After August 12: How Charlottesville Faith Leaders Responded
A reflection of how Charlottesville is grappling with its identity after August 12 and how faith leaders are working together to address systemic racism.
Interview with Rev. Jan Rivero
Rev. Jan Rivero is the pastor of Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, in Charlotteville. Rev. Rivero talks about her experience in the Charlottesville Clergy Collective, about August 12, and about being inspired by Rev. Willian Barber to organize the Charlottesville to Jamestown pilgrimage, October 6 to 20, 2018.
Interview with Rev. Brenda Brown-Grooms
Rev. Brenda Brown-Grooms is the co-pastor of New Beginnings Christian Community in Charlottesville, VA. I interviewed her about the importance of community, authentic conversations, and paying attention to those around us.
Interview with Christian Picciolini
Christian Picciolini is a former extremist and political activist who works to prevent extremism and support individuals in leaving hate groups. He came to Charlottesville in February of 2018 to share his journey of being a onetime white supremacist leader to become an anti-hate activist.
Confessions of a “moderate Christian” in Charlottesville on August 12
I participated in supporting the clergy response against the alt-right rally in Charlottesville on August 12, 2017. Recently, my heart was cut to the quick when I reread Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Particularly convicting was the first of two confessions by King: “First, I must confess that over the past …
The Kingdom of God at a KKK Rally
My sermonic reflection of the Kingdom of God, after the Ku Klux Klan came to Charlottesville on July 8, 2017 to protest the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue.
Want deeper connections with others? WAIT.
“I can’t seem to connect with my staff,” a coaching client told me the other day. A desire for deeper connection with family members, friends, and co-workers seems to be one of the continuing challenges we face today. Have you been in conversations where people aren’t listening to each other? Instead, they talk past one …
Christ’s Love Compels Us
I preached this homily in September of 2016 at the CBFVa General Assembly to introduce the Bible study I wrote for the CBFVa Ministry Planner.
Black History is Our History
Black History Month has taken up new meaning for me this year. In the past, I intellectually understood why we need to set aside time to remember, acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of black people and culture in the United States. However, for most of my life, I thought Black History Month was really more …