By Jim Nieman
Glen Elliott, lead pastor with Pantano Christian Church, Tucson, Ariz., represented PCC Sunday as they received the church of the year award for racial reconciliation from the Racial Reconciliation Community Outreach Network in that city.
āIām so grateful to be a part of a church that embraces racial equality & unity,ā Elliott wrote on Facebook.
Pantano has been working toward racial reconciliation for many years.
āBack in 2013 a small group of black and white pastors agreedāsome reluctantlyāto meet to better understand each other and see if we could address this in our community,ā Elliott shared with Christian Standard on Tuesday. āWe eventually called our group the Pastorās Partnership, and weāve met monthly for the last six years.
āWeāve had hard conversations that got into issues of social justice, politics, and more. And through the conversations weāve become friends who have discovered that while we have differences, we share far more in common.ā
The ministers in Tucson want to be able to stand together and address any potential crisis, should a racial incident take place there such as those that have occurred in other cities, he said.
āThe result of the trust and friendships have allowed this group to do some things that have brought our predominantly black and white churches together,ā Elliott said. āWeāve hosted several citywide events to promote racial unity and reconciliation.ā
Elliott said Pantano is a racially diverse church that has worked hard to build bridges with other black congregations.
āTwo years ago, on the Sunday prior to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I did an interview with one of my black pastor friends. He shared about how he experiences prejudice today and what it means to be black in our city. It was eye-opening.ā
āThis year for MLK day, we had a black congregation join us,ā he said. āA mixed band/choir led worship and their pastor preached.ā
Black and white congregations have also joined together for movie nights.
āWeāve come together to watch the movies Selma, Woodlawn, and Hidden Figures. On these occasions, weāve included time to eat together, and most importantly, discuss what we watched.
āWe are committed to being intentional about building racial unity in our city,ā Elliott said.
The Racial Reconciliation Community Outreach Network is a nonprofit organization dedicated to breaking down walls and tearing down barriers that prevent harmonious relationships. The network strives to reconcile and unify the body of Christ, to reveal stereotypes that hinder the body of Christ, and to uplift godly cultural and ethnic diversity.
Read more about Pantano Christian Churchās racial unity efforts in Glen Elliottās 2016 article, āWho Will Lead Racial Reconciliation in Your City?ā
Jim Nieman serves as managing editor of Christian Standard.
0 Comments