Photo Courtesy of Chuck Modi via Twitter
Ferguson Clergy 2015
Christian clergy took part Aug. 12 in a peaceful faith walk along West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Mo., where many violent demonstrations have taken place. The event was organized by the Rev. F. Willis Johnson, pastor of Wellspring Church, a United Methodist congregation in Ferguson. Among the United Methodist representatives there were Erin Hawkins, top executive of the General Commission on Religion and Race and Matthew Berryman, executive of the Reconciling Ministries Network.
Compiled from news and staff reports
United Methodist clergy walked West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Mo., on Aug. 12 as a sign of peace in the racially torn suburb of St. Louis. A vigil on the one-year anniversary Aug. 9 of the police shooting death of Michael Brown, 18, was shattered by gunfire, according to Heather Hahn of United Methodist News Service.
UMNS quoted the organizer, the Rev. F. Willis Johnson Jr. of Wellspring Church, a United Methodist congregation: “Our strategy is not only to provide a sense of safety and solidarity, but also revive a sense of the optimism and hope that change is possible.”
Walk participants and other interested parties were to meet at Wellspring on Aug. 13 to review what happened during the walk and "to discuss how to do ministry in communities on the edge of crisis," Ms. Hahn reported. Details from the meeting will be reported as available.
In a follow-up article Aug. 13 for UMNS, Kelley Hartnett reported on the walk itself. Among those interviewed, she quoted the Rev. Daniel Shanks, associate pastor of youth and young adult ministries at Living Word Church, a United Methodist congregation in Wildwood, Mo.: “The church’s role is often just to name the ugly that is happening so people can heal from it. Once you start healing, that’s where hope comes from.”