Below is the contents of an open letter I have sent to the churches in Anderson, SC. Please consider the role you play in this matter. Please consider joining us for prayer.
To Our Sister Churches in the
Rocky River and Saluda Baptist Associations:
May the grace of our God and
Savior abound to you in these days as we await His glorious appearing. There is
no doubt in my mind that your heart and mind have been ransacked by the wave of
emotion and thought surrounding the events of evil in Charleston last Wednesday
night. I want to be clear in my appeal to you that what happened at Emanuel AME
was not just an attack on a historically black church, it was an attack on my
church. It was not violence against only “black people”, it was an attack on my
people, the people of the redeemed in Christ Jesus. My heart hurts at the
thought of everything that transpired that night, but has been filled with joy
in watching the unity, forgiveness, and ability to rise above evil that Emanuel
and Charleston has exhibited. No doubt, this is the work of the Holy Spirit in
the lives of the redeemed.
However, there is work to be
done in Anderson. Anderson needs to see a similar display of love and unity in
the body of Christ regardless of ethnic background, skin shading, church
governance, or worship styles, We believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is
the true peace for which we are all seeking and we know that it is the only
hope and redemption to which we can cling. With that said, we still live in
division. Many points of division are senseless and do not assist us in
presenting our community with the Gospel. I believe that in 2015 we have
allowed race to be one of those divisions and I believe that many of our white
churches have done little or nothing to erase the divide. Do not forget that
Paul asserts to the Ephesians in chapter 2 that in breaking down the Spiritual
barrier, Christ Jesus has also broken down the racial barrier.
Now is the time that we bind
together to this end: to present to Anderson and to our Lord Jesus His bride in
unified perfection. I believe this starts with a call to prayer and for that
purpose I am writing you. The sanctuary of Hopewell Baptist Church in Anderson
will be open this Thursday, June 25 at 12 noon for a unified time of prayer for peace and
to open the door of dialogue so that we can function better together in
Anderson. It is a time to pray for Charleston. It is also a time to pray for
Anderson. It is a time to pray over our Rocky River Association churches and it
is a time to pray over our Saluda Baptist Association churches. I have had
conversations with Odell Burns of Evergreen Baptist, Donald Owens of New Hopewell
Baptist, Grady Butler of Salem Missionary Baptist, and Paul Garrett of Pleasant
Hill Baptist and we all stand united in this effort to bring our churches
together.
Please make plans to join us.
The path to unity and reconciliation, especially at times of unrest in our
state and nation, begins when God’s people join together to seek His face. Our
church is located at 3530 Hopewell Rd Anderson, SC 29621. If you have any
questions, please feel free to contact me directly at 864.556.2557. May the
peace of Christ carries as we gather together to shoulder this glorious burden
of ministering to a broken community.
In Christ Alone
Rev. Evan M. Hill, Senior Pastor
Hopewell Baptist Church
evan@hbcanderson.com
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Hey! I want to hear from you. Let's bridge dialogue as followers of Christ and not followers of the world. I am eager to see how we can grow together!