The Power of a Letter

Long ago, an African American teenager from Troy, Alabama, wrote a letter that would help change his life forever.  His name was John Robert Lewis and the letter was sent to a pastor by the name of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Young Lewis was inspired as he read about what was happening in Montgomery, prompted by the actions of a woman named Rosa Parks. It was the bus boycott led by Dr. King to protest and end racial discrimination in public transportation.  Lewis sent that letter to the civil rights leader, hoping that the pivotal events occurring in Montgomery could be replicated in Troy.

Dr. King not only wrote back to this 18-year-old, but he included in the letter a roundtrip bus ticket to Montgomery and an invitation to come meet him.  Lewis got on that bus, and the rest was history. 

The young man would later become an influential United States Representative from the state of Georgia, often described as a moral leader within the U.S. Congress. But first he learned much from Dr. King and others—including the Rev. James Lawson, a United Methodist leader in the civil rights movement—about how to engage in that justice work through faith-based, strategic nonviolence. He dedicated the rest of his life to this endeavor.

Lewis was the first head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a relentless force of young people who led Freedom Rides and voter education and registration efforts across the South. Thus, he was the youngest face always seen around the table with Dr. King and other civil rights leaders in those black and white pictures of the 1960s. 

He was the last living speaker from the March on Washington in 1963 that culminated with King’s “I Have a Dream” address. He learned and demonstrated first-hand that when people see “something that is not right, not fair and not just, that they have a moral obligation to speak up and speak out.”

Congressman John Lewis went home to be with the Lord last week. The world has gained and lost a great man in him.  As a child he felt a call to the preaching ministry, and he later graduated from a Baptist seminary and Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. But he spent his life preaching justice and equality for all through his actions as a public servant.

His kind of preaching got him arrested over 40 times, and it got him into what he called “good trouble” for the cause of freedom for African Americans and other Americans across this nation. Civil rights for people of color has in many ways been a springboard for the cause of equality and justice for many oppressed people in this country. The benefits continue on and on, as the “arc of the moral universe bends toward justice,” a prophetic phrase made famous by Dr. King.

The story of John Lewis all started with a letter and a bus ticket.  Added to Dr. King’s many attributes was his intentional mentoring of younger people along the way.  King wisely knew that the movement he began needed the next generation to carry on the work.  He took the time to work with this high school graduate from Troy, Alabama.  And John Lewis, in turn, mentored countless young people in his day as well. 

The work of God’s love, equality, justice and empowerment—of nonviolent social action or “good trouble”—is as important now as ever.  Twenty years from now things will look different, largely because of what is happening and what we are learning today. And yet, we can solidify the effectiveness of future strides and ministries as we mentor the ones coming up behind us. 

Who is writing you letters?  Who is curious about your ministry, your justice work and your passion for “making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world”?  Who can you empower and encourage to learn from you and to continue and develop the work for generations to come? 

The next John Lewis waits for you to answer their letter.

Sources:

• NPR “StoryCorps” January 17, 2020
• CBSnews.com August 16, 2017
• Wikipedia

Celebrating 30 Years of the ADA

I was serving as a pastor for an all-Deaf congregation when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) law was signed July 26, 1990.

For my congregation it meant there would be a free relay service for telecommunications. What an incredible thing! A Deaf person could now call a relay operator using their TTY.

This was a telephone device that allowed a Deaf consumer to type words on a keyboard that would appear onscreen for a person with the same device through the phone line. The relay operator would contact a hearing person for the Deaf consumer, who did not have a TTY, and speak vocally for them the words of the Deaf person’s typed TTY message. Then that same operator would type into the TTY the words that the hearing person was speaking back to the Deaf person.

This was part four of the Americans with Disabilities Act: “Telecommunications.” It meant that Deaf people could then make confidential calls to whomever they wanted without having to go through a hearing volunteer (like me) or a hearing family member.

The other benefits I could see from the ADA included more access to paid sign language interpreters in many places, such as hospitals, doctors’ offices, and state and local museums. Many Deaf people began to have sign language interpreters at their places of work for the first time.

When we went on a bus trip to see “Sight and Sound” in Lancaster, PA, the theater had professional interpreters for the show, and I no longer had to volunteer to interpret, as I had to in the past. Not everything that the ADA envisioned was accomplished, but much good was done.

Improvements in accessibility but employment lags

Through the years, progress continues to be made. More buildings are accessible, employers are making needed accommodations in the workplace, and people with all kinds of disabilities are able to live more independently and contribute to society. Employment is still one of the most difficult areas with the national average of full-time employment for people with disabilities at 36%. This is a “work in process” as are all of our journeys toward equality and human rights

The United Methodist Church affirms the sacred worth of people with disabilities, and in our Social Principles we state that our churches should be accessible and welcoming. We encourage our churches to do Accessibility Audits each year, as well as observe a Disability Awareness Sunday in January.

American Sign Language sign for "Love."

The federal ADA law exempts churches and religious organizations from compliance. Yet, the law of love requires that we not only follow these principles of inclusion and accommodation, but even go the second mile.

On this anniversary of the ADA, please consider the progress that your church has made. Is there some work that still needs to be done in your building to improve accessibility? Remember how very important restrooms are!  Who is left out of your ministry because of your building’s structure?  Who cannot access your video services because of their disability?  What child with autism is not able to come to Sunday School?

Also, consider how you would react if a pastor with a disability was appointed to your church. Would you welcome them and their gifts for ministry or focus on their disability and see them as a liability or a burden? Pastors with disabilities often report disappointing responses when they are introduced to their new church for the first time.

Some churches write letters to the bishop asking for a reconsideration, or ask what they did to “deserve” a pastor with a disability. Surely, the beloved community is better than that. Gifts for ministry are not always found in perfect bodies. The truth is: none of us are perfect and yet God uses everything we are and everything we have for God’s purposes. God’s power is made perfect in weakness (II Corinthians 12:9).

Bishop Johnson, a longtime advocate for people with disabilities (or people who are differently abled) will be featured at An Interfaith Reflection on the ADA: 30 Years Later, sponsored online by the Interfaith Disability Advocacy Collaborative (IDAC), on Wednesday, July 22nd, 12pm – 1pm EST. She will participate in a panel discussion with Jewish, Muslim and Christian leaders. The General Board of Church and Society, on which she serves, is a member of the IDAC. To register and receive participant instructions, use this form: https://bit.ly/ADA30years. See the flyer. 

Also, Bishop Johnson recommends, “Theology and Disability Ministry" as “a good resource for disability equality information. It helps with ableism eradication.”

Also see: Statement on reopening churches by the United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities

A Litany to Celebrate the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)

For thirty years of being treated like we matter,

We give you thanks O God.

For millions of barriers taken down,

We give you thanks O God.

For the opportunity to have meaningful work,

We give you thank O God.

For a way to get into church buildings so we can worship,

We give you thanks O God.

For accessibility in public spaces and employment

We give you thanks O God.

For accessible tele-communication,

We give you thanks O God.

For no longer being left out of many cultural activities,

We give you thanks O God.

For space to hope and a chance to dream,

We give you thanks O God.

For the opportunity to share in the American dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,

We give you thanks of God.

Lord, thirty years ago we had a great start, but we still have a long way to go.

In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer.

There are still many churches that need physical and attitudinal accessibility

In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer.

There are still places of employment discrimination, including the church

In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer.

There are still many lives passed over as “too much trouble”

In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer.

There are still many who believe that they have done enough

In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer.

There are still those who do not see our sacred worth, or value us as an essential part society or the Body of Christ

In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer.

Lord, may these next thirty years bring more open doors, open minds, and open hearts. 

Amen.

(By the Rev. Michael C. Johnson)

 

 

Freedom

During this 4th of July weekend, when we celebrate our country’s independence and freedom, it is a good time to ponder what freedom really means.

Freedom is a privilege as well as a responsibility, or it is not freedom at all. One is free to speak but not necessarily to shout “fire” in a crowded room (unless of course, there is a fire). Each of us have freedoms that are a gift from God to be used and not abused or hoarded.

As Christians, we have been given freedom from sin and eternal death, the ultimate greatest freedom of all. We need to use our freedom in Christ for good in this world.

In recent weeks we have been discussing racial reconciliation and the need for things to change in our country with regards to equality for people of color and white people.

Since the founding days of this country oppression and discrimination have been a way of securing wealth and power at the expense of black, brown and indigenous people.

Some people are asking, “What can I do to make a difference?” “How can I change things?” The truth is, everyone can do something to make the principles of freedom a reality for all in this country.

If you have a freedom, share it with someone does not. It is the responsibility of freedom to pass it on out of the abundance of God’s grace, and not out of a sense of scarcity.

Here are some freedoms you can share:

Your voice: Speak out for someone who is being discriminated against.

Your vote: Vote for policies and legislators that work for equality.

Your education: Teach someone who needs your knowledge and experience.

Your wealth: Share with people in poverty. (How much stuff do you need?)

Your heart: Say a word of apology to people you have hurt by exclusion. 

The United Methodist Women have always been on the forefront of the fight for racial equity. For years they have promoted their groundbreaking “Charter for Racial Justice.” Their charter should be posted on the door of every church as our Declaration of Independence from the sin of racism. 

There are many practical suggestions in this charter that we can take to heart and do with our hands. May we be free from attitudes and actions that oppress people. The absolute truth is this: until everyone is free, no one is truly free.

At the July 1 Dismantling Racism: Pressing on to Freedom Town Hall meeting (UMC.org), the Rev. Alfred Day (left), an Elder in the Eastern PA Annual Conference and the General Secretary of Archives and History prayed this prayer:

“Set us free, God of all people, everywhere, from every bond of prejudice and fear. (We honor) the steadfast courage of your servants like Harry Hosier, Richard Allen, Jarena Lee, Absalom Jones, and James Varrick. May we show forth in our lives the reconciling love and true freedom of the children of God, which you have given us in your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever and ever. Amen”*

May this be our prayer this week and always.

*From Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints, Episcopal Church Publishing, 2010 (Adapted for United Methodist use by Rev. Fred Day.)

NOTE: If you missed this important Town Hall today, be sure to watch the recording of it. And also watch the recording of the hour-long “Service of Lament, Repentance, Communion and Commitment” recorded June 24, that puts The United Methodist Church on record as committed to a renewed push against racism.