Dear Friends and Family,
This morning we studied the spiritual practice of Story Theology. It is with a heavy heart that I bring to you the story of our day here at UPSem. The Vocational Students left bright and early this morning, since we had developed such a close bond with them in the short two days they were visiting, their departure was sad and, in my mind at least, mirrored what Saturday morning will bring for our community. During Story Theology this morning, we each wrote the burning bush story as if we were Moses walking along that cracked dirt path. Everyone read their stories aloud and we found it intriguing that each tale was colored with the unique personality of the author. After lunch we had a preaching and worship class with Brint Keyes, a brilliant man who believes “worship is response!” Following class, we proceeded together on the Walk of the Enslaved. The Walk of the Enslaved is a trail from the old docks of Richmond ports to the downtown area where the slave dungeons imprisoned so many souls so many years ago. Located in the same area, a statue representing unity and peace and an end to racism stands tall at the Richmond corner of the slave triangle. Two other identical statues are at the points of the triangle in the British Isles and Africa. Today we walked the trail with our eyes closed because those who walked it before us did so in the dark. We walked the trail at a fast pace because those who came before were forced to get to the dungeons before day break so as not to offend ‘those good white people.’ We walked the trail holding hands because the enslaved people were chained together. Our group has learned to call these unfortunate people ‘enslaved’ rather than ‘slaves’ because they were the first to be kidnapped and forced to the triangle. The walk proved both long and hot for PBB, but that is nothing compared to how the enslaved people felt, separated from their families, taken from their homes, and forcibly relieved of their freedom. We all have a renewed understanding of the plight of the enslaved.
You may have wondered why I am telling this story with a heavy heart, well, one of our own has lost a family member and one of our own has lost a friend. We mourn together, we mourn as a community. This church that we have formed at UPSem, this congregation, is our support system, our family.
