Undivided: a conversation on race & faith

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ)Crossroads founder, Pastor Glen Schneiders, told the crowd that the goal of the evening was to break the silence and seek to understand views on race that may be different than their own. He says most of the time we’re talking at each other, and not really listening to what other social groups may have to say.

Pastor Schneiders says as you look across Lexington today, there’s more segregation in our churches than a blending of color. He hopes bridging the racial divide can start in the church and help determine what happens outside in the community.

On the panel, representatives from the NAACP, Urban Impact, an urban youth ministry, and a commander with the Lexington Police Department.

Pastor Schneiders, asked the panel whether or not they felt like race relations have improved over the past ten years. The first two out of three speakers said, that they had gotten worse.

Adrian Wallace with the Lexington chapter of the NAACP says, “A lot of the things that were there ten years ago were just under the surface and they’ve just risen to the surface.”

Audra Patrick with Urban Impact weighs in, “We think of racism and we think of the times of separate bathrooms, separate toilets, separate seats on the bus those type of things and that’s not the way it looks today.”

Lexington Police Commander Mike Wright says, “Our responsibility as followers is not to argue that, is to understand that and learn and listen and get involved. What can we do to make that different?”

They ended the panel by talking about solutions to help bridge the race gap and come together with law enforcement in Lexington.

Some of the solutions suggested were joining the Lexington Citizen Police academy to learn how officers do their jobs firsthand. Another suggestion was for young boys to join Urban Impact’s mentoring program so fatherless children have a good male role models, and all agreed worshiping together is the best way to find common ground.

Next Sunday there will be similar discussions at Crossroads Georgetown and Richmond campuses. Crossroads is practicing what it’s preaching by trying to attract a more diverse congregation to its new Downtown location.