This is the third day on our trip and it is our final day in Birmingham Alabama. We went to 16^th street Baptist church for a Sunday service so I was fortunate to go inside the church even though I didn’t get a chance to yesterday. The service was more like my church service at home but it took me a little while to get comfortable there. I think because I spent some time thinking about the history of the church and what took place in the church but if I were to live in Birmingham I would probably attend the church.

Today had to be an emotional personal experience for me. Today we went to 16^th street where the civil rights movement took place. We were on the grounds of racial discrimination and the standing as one in another race. While on 16^th street we were at the park that separated the blacks from the whites, 16^th street from 17^th street and it was a strong vibe and a burden that came over me when I was there. In the park there are statues that reflect some of the things that happened on 16^th street and they were touching. I called up my grandfather and he was explaining to me the things that happened that day and he also told me that it was great that I was here to learn and experience something of the things that people before me did to make my life comfortable today. I was hoping that I could get a chance to go into church where the bombing happened and it killed 4 little girls but it was closed. In addition we had several people to talk about their experience during the time of the civil rights movement.

Today we attended 16^th Baptist Church. It is a blessing that this church is still up and running after its brutal past. The first characteristic of the congregation that I noticed was that it was a little more elderly than I expected. I questioned this at first, but once I thought about the history of the church and learned more about the role of the church in black communities. I had a better understanding after taking this information into consideration.

The pastor’s message was good and the people were welcoming, but I do not know if I would attend the church again because it was not my personal church and I feel like I would not be as comfortable as I was at my church at home. But the overall experience was heart-warming and it just adds to the excellence of the trip.

Attending the church service at 16^th Street Baptist church was polar opposite from the Greek Orthodox service I am used to.  When we walked in and sat there were three women with microphones at the front of the church but women are not allowed in the altar at my church so it was surprising to see only women to start the service.  The women had great voices and the songs and people playing instruments made it difficult to stand and not clap and get into it.  I was also surprised by how many couples and families had never been to the church because they were some of the most energetic and into the service ones in the congregation.  Another difference about people in the church besides the obvious of race, was the children’s role in the service.  During services in my church the boys from the 14 years old Sunday School class are altar boys and participate in the entire service while older church members pass around collection baskets but at the 16^th street church the kids pass around the collection which is interesting because I’m sure people would feel more inclined and obligated to give money to a child.

The preacher was a large part of our discussion after the service because he was just so animated and exactly what one would expect from a Baptist church in the deep south.  He shouted most of what he was saying all the while wiping his sweat with a towel.  For the most part his sermon was uplifting and encouraging people not to give up even in the rough times that are bound to come.  He spoke to an older crowd with several marriage references and was actually really funny with his boxing examples and bobbing and weaving at the podium.  However, what stuck out to our entire group was an intolerant comment the preacher added pretty unnecessarily to his sermon about gay relationships being a sin.  The comment was unwarranted and left me with a somewhat negative view of the church.  I would be a hypocrite if I did not admit that I disagree with some beliefs my priest has, but in reflection some people said that the comment would probably deter them from returning to the church.  Just avoiding that particular church is not helpful because his views are not acceptable and one would hope for someone that directly knows prejudice and intolerance they wouldn’t turn around and judge others in a similar manner.

Watching the Spike Lee movie after going to the church was good because we got a good idea of the events and histories of the girls from Teresa before going and then in the movie we could see the places we went and hear more in depth about the happenings of the day of the bombing.   Hearing the girls’ family members, neighbors, and friends talking about each girl’s personality and childhood was extremely touching.  Carole was supposed to play in her first clarinet concert the day after the bombings and Cynthia reached out and made friends with people that other students rejected and picked on.  I got goose bumps when Cynthia’s sister retells the last thing her mother had said to her before she was killed.  Cynthia left the house with her slip sticking out from her skirt and her mother stopped her to tell her to pull her skirt down because “you just don’t put your clothes on any way when you are going to church because you don’t know how you’re going to come back.”  To think these were the last words a mother spoke to her daughter is gut wrenching.  Denise’s grandfather describing having to tell her that she could not get a sandwhich at the mall because the food was white only was just as difficult as seeing her dead shows how young and innocent these girls were.  They were 14 and 11 years old and the little life experience they had was completely unjust.  It was hard to sit in the church service thinking about these issues and not be a little distracted from the service.  I wonder if members of the church think about it each Sunday.

Day three started out pretty interesting, as a group we went to have church service in the historical church on 16^th street where the four little girls were bombed and killed by the four white men. Church service for me was a little typical and normal. I enjoyed the loud preaching and the song singing by the singers. The only odd thoughts I had about church was, it was very little teenagers in church. My church back home is very similar, but we have more of a younger crowd of people trying to learn the bible than elder people. Another thing I thought about, was this place is really known for what happen to the kids on that street and in that area, but I barely saw young people there. I did see kids the first day and that was only because they were having something like a get together at the park.

Day two was very interesting, I could not believe that we as a group were standing directly on the same grounds of the kids that were sprayed down and beating and whip by blackjacks by officers. It was so touching because it had statues up that gave clues of what happen that day. It just felt like I was there watching the whole thing. Than directly across the streets on 16^th street was the church where the four little girls were killed in Sunday school, the church was bomb by four men who attach more than 100 sticks of dynamite to the church windows in the basement.

This is a couple days late, but here it is. The experience from May 27.

As I mentioned earlier, today we went to the 16^th Street Baptist Church for the Sunday service. I’d never been to a Baptist church like that, but I’ve been to similar services. I really enjoyed it for the most part, but there are some things that didn’t sit very well with me. Some comments made by the pastor seemed out of line to me, but after a little reflection have some justification based on a perspective slightly different from my own. The Baptist church is historically a conservative church and I suppose this one is particular was very traditional in the sense that they interpreted the text of the Bible very literally and took the words at face value. At least that was my understanding when the pastor made the comment, “Don’t ask me what I think about shacking up or same sex marriage, because it’s all right here.” At that point he referred to his Bible. I had been enjoying the service up until that point in time, but after that I had difficultly paying attention in the same way. That isn’t to say that overall I didn’t enjoy it, but that’s something I felt was inappropriate.

At lunch I had a discussion with Marcus, Kendra, Benny and Jaymi about how that comment made us feel and why we think the pastor made that specific reference. All of us were bothered by the comment, but the other brought up some things I hadn’t thought of before. Kendra said that she could justify his statement better, because following it he said that God hates the sin, not the sinner. I can see how that may justify it somewhat, BUT that means that same sex marriage is a sin. That isn’t something I believe, but it was interesting to think about.

After the service we spent the rest of the afternoon traveling from Birmingham to Montgomery. We had time to reflect on the bus about the church service. We talked as a group, but we’d already talked so much at lunch that I didn’t really have much to say. I’d been to similar church services before, so it wasn’t a new experience for me like it was for other people.

We had a chance to relax and just hang out as a group when we got to Montgomery. Complimentary happy hour = a good time. Don’t worry mom, we didn’t overindulge. We also played in the pool for like 2 hours after that. We’ve had a good mix of work, learning and play. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the trip!!

David and Me After Church

I have more journals to come, but I need to get ready to go to the Hancock County library. Have a great day!

As I relive the time that we spent in 16^th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham I couldn’t help but keep thinking that four little girls were killed in that basement.  The thought that anyone could seek to harm other people, especially children in a place of worship, is so utterly disturbing that attending service seemed almost surreal in some aspects.

Having said that, I feel pretty comfortable saying that I mostly knew what to expect from services on Sunday.  I think that growing up in a black Baptist church, I already knew that the service would more than likely have live music and singing, a somewhat animated preacher, and a congregation that was welcoming and highly involved in the service.  The only thing that really surprised me about the service was the makeup of the congregation.  The church was not very busy at all, in fact, many of the aisles were completely empty.  Aside from the generally weak turnout, there were very few young people in the church, especially young men.   I expected many more people to belong to such a historically significant church in the area.  Having grown up in a very large black Baptist church, I am very familiar with the homiletics of black ministers and his style of preaching was nothing short of what I would have expected.  As a black male, I was very comfortable and experienced the church in a relaxed manner, almost as if it were my own.  In regards to our conversation on the bus about the church, I found that people had various opinions about the church experience and whether or not they enjoyed the overall visit.  I think that the church minister was mostly concerned with addressing his more mature audience rather than seeking out lessons that would appeal to a younger audience.  As a result, I think that the church has lost a lot of potential support and membership from new minds that could keep the church afloat in the future.

Day 3

Today was a very interesting day that was completely different from the first two days of the trip. We went to the Sunday morning service at the 16^th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. I was really looking forward to going to this Church because of the history behind it, and also because I knew that it would be a completely different worship experience from what I am used to. The service definitely did not disappoint. Almost everything about the service was different from the Catholic masses I am used to attending, and I knew I was in for quite a treat when two of the choir members warmed up the crowd with an enthusiastic rendition of “God is Awesome.” The singing and music during were very upbeat, with the congregation standing up, clapping, dancing, and singing along to it. This was one of the more enjoyable aspects of church, and while I am not particularly expressive like that, I found myself clapping along a little bit, and know that I would certainly be more involved if I had been raised in a similar church. The lady sitting next to me was particularly enthusiastic and vocal throughout the service, not hesitating to proclaim “yes, yes!” whenever she agreed with the preacher. This was mostly entertaining to me, but it was also nice to see someone who was so expressive with their spirituality. The final aspect of the service that was extremely different from what I’m used to was the sermon. The preacher spoke very passionately for what was a rather long sermon, I would guess around 30 minutes, but it may have been longer. When I say that he was passionate, I mean that he was yelling at points, waiving his arms, and sweating a lot. I felt like I could really identify with and understand most of his message, as it could be preached to most Christians; it was just the delivery of the message that was rather different. The whole experience was a lot of fun, and it is definitely something I would do again.

After church we said goodbye to Birmingham and drove to Montgomery, where we got settled into out hotel and ready for the next day. It was really nice to have some downtime to enjoy happy hour and swim in the pool. Tomorrow should be another interesting day in our newest city.

Day 4

Today was an incredible day that really surprised me in many ways. Because it is Memorial Day and not much was expected to be open, we decided to go to a park between Montgomery and Selma and then have a cookout. I’m not sure anybody really knew what to expect when we got this “park,” but it ended up basically being a museum dedicated to the march from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights in 1965. I did not know anything about this march until we arrived in Montgomery and started hearing about it in presentations, and still can’t believe that so many people walked 50 miles from one city to the next. The museum dedicated to this and other aspects of the civil rights movement was absolutely beautiful and very moving. We started out by watching a short film about the event and the brutality and force that police exerted on the marchers in order to halt their movement. People were killed while participating in a peaceful protest and trying to ensure a right that I was given the second I turned 18. This thought really hit me hard because at the end of the video they showed a statistic about the small percentage of 18-24 year olds who voted in the last election, and I am sorry to say that I was not included in that percentage. I just registered to vote a couple of months ago and am planning to vote in the next election, but it was always something that I just didn’t really pay attention to. I have never been so ashamed to have been given something like the right to vote and completely ignored it. Knowing that people died so that they could have what I was given and have not used puts a completely different perspective on things. It just goes to prove once again that you shouldn’t take anything for granted. Voting is a part of being American. It is a constitutional right that was unjustly denied to so many people, and I need to realize how easy I have it and important it is that I vote. Even if I never become truly interested in politics, I will always vote in the future because what I learned today made it have importance on a personal level, regardless of political interest.

After that heavy portion of the afternoon spent inside we all went outside to a picnic area and had a great cookout. Ronnie made hamburgers and hot dogs while we were pursuing our academic endeavors, and we all returned to a lovely picnic complete with watermelon for dessert. One more thing about the picnic and walking around outside: it was HOT.

The day was completed by a powerful group reflection and then the class walked around and explored the historic district of Montgomery. We walked around the place where the slave market used to be, explored the outside of the state house, passed Martin Luther King Jr.’s church, and stopped by the Civil Rights Memorial. It was nice to walk around the city, but was strange because it was completely deserted. It seemed we were the only people out there. The whole state house area was very interesting because there was a demonstrated appreciation for the confederacy. There were statues of Jefferson Davis, the president of the confederacy, as well as a monument displaying all the flags of the confederacy that had a quote about the “knightliest race.” It is clear that Alabama is not willing to forget its past, and seems to be quite proud of it. This is particularly interesting when considering the fact that we went immediately from the state house to the civil rights memorial. It is easy to see how so much tension existed in a city and state that was so divided and still bears the marks from this division.

As previously mentioned, we had a group reflection before we walked around the city, and I just wanted to talk about the reflection a little bit. These are quickly becoming one of my favorite parts of the day, as it is just a time to think about the day and discuss various issues we encountered. These sessions really make me think, and I can only begin to put down some of the thought that I have resulting from them here, but there is one thing I wanted to mention. First of all, our group dynamic is very interesting because it is very racially diverse, and especially because there are no white males on the trip. I think this diversity is invaluable during our reflection time, especially because we talk a lot about race during this time. The specific thing we addressed tonight was white privilege, and I cannot even begin to describe my feelings here, but it is so frustrating to see how unfair this world is. My final thought is that I really believe that the biggest white privilege of them all is that most white people don’t even realize they have a white privilege because they do not have to deal with racism on a daily basis.

This morning we went to Sunday services at 16^th Street Baptist.  I’ve never been to an African American Baptist Church before, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.  Given the history of the church and it’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, I expected to find a traditional Baptist Church with a large choir and a stereotypical Baptist preacher.  I certainly got the stereotypical preacher part right, however the choir and music was much more contemporary than I expected.  At the beginning of the service I really enjoyed just sitting back and watching the church goers worship.  Similar to the experiences I’ve had in South American and Caribbean churches, the people worshiped with a refreshing purity of faith.  The love for God that these people exhibit reminds me of the way that I should practice my own faith.  They have unfailing devotion and seem to be able to pour their whole selves into their Savior to let Him be the guiding light of their lives.  They had no regard for those sitting around them and what they might think of them for how they worshiped.  They considered only that God deserved the very best of their worship, the loudest of their praise.  This spirit was exemplified by one of the songs we sang.  One of the lines talked about dancing like David danced.  Another talked about singing like David sang.  Just watching them actually do this filled my heart with so much joy.

The sermon the pastor gave was very interesting.  He was the spitting image of the fire and brimstone Baptist preachers in movies and tv shows.  I love to experience all different types of worship and preaching, so I’m glad that this was the case.  It was most definitely an entirely different experience than I’ve had at Hyde Park UMC in Tampa or Athens First UMC or Centenary UMC in Winston.  The sermon was about not losing heart.  He talked at length about the ministry, speaking some powerful truth about our role.  He said that we should have intensity of spirit for the ministry because of the mercy of God.  He continued onward about how sometimes God gives us great blessings but he also gives us pain so that we remember our humble insufficiency.  This will force us to be dependent on Him and in relationship with Him.  Additionally, this will allow Him to form us into the people He would have us be.

While I did take many great things from his sermon, in the middle there was a section that was alarming to me.  Seemingly out of nowhere, the preacher gave his personal views on homosexuality and “shacking up.”  The comment had little to no connection to the sermon and caught me totally off guard.  It was incredibly concerning to me that he would be so vocal about this in the middle of a sermon.  As I have expressed to many of you probably reading this, it breaks my heart to hear pastors speak so openly and judgmentally about their views on this…especially when they are not going to talk about the Biblical basis for these views.  The preacher mentioned that there was Biblical background for these views, yet did give it.  He simply stated how he felt and dove back into his sermon.  Every time I encounter a situation like this, I am concerned for the future of the Church.  Yes, every person is entitled to their own views.  Yes, the Bible does speak about homosexuality.  My concern is the huge concentration that is placed on this issue, given the amount of time it is focused on in the Bible.  The Bible mentions homosexuality very few times, yet it speaks on love and acceptance at length.  Unfortunately, many Christians and churches seem to have forgotten this.  The idea of Christianity is to love and accept everyone, so that they many see the love of Jesus through your love.  If they feel judged from the moment they walk in the door, that does not facilitate an inviting environment.  I recall my preacher at Hyde Park often saying, “I’m in sales, not in management.”  By this he meant that it was his job to get people to believe in God, i.e. sales, and let God be concerned about the management of sins.  I do concede that legally the Church is entitled to hold whatever views it chooses.  This is not my level of concern.  My concern comes from the perspective of a Christian who desires for everyone she knows to experience the love and fulfillment she found in her Savior.

After church, we had a lively discussion on the bus.  Many people echoed views similar to those I expressed above.  The one differing opinion was the one Jamie presented, which was something I had not thought about before.  She said that the Black Church holds a special responsibility in the Black community to do its part to protect its members against things like HIV and AIDS.  We didn’t talk about it at length, but it definitely gave me something to think about.

This afternoon, we drove to Montgomery.  To all of the student’s delight, we had the afternoon and evening to spend how we chose.  We just hung out and went to the pool, which was an appreciated break.