General minister and president sets stage for Black History Month observances at UCC Church House
Written by Gregg Brekke
February 3, 2012
The Rev. Geoffrey A. Black, UCC general minister and president, introduced the first of five weekly Black History Month observances at the United Church of Christ's Amistad Chapel in Cleveland as "setting the stage for things to come."
In a service filled with singing of African-American spirituals, history and the recognition of visionaries and prophets, Black noted that the tradition of the Black Church includes proclamation of the gospel by the congregation and in song, in addition to the preacher.
"One of the lenses through which we hear this history play out is in music," Black said of the music selections "We've Come This Far" and "I Will Trust in the Lord."
"It was from the harsh and inhumane conditions of enslavement that what used to be referred to as the Negro Spirituals emerged," he said.
"They became the songs that expressed the aspirations and beliefs of enslaved Africans," Black continued. "These were the songs of people who found hope and inspiration in the biblical narratives … [especially in] the fearless justice seeking proclamations of the prophets."
Black also introduced Moses and the story of Exodus as a foundational biblical narrative for the Black Church. Moses' demand that Pharaoh "let my people go" became the main refrain of spirituals and cries for emancipation. Woven into the message of the spirituals, Black asserted, is the belief that the God who spoke to Moses was the same God who spoke to the prophets.
"The slave masters didn't really intend for [slaves] to get this message," said Black. "But what they got was 'there's a God somewhere that liberated some folk from enslavement, and that's the God that we believe in.' "
Building on the theme that African-American history is intertwined with American history, Black noted the deeply religious undertones of the African-American experience in the United States.
"When visionaries rose from the midst of the [black] community, there was an affinity to the visionary and what that person might be lifting up as a new way," Black said of inspirational figures such as Marcus Garvey and Martin Luther King Jr. They presented, he said, "a different way than enslavement, a different way than the ways of the Jim Crow south, a different kind of life –– not only for black folks, but for all people in this country."
Throughout Black History Month, the public is invited to hear modern day visionaries during the Wednesday noon worship services at the UCC's Amistad Chapel, located at 700 Prospect Avenue E. in downtown Cleveland. Due to demand, tickets must be requested for all events.
Upcoming services will feature the Rev. Paul Hobson Sadler Sr., pastor of Mt. Zion Congregational UCC in Cleveland (Feb. 8); U.S. Federal Judge Denise Page Hood (Feb. 15); artist and African-American art historian David Driskell (Feb. 22); and the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., pastor emeritus of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago (Feb. 29).
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