Scripture Readings: James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23
Photo by http://www.sxc.hu/profile/magstefan
One of the unforgettable moments of General Council this summer came near the end of the week, actually it came in the last hours of the meeting.
Like most meetings of the church, we were starting to get bogged down with business in the mad rush to get as much work done as possible with the few remaining hours we have left to meet. There came a moment when some “re-wording” was required so there was an invitation to hear from one of our observers. As though we might just try and “fit him in” since we had a few minutes.
His name was Rev. Paul Walfall and he was our “intercultural” observer. I had the privilege of being in the same small group as Paul all week long, and quickly realized he is a wise man. Paul is also an immigrant to Canada from Jamaica and serves in a church outside of Edmonton.
As Paul spoke to the church, his words began to impact the room. Paul spoke about racism in the church, and he spoke as one who has experienced it himself, and heard the stories of many others. As he finished, the moderator thanked him for his powerful message and we moved back into dealing with the loads of business we still had to cover in the final hour or two we had left to meet.
