Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. famously called 11 o鈥檆lock on Sunday morning the most segregated hour in Christian America. Sixty-four years later, members of two Northeast Ohio churches 鈥� one mostly white, the other historically Black 鈥� are meeting regularly to better understand race and develop friendships.
In 1997, leadership from the now New Covenant Lutheran Church, formerly St. James, a predominately-Black church in East Cleveland and the predominately-white First Lutheran Church in Strongsville, brought the men鈥檚 group of their churches together.
鈥淲e all took a look at the church and said this is really not how the church is supposed to look,鈥� said Chuck Knerem, emeritus senior pastor of First Lutheran. 鈥淭he church should look more diverse.鈥�
Both sides meet monthly for lunch at the Cracker Barrel in Brooklyn, but it鈥檚 more than just meetings over meatloaf. The groups worship together. They do service projects together. Most notably, they have discussions about race.
鈥淲e wanted to show each church that we could cross this barrier of bringing a Black church from East Cleveland and this white church in First Lutheran together and realize how much we were alike,鈥� said New Covenant Deacon William Brown.
Discussion topics will include bias, police relations and privilege.
The topic was family lineage at a discussion last summer. New Covenant vicar Scott Wylie laughed as he talked about the results of a DNA genetic test.
鈥淚 have the highest percentage for me, I think, is from Wales,鈥� said Wylie, who is Black.
The results were possibly evidence of the fraught history of slavery and racism, particularly the rape of African slaves by white slavetraders and owners, he said.
鈥淥h, OK, Wylie told the group. One of the masters was from Wales.鈥�
Brown said stereotyping 鈥� especially how it relates to Northeast Ohio 鈥� was a big racial barrier he was excited to discuss.
Understand that all of us is not what is portrayed on the media. You don鈥檛 have to be scared of us. You don鈥檛 have to be afraid that we鈥檙e going to take something from you,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淵ou can come into East Cleveland and nothing鈥檚 going to happen to you.鈥�
Even the ever-divisive topic 鈥� politics 鈥� has come up.
鈥淚 think a lot of our political views, we perceive that they鈥檙e the same, but that doesn鈥檛 mean that they are,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淲hen we sit amongst each other, our camaraderie says, 鈥極K, we don鈥檛 like what Trump is spewing, but you might go out and vote for him.鈥�
Dale Piper from First Lutheran said he takes the group and the friendships it's inspired to the polls with him.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 not take into consideration what I鈥檝e learned from this group the way I vote,鈥� said Piper. 鈥淪ometimes when you鈥檙e voting between two people, it鈥檚 not like you鈥檙e voting based on their race record. You鈥檙e voting based on pro-life or pro-abortion, economy. You vote for many things when you vote for president. But I definitely take that into consideration in my vote.鈥�
All these discussions, especially the hard ones, have built powerful friendships, said Marlon McPherson of New Covenant.
鈥淭he more we met, the more we communicated, the more we let our true feelings out, the closer we got,鈥� McPherson said. 鈥淚鈥檝e come to love these guys and their church because I鈥檓 accepted as a member of their church. I can walk into their church and the first thing is, 鈥楬i Marlon, how you doing?鈥� For me it makes me feel like I鈥檓 a part of them and they鈥檙e a part of us.鈥�
Piper said he feels the same.
鈥淚 try never to miss a lunch. I look forward to playing golf with Marlon. I鈥檓 very proud to be a member of this group,鈥� Piper said.
The group hosts an annual retreat. Last fall it was an overnight cabin trip at the Hiram Camp House in Moreland Hills.
A few years ago, they visited the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery in Michigan.
Knerem said one defining moment came in the early days of the group鈥檚 creation when they forced Black members and white members to pair up and discuss each other鈥檚 upbringings.
鈥淭o become that vulnerable in front of somebody else, for example, for me to admit that I grew up in a racist household and how that impacted me and my views and my perspectives about things, just opened up broader avenues for us not only that have a conversation, but to be in a deeper relationship with one another,鈥� Knerem said.
Almost three decades later, with no signs of the camaraderie slowing down, the group looks ahead to keep things going for the next generation.
鈥淕od鈥檚 at work,鈥� Wylie said. 鈥淚t showed two churches coming together and then becoming brothers 鈥� I mean literally brothers. Can you imagine if our country was like that?鈥�
The group already has plans for a trip to Washington, D.C. this summer. The priority stops are the African American Museum, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the Holocaust Museum.
