Fellowship Memphis

Despite the fact that I grew up in the Deep South, I moved to Memphis completely ignorant of the racial issues that so deeply divide this city. If I'm completely honest, I'll also admit that I was ignorant about racial issues in general. Growing up in a middle-class, white rural family and attending a very small private school, I had limited experience with diversity and none with conversations about race. While I disagreed with racism, I considered it a fairly isolated occurrence in today's society and certainly not something that affected people's lives much. After all, if I didn't see it, it wasn't happening right?

And then I went through Common Ground... Common Ground is specifically designed to facilitate conversations about race with the ultimate goal being to promote community involvement. The typical group is about ten people of various backgrounds, ages and races and the conversations are candid, pointed and uncomfortable. They are also enlightening.

My fellow members gave me perspectives on life that I would never have had otherwise. As I listened to them describe things they had seen and situations they had experienced, simply because someone made a judgment based on skin color, I realized how much I had to learn. More importantly, I realized how much I needed to want to learn. It had been easy to believe that racism wasn't a huge issue because it hadn't directly affected me, but the truth is, I had chosen to be ignorant, simply because it was more comfortable.

I see now the importance of keeping my eyes open to what's happening around me and not just what's happening to me. It takes work to see someone else's perspective, but as a Christ-follower, it's imperative that I do so. I'm part of a larger Body according to I Corinthians 12 and while I may not have the same experiences as other members of the Body, I am affected just as much as they are. Their hurt is my hurt and I need to pay attention to where the Body is hurting so that I can do something about it. Even beyond my fellow believers, I’m clearly required to “do justice and love mercy.”  Thanks to Common Ground, I not only have a better understanding of how my city and my church need me, but I also have the tools I need to work towards racial reconciliation in both.

Common Ground’s spring session will be Tuesdays March 15 - April 26, from 6-8pm at Kingsbury High School. Sign up at www.commongroundmemphis.org.