​Our community has made national news after students from Forest Hills Central, a predominantly white high school, waved a Betsy Ross flag and a Trump banner during a football game hosted by Ottawa Hills High School, a predominantly black school. The Betsy Ross flag is used by the Patriot Movement and xenophobic groups that advocate white supremacy. In the context of Grand Rapids’ history of school segregation based on race,  this action caused deep harm.

Our community’s truth is this: We have taught our children that racialized inequity is normal. We have taught them that our shameful history of slavery, segregation, and oppression is acceptable to joke about. We have not helped them take responsibility for the serious consequences of their actions, or given them a safe place to make mistakes and grow from them. As pastors who preach during what Dr. King called “the most segregated hour of the week,” we repent for our complicity in creating and maintaining religious systems that have strengthened this separation and enmity. 

All our kids -- those taught to oppress and those taught to accept oppression -- are harmed by this. They’re all victims of our racist policies, our careless polarized rhetoric, and our intentional segregation from one another. After decades of local policies that have created communities and schools intentionally segregated by race, and in the midst of a national atmosphere of vitriol and polarization, the children of this community are now reaping what we have sown.

We support the community of Forest Hills Public Schools, which is working hard to build its racial and cultural competency, and we applaud the apology Superintendent Dan Behm issued. We support the community of Grand Rapids Public Schools, and we are heartened by Superintendent Teresa Weatherall-Neal’s honest assessment of the harm caused and gracious acceptance of Behm's apology. This what good leadership looks like.

As faith leaders in Grand Rapids -- a community which Forbes has deemed both the best place to raise a white family and the worst place to start a black business -- we stand with parents and students and educators and leaders who are serious about engaging in face-to-face community dialogue, not only about our history and our current experiences, but also about how to move towards a more peaceful, just, equitable, and unified Grand Rapids.

We wish to call Grand Rapids to begin a conversation that better serves our community, and better models the sacrificial and reconciling love of Christ for our kids. We must elevate the stories of the children, teens, and families who were harmed by this incident, and allow ourselves to admit that harm occurred -- whether due to malice or ignorance. We must understand and reform the policies that have led us to exactly this moment. We must translate our dialogue into action. 

Our historic actions have created our current community; it is time to create something new. The actions we take today will shape what we will become.

--The Grand Rapids Association of Pastors (grpastors.org) is a coalition of pastors from across the denominational, racial, and economic spectrum ​committed to work toward unity, reconciliation, and justice.

Signatories to this statement:
Rev. Jathan Austin
Rev. Katherine Lee Baker
Rev. Jerry Bishop
Rev. Joyce Borger
Rev. Khary Bridgewater
Rev. Benjamin Bruins
Rev. Jerome Burton
Pastor Randy Buursma
Rev. Rodrigo Cano
Rev. Dale Dalman
​Pastor Jim Davis
Rev. Robert Dean
Rev. Chris DeBlaay
Rev. Paul DeVries
Rev. Steve De Vries
Rev. Gina Dick
Rev. Chana Edmond-Verley
Rev. Michael Fedewa
Rev. Alex Fernandez
Pastor Michael Gafa
​Rev. Jermone Glenn
​Pastor Christopher J. Hall
Rev. Dr. Timothy Mark Harris
Rev. Emmett A. Harrison Sr.
Rev Rebecca Jordan Heys
Pastor Kenneth W. Hoskins
Rev. Shannon Jammal-Hollemans
​Rev. Dr. Mary S. Hulst
Rev. James Jones
Rev. Sarah Juist
Pastor Brad Knetsch
Rev.  Jack Kooreman
Rev. Kate Kooyman
Rev. Dallas Lenear
Rev. Artie M. Lindsay
Rev. Adam Lipscomb
Rev. Andre' B. Love
​Rev. Douglas M. MacLeod
Rev. John Matias
Pastor Deborah J. McCreary
Rev. Dennis McMurray
Rev. Mark Milkamp
Pastor Samuel Moffett
Rev. Nathaniel Moody
​Rev. Cynthia Nawrocki
Rev. Billy Norden
Rev. Mara Joy Norden
Rev. Dan Oglesby
Rev. Angel Ortiz
​Rev. Nurya Love Parish
Pastor JR Pittman
Rev. Jen Porter
Pastor Leatha Roberts
Pastor Byron Salguero
Pastor Amy Schenkel
Rev. Charlie Selmon
Rev. Stedford E. Sims, Sr.
Rev. Tanner Smith
Rev. Chase R. Stancle
Rev.  Chandler Stokes
Pastor Peter TeWinkle
Rev Andrew Vanover
Mr. Jason Vermeulen
Rev. Joshua Wall
Pastor Willie E. Waver II
​Rev. Mike Wernick
Rev. Les Wiseman
​

The Grand Rapids Association of Pastors got back into gear after our summer hiatus on September 15, 2016, with a meeting at Brookside Christian Reformed Church in this open, skylit space. We had intended to learn about racial inequity in the education system in Grand Rapids (from 1910 on) from Deanna Rolffs from Partners in School Innovation. However, with recent events in our city, we wound up crafting a response to the Forest Hills Central High School student display of a Betsy Ross flag alongside a Donald Trump banner, as well as to Forest Hills Superintendent Dan Behm's apology, Grand Rapids Public School Superintendent Teresa Weatherall-Neal's statement, and the ensuing media storm. You can read that response here.

The discussion was frank and wide-ranging, spiritual and heartfelt, and also rollicking, with laughter and also cheers when a well-turned, just-right phrase was suggested. 

One point brought up by a number of pastors was the need for relationship among the different churches in our organization, for our congregations to know each other. Dr. Tim Harris of Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church said, "We need to be together and have relationship so we can work together in our communities."

Well, this Sunday, he, Rev. Carl Pace, Jr. of True Light Baptist Church and Dr. Randy Buursma of First Christian Reformed Church are doing something about that. The three churches are coming together for a joint worship service.

Let me repeat that: on Sunday morning, when they normally meet separately, they are joining their worshipping voices together. Not a separate service. But for their regular Sunday morning worship.

Rev. Pace and Dr. Harris will lead in praise and worship and Dr. Buursma will preach the Word. There will be a combined choir from all three churches. Pilgrim Rest and First CRC will meet in their own buildings at 10 a.m., with Pilgrim Rest driving busses to bring people to True Light, and First CRC hosting a prayer walk between the two buildings -- hopefully gathering curious community members as they go. The service will start at True Light at 10:45 am on Sunday, September 18.

I am certain that it will be glorious.

For the past two years, Brown-Hutcherson Ministries and Grace Christian Reformed Church have held a combined Candlelight service the week before Christmas -- a service that had long been important for both congregations. They blend Brown-Hucherson's choir concert with Grace's Lessons and Carols service into a shared worship experience that is beautiful; I am a member at Grace, and this service has become one of my favorite parts of the Advent season.

Blessings to you, True Light, Pilgrim Rest, First CRC, Brown-Hucherson, and Grace CRC. May this be the beginning of a trend towards uniting in worship and building relationships so we can better spread the love of God throughout our community.