Two Churches Join Forces For MLK Holiday Worship and Community Service
Two Birmingham churches — one majority black, the other majority white — are coming together this weekend to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by fostering friendships between the members of their congregations.
Dr. King once said “Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of Christian America.” Reverend James Sutton and Reverend Steven Castello, the leaders of Ardent Church and Holy Trinity World Outreach Ministry, are determined to change that.
Ardent Church and Holy Trinity World Outreach host a joint worship service on Sunday at Holy Trinity Church, followed by a day of community service on Monday.
When Rev. Castello and Rev. Sutton met two years ago, the pastors quickly became good friends. They discovered that they had similar interpretations of Christianity, particularly in regards to human relationships and peace.
Their idea for Sunday’s joint worship service was inspired by what Rev. Sutton calls a “perfect storm” of exposed racial tension following recent protests in response to the killings of unarmed black men by police officers, along with the release of the movie Selma.
“We are doing this (coming together) as a pre-emptive strike for racial healing in case something like Ferguson or Staten Island happens here in Birmingham,” says Rev. Sutton. “Many of the stereotypes that exists in black hearts and white hearts are there because of a lack of a relationship. And stereotypes gone unchecked and unchallenged create situations like Ferguson.”
According to Rev. Sutton, Birmingham’s history makes it the perfect place to work to foster understanding between people from all races and walks of life.
“We want to bring these people (the members of their congregations) together to worship under one roof in order to give them an idea of what heaven will really be like, diverse and inclusive,” says Sutton. “Although we worship at different places, we worship the same God and have the same savior.”
Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he targeted U.S. political parties, memo says
The man accused of placing two pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of Jan. 6, 2021 told investigators someone needed to "speak up" for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen, prosecutors said Sunday.
Chinese military stages drills around Taiwan to warn ‘external forces’
The drills came after Beijing expressed anger at U.S. arms sales, and a statement by Japan's prime minister saying its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan.
Trump and Netanyahu to meet in Florida at a crucial moment for the Gaza ceasefire
President Trump could use the face-to-face at his Mar-a-Lago estate to look for ways to speed up the peace process, as Israel's leader has been accused of not pushing his side to move fast enough.
‘Bomb cyclone’ forecasted to bring heavy snow, blizzard conditions and dangerous travel
A 'bomb cyclone' is intensifying severe winter weather for millions of people across the U.S. The system is expected to knock out power and disrupt holiday travel.
Russia sends 3 Iranian satellites into orbit, report says
The report said that a Russian rocket sent the satellites on Sunday from a launchpad in eastern Russia.
Viral global TikToks: A twist on soccer, Tanzania’s Charlie Chaplin, hope in Gaza
TikToks are everywhere (well, except countries like Australia and India, where they've been banned.) We talk to the creators of some of the year's most popular reels from the Global South.
