A Day to Remember and Repent

It was 100 years ago today, on October 8, 1917, when the cornerstone was laid for our glorious, historic church building designed to be the "representative church" for the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Today we remembered this historic occasion by telling our unvarnished truth, repenting of our sin, and then hanging a new banner, signed by many people in worship, next to the original cornerstone. You can learn more about our journey on our website. What follows is the litany we shared in worship.

Litany of Remembrance and Repentance

One:   Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

All:    We confess that it is sometimes easier to hide the truth, especially when the truth binds and suffocates instead of setting people free.

One:   But the only way to be free is to tell the truth – the unvarnished truth.

All:    What is this truth?

One:   Our church was founded as the “representative church” for the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, the denomination formed in 1844 to support its members who wanted to hold slaves.

All:    Lord, forgive us and those who came before us.

One:   Our church was part of a denomination in which every bishop was a slaveholder.

All:    Lord, forgive us and those who came before us.

One:   Our church once bowed to cotton and Caesar more than to Jesus as Lord.

All:    Lord, forgive us and those who came before us.

 One:   We gather in a building constructed as a monument to America’s original sin.

All:    We lament a history in which people valued property over people.

We lament the ways in which this church contributed to the wounds of an entire nation.

We lament the proclamation of white supremacy and the belief that such a proclamation is consistent with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

One:   “Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?”

All:    We repent of every way in which we have failed to reject racism that denies the dignity of anyone, choosing to instead participate in, gain privilege from, or remain silent in the face of injustice in our judicial system, our educational system and our economic system.

One:   “Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?”

All:    We do. Forgive us for denying our power and choosing to instead be silent or apathetic in the face of racial injustice and intolerance. Give us wisdom and courage to disrupt, dismantle and destroy racism of every form, public and private, spoken and silent.

One:   “Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the Church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races?”

All:    We do. Forgive us for failing to remember how you made one body from Jew and Greek, male and female, slave and free. Help us to always find our most authentic selves in this community as we work to faithfully and fully embody our oneness in Christ Jesus.

One:   God, help us be the church.

All:    Jesus, enable us to be the most faithful church we can be as we seek to be a sign and symbol of your kingdom in this city, nation and world. Amen.