P*s« 6, AC Phoenii, Jan 1994
Churches
Should Set
Economic
Example
By Rodney J. Sumler
The black church
has long been the backbone
of the Blacks community.
With its help, black have
had the strength to
overcome many obstacles.
From a spiritual
standpoint, it has given us
the strength to continue on,
even in the face of stacked
odds and adversity.
However, we as a people
have not taken full
advantage of the power of
the Church. We have looked
at it merely in terms of the
spiritual framework and
have not tackled many of
our secular problems with it.
This is not negative
criticism that so many
always direct at the Black
church.
Perhaps now, that we see
that we can not overcome
many of the problems
affecting Blacks in any
other way, we can work
through the church to do so.
We can use the inspiring
religious leadership of our
past as impetus to continue
unfaltering forward to
freedom.
The freedom that Black
people are most in need of
IS spelled E-C-O-N-O-M-1-
C-S. Until we can begin to
find solutions for our
economic problems, there is
no way that we will ever
becomes free.
Why have so many
other ethnic groups in the
country- Cubans, Jews,
Chinese, Japanese, and
others- found their way to
economic freedom, while we
are still looking for our own
economic emancipation? In
many instances, our Black
churches are teaching
Blacks to adhere to the "pie
in the sky" philosophy.
Black religious leaders, it
should be clear that no one
is going to solve our
problems for us. It does us
no good wasting our time
blaming someone else for
our problems. Blacks must
take responsibility for
Blacks-individually and
collectively. And the best
place for us to start is the
church. We must accept
self-responsibility and
implement self-help
programs.
When you look at the
Jews, Italians, Greek and
other ethnic groups in this
country, you notice that they
implemented self-help
programs upon their arrival
in this country. They didn't
formally set up programs,
but in their own way, they
set up self-help, sharing and
caring programs to help
their own people first and
others later on. Black
preachers teach us that
clarity begins at home, but
they fail to realize that the
Black community is our
home and unless we take
care of that first, we will not
have the economic freedom
that is so desperately
needed.
How can Asian and
Hispanics- the new
immigrants- come to this
country and realize so
quickly that the road to
economic freedom begins
when they set up and
maintain small, independent
businesses? The various
families set up networks to
provide the support and
before long, they are
successful.
At the same time, blacks
continue to fall into the
same ruts. Instead of being
producers, we are still
consumers. We're so busy
worrying about the Jones'
and hating each other that
we fail to see that we're
doing nothing to help
ourselves.
You could build an
argument centering around
black-on-black crime, drug
abuse, poor housing,
inadequate education,
teenage pregnancy,
unemployment and
undermployment being the
major problems affecting the
Black community. They are
only bi-products of Blacks
not having econoipic
freedom. Most of them
would not exist in their
present form if we created
our own businesses and
were able to keep more of
our money in the Black
community.
There is a very good
reason you don't see Korean
street people, homeless
Jews, or Chinese street
people-they care for and
about each other.
The Black church could
very easily be the beacon of
hope. It should be the first
to help keep Dr. Martin L.
King's dream to help
WORSHIP AT THE
UNION GROVE
CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH
5414 Hicone Road
McLeansville, NC
(A suburb of Greensboro)
Rev. John W. Howard
Pastor
^An unforgettable experience"
Over 50 Years of Service to Winston-Salem and
Surrounding Communities
FUNBRAL HOMB
DEDICATED..."TO SERVE YOU BETTER"
"An individual has not
started living until he
can rise above the
narrow confines of his
individualistic concerns
to the broader concerns
of all humanity."
PHONE: (919) 722-3459
t22 Cut RimmII Ahmum at lUrtln Utiwr Nng Drivt Wlntton-SalMi, North CwQlln* Z7101
FLORRIE S. RUSSELL -President
THE CHURCH NEEDS YOU and YOU NEED THE CHURCH.
The Church represents a group of people like you and me. Its mis^n is to huild
Body, Soul and Spirit It starts with the children, training them in the better
things of life, and throws its doors open wide to all Races, Colors and Creeds.
-ill.