the wrong symbol for the movement because they are not inclusive of the Jewish and Muslim faiths.
But, Wolf emphasizes that the One Montgomery movement is not about political correctness or inclusion. Rather, he says it is about Christians picking up their crosses daily and following Christ.
"What I don't think that that particular individual is seeing is the interesting irony of history that we have here," the Alabama minister notes. "In the 1960s, First Baptist Church of Montgomery -- in a very dark decision -- closed its doors to black members."
And, lest anyone criticize the movement's focus on black-white racial reconciliation as being too narrow, Wolf points out, "Of course, the issue in Montgomery is not between Hispanics or Orientals; the demographics [in Montgomery] would be black and white." If black and white churches can function together under the banner of the cross, he asserts, then "the other issues will take care of themselves."
Spotlighting Reconciliation, Sparking Revival
Pastor Kyle Searcy, the black pastor who is spearheading the One Montgomery effort alongside Wolf, is praying that this drive toward racial reconciliation in the city will pave the way for revival.
"I really do believe that God is waiting for His body, His church, to come together a lot more," the pastor of Fresh Anointing International Church says, "and a lot of the things that He's going to do in terms of the great harvest and in terms of massive revival in this country are going to be predicated upon us coming together as one."
Searcy sees the One Montgomery initiative as an opportunity to accomplish two major objectives. The first, he says, is to "show the progress that's been made over the last 50 years -- that there has been greater racial reconciliation. We're not perfect but a lot has been done."
On the other hand, Searcy notes, this racial reconciliation effort is "another catalyst, another spark that will begin to generate enthusiasm and energy in people." The hope, he explains, is that this spark will ignite a passion for unity in people's hearts, and they will "begin to continue what began long ago and to bring our hearts closer together at the foot of the cross so that we all might be one."
Just as the pastor of Fresh Anointing International and the pastor of First Baptist have come together to co-launch and co-lead this movement toward a more unified church and city, the two evangelical Christian congregation leaders hope to see believers in their communities put aside racial barriers and come together in celebration of the reconciling power of the gospel.
If the effort succeeds, Pastor Searcy has no doubt the citywide movement will become emblematic for the Church and the nation. "I believe One Montgomery is the foundation of what God wants to do in every city of the United States," he says.
