FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF WINTER PARK

STAFF

Rev. Bryan G. Fulwider,  Senior Minister  Executive Director,  Gurtler Center for Families, Youth and Children  bfulwider@fccwp.org	Rev. Karen E. Barker-Duncan,  Associate Minister   Program Director,  Gurtler Center for Families, Youth and Children
Rev. Talia R. Raymond,  Minister of Arts and Education  Performing Arts Director,  Gurtler Center for Families, Youth and Children traymond@fccwp.org	Rev. Sherie A. Lindamood,  Worship Minister
Dr. John Sinclair,  Music Director   Director,  Community School of Music	Liz Kitchens,  Commissioned Minister of the Arts,  Art Director,  Gurtler Center for Families, Youth and Children
Christina Carter  Director, Youth and Children's Choirs  Lead Instructor and Registrar,  Community School of Music  ccarter@fccwp.org	Kerry Weisner,  Sunday School Superintendent   Children's/Youth Coordinator  Gurtler Center for Families, Youth and Children  sunshineday365@aol.com
Mary Joe Searl,  Adminstrator  msearl@fccwp.org	Donna Borko,  Executive Secretary  dborko@fccwp.org
Roger Duncan,  Web Master  Information Technology Director,  Gurtler Center for Families, Youth and Children  rhd21@aol.com	Cari Rotenberger,  Assistant Director, First Congregational Church  Preschool and Kindergarten    crotenberger@fccwp.org
Karen Sinclair,  Director, First Congregational Church  Preschool and Kindergarten  ksinclair@fccwp.org	Alvaro Gomez  Music Director and Conductor  Winter Park Chamber Music Academy

MINISTER’S REFLECTION

Southern Hospitality in New Orleans – A Perspective on Extravagant Welcome
– by the Rev. Talia Raymond

It was upon arriving at the Southern Regional Youth Event that two of our female youth came to me with eyes full of anger and disappointment, faces set with determination. “Some boys from another church were making racist remarks on the bus – don’t they realize the point of this whole event?” They went on to report the nature of these remarks, and they were the regurgitation of stale stereotypes: the oft-used refrains of those who repeat that which they do not understand. At first, I was ashamed of our Conference; certainly we must be doing a better job than this in our churches?! I brought the topic to that evening’s closing circle, reminding the youth where we were and who we were as the Body of Christ. I made it clear that the statements made were not true and not okay and closed with a prayer. Throughout the weekend, I prayed that the “Sacred Conversations on Race” that we had and the workshops and worships we participated in and speakers that we heard reached us – that the multi-racial, multi-cultural experience we were having together opened all of our eyes, hearts, and minds. We had a lot to learn about community and hospitality. The theme of the Southern Regional Youth Event was “Another Brick in the Wall: Tearing Down Inequality, Building Up Hope.” I feel that this could have been the theme for our entire adventure in New Orleans.

I expected many things when our group arrived in the Lower Ninth Ward, but what I never anticipated was the extravagant welcome and hospitality we enjoyed. I am not insinuating that there is no danger to be found and that it is a perfect place; many homes remain boarded up, the results of searches spray-painted across the fronts. However, I never for a moment felt unsafe, unwelcome, or nervous for our youth. The homeowners, schoolteachers, and members of the community that we met were warm, gracious, open, and extremely hard-working. I was a member of the crew working at Dwayne Johnson’s house (see cover article).  Dwayne had already helped to fix-up many family members’ homes and was just finishing up with a portion of his own. His goal in re-furbishing his historic home: “I just want somewhere nice where my whole family can live and be together.” Although there was much to be done at his own home, one of the jobs given to our crew was to load up a trailer full of wood that Dwayne was finished with and deliver it to another homeowner who needed it. Dwayne explained that the salvage yard was hiking up the prices unjustly and so the community shared the resources they had with one another. On the way back from unloading the wood, he insisted on buying a local treat – a “snowball” (much like a snow cone) for our two gentlemen who had gone to help. Upon return, Dwayne offered to get one for the rest of us the next day. One of the men in our group who had been treated mentioned to me the discomfort he felt watching Dwayne and his son rifle through pockets and their vehicle to find the cash to pay for the snowballs; “It was literally their last dollar,” he said. Dwayne had a lot to teach us about community and hospitality.

Later in the week, as we painted Fredrick Douglass High School, a local teenager came to help us. I watched with pride, (not an uncommon event when watching our group), as one of our youth walked over, handed him a brush, and struck up a conversation as if they had known each other for years. By the end of the day, Shane was an honorary member of our group, laughing and hanging out with us all. All that our church family has taught our youth, along with what we learned in New Orleans about community and hospitality, was lived out this week. The talk became the walk.

When people who have every advantage in society are treated to a snowball with the last dollar of someone who has almost none, lives change. There is great dignity in the act of giving, to be able to show appreciation and care in a concrete way. To receive is to accept our common humanity, to not take from a place of privilege or want, but to humbly accept the thanks-giving of another person. The re-birth of New Orleans is happening and we saw it, not on the new gold-plating of the Superdome, but in the beauty and strength of its residents. I will be forever grateful for what I learned about hospitality, generosity, and the true spirit of community in New Orleans.