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Rev. Dr. Peter Wells, Associate Conference Minister, got questioned by some members, wanting to know why their church needed to address the issue of race when in fact their congregation was mostly white. His response was that maybe there weren’t any African-American people in the congregation because the issue had not yet been addressed.
Just like stairs can be a barrier to someone in a wheelchair, Wells believes African-Americans are also facing barriers: unrecognized racism, ignorance, fear, the socio-economic nature of society, and just plain confusion about what kind of behavior is racist.
“I got an image in my head,” he said. “I remember when my church had a discussion about putting in an elevator and ramp for the handicapped. Many people said we didn’t need the ramp and elevator because there was no one at the church in need of those items. My response was, ‘maybe we don’t have people in our congregation who need the ramp because we don’t have one. If we put a ramp in, maybe those people will show up.’
“Now, we look at our congregation who consist mostly of white Anglo-Americans. Maybe by having this conversation, we have the opportunity of putting the ramp in our hearts and paving the way for us to make others feel more comfortable, so we can be more welcoming,” Wells said.