Race Relations in a Majority Black Town - Resurrection Emporia
More than Charlottesville, more than Richmond, perhaps more than any other place in Virginia, Emporia would appear on the surface to be a place ripe for violent protests.
by Harry K. Zeiders
What is it like to minister in a majority black town during the nation’s current plague of racial strife? This is a town where the majority of residents live on welfare; a town some websites call the poorest town in Virginia; a town with high rates of social dysfunction, school truancy, and work absenteeism. This is former slave plantation and Jim Crow country. This is a town where many local businesses still close on Wednesdays because that was the day the slave train pulled into town and the town closed shop so that everyone could go inspect the new wares on display. More than Charlottesville, more than Richmond, perhaps more than any other place in Virginia, Emporia would appear on the surface to be a place ripe for violent protests.
But this is also a town where black and white pastors have been holding monthly prayer meetings with the white chief of police and the white county sheriff for the past five years. This is also a town where the white ministers’ association finally integrated and voted in a black pastor as its vice president three years ago. This is a town where black and white churches have been co-leading community revivals for the past three years. This is a town where black and white pastors started founding a chaplaincy for the local police department and sheriff’s office a year ago. Emporia is a town that God has been preparing for 2020.
As a result, when black and white pastors held a drive-in service on race relations earlier this month, it was peaceful and joyful and centered on the Word and work of the Triune God. The best part for me was getting to hear a fellow pastor share some reflections on what it was like to grow up as a young black man in Richmond. The evening was so good, that at the end when one of the leaders announced we would hold another drive-in on race next month, everyone honked their horns.
The Rev. Harry K. Zeiders is the Rector at Resurrection Church in Emporia, VA.
Praying in the Harvest
“One of our goals has been to help provide intercessory prayer cover for our church planters who are already “out in the field,” as well as praying in new planters for the Diocese. So, as churches are planted, we develop an ongoing prayer relationship with the planters and the churches, praying for each one on a regular basis.”
Praying in the Harvest
By The Rev. Tim Howe, Executive Assistant to the Canon for Church Planting
In Luke 10:2, Jesus tells His disciples: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
This verse has been one of the key components of the work of the Great Commission Committee from its inception in the early days of the Diocese of the MId-Atlantic. The Committee is charged with supporting our congregations in the work of evangelism, discipleship, church planting, and congregational health and well-being. It is a broad mandate that requires the input and work of a large number of volunteers from all across the diocese.
At the heart of the Committee’s work lies this word from Jesus, to pray in the laborers to gather the harvest.
Seven years ago, Bishop Guernsey asked me to develop an intercessory prayer ministry to cover the work of the Great Commission Committee, including this mandate from Jesus to pray in new laborers to gather the harvest. We had two mini-conferences on intercessory prayer very early on in this process from which we got a committed core of intercessors to get the ministry launched and running. Many of them are still praying with us to this day.
One of our goals has been to help provide intercessory prayer cover for our church planters who are already “out in the field,” as well as praying in new planters for the Diocese. So, as churches are planted, we develop an ongoing prayer relationship with the planters and the churches, praying for each one on a regular basis.
We currently have about 140 folks receiving the bi-weekly email prayer requests. These folks are divided up into four teams so that we can get all of our church planters prayed for at least once a month and we can pray for new laborers to come and plant in the areas of the Diocese where we lack a church.
Our goal is to pray in laborers who have a heart for the lost and who will succeed as church planters, establishing viable congregations for the long term.
In one sense, the ministry of intercessory prayer is very much a “behind the scenes” type of ministry. You don’t always see the folks who are praying, but you can often tell when they are. God’s hand becomes evident when people are lifting the effort to the throne of grace on a regular basis.
We have seen a number of answers to our prayers.
We have prayed for Columbia, Maryland since we began. Now, Trinity Anglican Fellowship, under the leadership of Galen Carey, is meeting regularly in Columbia.
We prayed for the Lord to launch a work in the panhandle of West Virginia for quite some time. Now, in answer to those prayers, the Rev. Darryl Fitzwater and his crew have planted the Church of the Ascension in Kearneysville, WV. God heard our prayers, prepared Darryl and his wife Becki, and the church is growing. We continue to pray for Church of the Ascension now as one of the Diocese’s Mission Churches.
At Diocesan Synod, 2019, Incarnation Anglican Church, Arlington, was admitted as a new, full congregation of the Diocese. During the proceedings at Synod, the Rev. Liz Gray, rector of the church, asked everyone to stand up who had supported their effort through prayer. Scores of people stood up all across the room. Many of them were our intercessors who have been praying regularly for Liz and the new church.
These are just a small sample of God at work through our intercessions.
One of the things we have seen is that the work of intercession for these efforts is a vital, if unseen, component of the success of our church planters. By interceding, we help clear the way for God to work in and through our church planters to reach new communities with the vital message of Christ’s gospel.
And, by praying in obedience to Jesus’ words in Luke 10:2, we have seen Him raise up new laborers and the resources they need to become successful church planters.
If you might be interested in joining us in this effort, please contact me at the email address I use to administer this prayer program: domaprays@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you and have you join us as we pray down God’s blessings on His church and pray in the laborers needed to gather in the harvest all over the Diocese.