Most people surround themselves with people who look like themselves. They find friends who have parallel interests. They participate in groups that hardly challenge their ideas. It makes things easy and predictable. We see this type of grouping happen often in church. We have predominantly white churches and black churches and latin churches and African churches and Asian churches.

But what gets me excited is when these churches begin to blend into one another. Not that they lose the things that make them unique, but bringing the best parts of themselves to worship Christ together.

I think about a church I am working with in Cincinnati. They are an African church, able to connect with groups of people that I may struggle to reach. Right now they are struggling to find a suitable place to worship, as the place they are in now no longer works for them. Surrounding that church are some predominantly white churches who are working to get them into a new place. It is a beautiful picture of churches working together, on the same team working towards the same goal.

I am drawn to the churches in Springfield, Ohio, who recently all got together to rally support for the Haitian immigrant population in their area. In one building, spiritual leaders of every color and background got together to show the Haitian folks that the whole faith community sees them as an essential part of the body.

I have always admired churches with beautiful architecture and colorful stained glass. But I am addicted to seeing colorful churches, church pews filled with people of every background. When we draw people in from all around the earth, personalities and gifts and ideas are shared and Christians of greater depth are formed.

In a world so polarized, sifting groups by the color of their skin and their native tongue, the church is the most obvious and beautiful way to bring these different groups together into the same room for a common purpose.

Too often the church has been the source of hatred or division. I pray that in this moment the church might rise to the challenge and bring unity, holding firm to the truth that all people are created in the image of God and are given the same Spirit. There is one Church, and every color is invited.

Thank you so much for your continued support in reading this newsletter. I feel the love!

I love writing and I want to write more. Currently, to run this blog it is actually costing me a considerable amount of money. If this newsletter has been helpful for you and you’d like to see it continue, I ask if you’d consider becoming a monthly contributor to supporting the cost of running this blog.

Any help you give will only increase my ability to produce better content and hopefully build a better community on this platform. Click the link below to check out the sponsor page.

If you liked this post, or you feel like it would start a good conversation, please share this with your friends and ask them to subscribe.

It would help me a lot. Thanks for reading! 

New videos coming out weekly: https://youtube.com/@thejacobhayward?si=JHgwOjGP_-FwY3l0

Follow me on X for newest updates: https://x.com/thejacobhayward?s=21