The curtain still stands; the wall of hostility remains; tradition still separates. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said:

We must face the sad fact that at eleven o’clock on Sunday morning when we stand to sing “In Christ there is no East or West,” we stand in the most segregated hour of America.

Why is that? As Christians we know that the curtain was torn in two (Matt. 27:51), the wall of hostility was broken down (Eph. 2:14) and tradition that previously separated people has ceased (Acts 10:28, 34).

In the first century, the segregation that existed among the religious was based on different categories (e.g., Jew and Gentile). While I suspect the majority of people reading this post are Gentiles, the segregation that occurred (and still occurs) in the U.S. church today, at least in part, is black and white. Both are Gentiles, and yet we have created special categories to further separate ourselves from each other. That is why phrases such as, “The Black Church,” and “The White Church” are prevalent.

That is not to say that certain historical—and needed—developments aided in a provisional and helpful manner to create safe worshipping environments for certain people, but I wonder if it is time to see and partake in the merge of such subcategories of Gentiles—black and white—to have a safe worshipping environment for all people now?

Our desire at New City Fellowship (Fredericksburg, VA) is to plant a Christ-centered, reformed, cross-cultural church in South Richmond, Virginia. The black and white church distinctions are strong in Richmond, but we believe there is a remedy to see people from various cultures come together under one roof—the gospel. On account of the person and work of Christ, blacks, whites, and all others can gather together to worship the King, the Lord! We believe this is possible. However, we are not naïve. We know this will take intentionality. We must purposefully pursue relationships with people who are unlike us. We must invite people to church whose familial background, ethnic group and socioeconomic status are different than ours. At times it will be uncomfortable. Difficult questions will be asked and those questions will require a response. Nevertheless, it is our vision to see this happen.

Will you join us in this effort?

See this video for more info!