In June, the Johannesburg Church of Christ recently had the privilege of hosting the “Crossing the Line” workshop facilitated by Michael and MyCresha Burns from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Church of Christ. The workshop was a tremendous help in understanding cultural influences and how misunderstandings and race can be used by Satan to divide churches. The morning session was geared toward the ministry staff and in the afternoon, we workshopped the topic with over 200 family group leaders.
South Africa is a melting pot of cultures. With 12 official languages and such a diverse number of tribes living under the banner of one ‘rainbow nation,’ our constant challenge is unity in diversity. Even though we have experienced over two decades of democracy, racism, classism, and cultural conflict arguably remain South Africa’s biggest challenge to overcome at present. The Crossing the Line workshop couldn’t have come at a more crucial time given the current political and economic climate of the country.
Michael and MyCresha did a great job giving us more depth of insight to where issues of race have historically come from and more importantly, how they can affect us today. Their personal example of how they continue to navigate these complexities in their own lives was nothing short of inspirational. They brought a biblical, Christ-centered approach to dealing with these issues in the church.
Please continue to pray for the Southern African churches as we pursue unity in diversity.
