Pastor Mike Harris can envision the local African American Pastors Alliance reaching a whole new audience at some point. The five-member group, active in Bartholomew County since 2003, aims to do precisely that from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 20 rain or shine at the Donner Park shelter house near 19th Street and Lafayette Avenue.
The community worship service, free food and afternoon fellowship are meant to reach what Harris labeled "the unchurched," and those beyond the boundaries of the area churches the five pastors lead: Harris’ Faith Hope & Love Church of God In Christ in Elizabethtown; Bishop Charles A. Sims’ Calvary Community Church in Columbus; Pastor David C. Bosley’s Dayspring Church of God Apostolic in Columbus; Pastor Frank Griffin’s Thy Kingdom Come Ministries in Greenwood; and Pastor Johnnie Edwards’ Second United Methodist Church of North Vernon.
The clergymen have been heavily involved in everything from how schools discipline African American students to how the local media covers issues involving Black residents.
"In the (predominantly) African American churches, we’ve done a good job of pastoring our own people," Harris said. "But we want to do better at reaching out to the broad community and fellowshipping with everybody else."
Harris said he realized part of this idea recently at the funeral for his brother. After the service, Harris said that a self-acknowledged drug addict struggling to change approached him and told him that he felt that pastors in general needed a broader reach.
"I don’t go to church," the man told Harris. "But I need somebody to love me, too."
Harris thought about that for a good while.
"Man, that hit home," Harris said. "You know, that’s a pretty powerful statement."
Harris hopes the non-denominational, hour-long service and following fellowship with free burgers, hot dogs and fellowship can make a pretty powerful statement, too.
"That (man) is part of my motivation for this," Harris said, "as I ask, ‘How can we help the unchurched?’"
Griffin currently figures his message that day will focus partly on freedom, especially since the date falls so close to Juneteenth — the celebration of the official end of slavery, which is the day before (and which will be celebrated locally along Fourth Street downtown). Griffin said his approach probably will be more like a casual talk than his normal, more excitable preaching style.
"The reason we’re all coming together is to fellowship — to meet and greet people we haven’t had the chance to meet before," Griffin said.
Theresa Kinchen of Faith Hope and Love Church of God In Christ and Pastor James Wood of Golden Harvest Community Church in North Vernon are coordinating about 20 minutes of worship music for the service. Wood, a Columbus resident, has become well known to local Christians especially for his singing role at events such as the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Service at Calvary Community Church.
But Wood mentioned that he will be careful to select music familiar to a mixed-race audience. He said he learned to do that leading his church that consists of mostly white members, but other races also. He discovered that many of his white members were not familiar with songs that he knew for years from predominantly Black churches.
"And if people don’t know it, I learned that it doesn’t really make a connection with them (if you sing it)," Wood said. "So I’ve had to adjust my music selection with different races."
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What: Local African American Pastors Alliance worship service and outreach, held rain or shine.
When: Worship service is at 11 a.m. June 20, followed by free food and fellowship until 4 p.m.
Where: Donner Park shelter house near 19th Street and Lafayette Avenue in Columbus.
Why: To allow the pastors alliance to reach people it normally has not reached.
Information: Pastor Mike Harris at 812-371-8624.
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