Eradicate the Hate

This past Friday I was alerted to a newspaper article in the Daily News about a white supremacists group that has applied to the City of Longview to meet in one of the city buildings. http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/11/09/area_news/doc473415cbe0fa6508019909.txt

Sunday, word was spreading of a gathering at the Presbyterian Church to discuss a community response.

Wednesday, this ran in the paper: http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/11/14/top_story/doc473aa2c08fb91399767901.txt

There were about 40 people gathered this morning to listen to ideas of responses to this group that wants to meet. Cynthia Washington, a community leader who is often called upon when issues of racism come forward in Longview, spoke eloquently of her pain in knowing that this group could meet in a building that borders the public park that bears her grandmother’s name, Victoria Freeman. Cynthia reminded us of her grandmother’s work for civil rights from the very early years of Longview’s history as a city.

We also heard from the Longview Police Chief who spoke well for the city and acknowledged his own personal discomfort with the situation. He recognized that as a first amendment issue it would be difficult for the city to refuse this group access to a public facility. For churches there is also concern of setting a precedent of rejecting one group that calls itself a church, which could then lead to the city not being able to allow any church to use city facilities.

Many people spoke well of their sadness that this group was planning to meet in our area. Father Green of the Episcopal Church spoke well reminding us that this group in applying for use of a building has opened our eyes to a situation that already existed in our community.

I spoke of my experience at LUMC and the joy it is for me to be the pastor of a church that is open for Gay and Lesbian people. I spoke of my belief that the largest gathering of homosexual people in our community happens each Sunday Morning at 10:00 at Longview United Methodist Church. We have been the victims of hate when our cars have had tracts left on our windshields telling us that we were going to hell. We have had young people drive by in their cars yelling “fag!” out the window. I stated that the people of Longview United Methodist Church will be present in a witness of opposition to the planned gathering of this group of hate.

It appears that there will be a gathering of a silent witness to protest the gathering of this church of hate. They plan to meet on Sunday December 9th at 6:00 P.M. I anticipate that the vast majority of our worshiping community will want to gather as a statement of protest.

It is frustrating that by protesting this event we bring publicity to this hate group. Yet, what option do we have. If we are absent and say nothing it will seem as if we approve or don’t care that a hate group is meeting in our area. So we must gather.

I hope that there will be other ways of protesting this groups planned gathering over the next several weeks.

Please join me in prayer as our community faces the reality of hate in our community.

Grace and Peace,

Bruce