By Judith Van Tieghem
Aurora
Four Aurora Lutheran churches are coming together to make a statement on racism. They have chosen Juneteenth to spread the word among the faithful. The day is celebrated in 47 of the 50 states. Freedom Day marks the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States.
Pastor Charisse Jensen, the lead pastor at St. Mark’s Lutheran said the idea came from the core group of the four churches, St. Marks, Our Savior, New Hope, and Faith.
Pastor Rob Douglas from Faith Lutheran, said the weekend of June 19 is when the slaves were freed by proclamation in Galveston, Texas. the date originally was celebrated Juneteenth.
“The service is for all of our churches to understand bringing about the Kingdom of God, a lot of things get in the way, racism is one of them,” he said. We will have a call to action with ways in which congregants can make the community better. It is an address to dismantle racism and be a part of the bringing about the change that God longs to see in the human community.
The idea for the special celebration was sparked when the pastors from the four churches in Aurora stumbled across the idea while meeting on Zoom for a storytelling event. Although the stories were different, they shared a common thread.
“Each of the four churches have a commitment to equity and inclusion. No matter our faith, tradition, nationality, gender or age, our stories connect us,” said Douglas.
“Institutions were talking about ways to make our world kinder, gentler, and more forgiving. “It is a service of lament, prayer and action. We are praying for all people, those who suffer racism, or unknowingly or knowingly participate. It is a collaborative effort,” Douglas said.
The event will be a special service held at St. Mark’s Lutheran, 27 S. Edgelawn Drive, at 6 p.m.. The Bishop of Metropolitan Chicago Synod, Yehiel Curry, will be in attendance. He grew up on the South Side of Chicago.
“He is going to be there to lift up and affirm what the churches are doing together,” Jensen said.
Douglas points to the Emmanuel Nine. June 17, 2015, nine members of a Baptist Church in Charleston, S.C. were gunned down during a Bible Study.
Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Lee Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson were slain by Dylann Roof, who arrived at the church and at first said he wanted to join the group.
He was a member of an ELCA congregation and a self-professed white supremacist.
Forty minutes into the Bible Study, Roof raised a gun, uttered racist rhetoric, and fired at all nine brothers and sisters in Christ.
They are forever remembered as the Emanuel Nine.
For more information please contact Pastor Rob Douglas at 630-862-3500.