The morning after a St. Louis County grand jury decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for the death of Michael Brown, pastor Rodrick Burton drove to New Northside Missionary Baptist Church, minutes from Ferguson, to pick up the church van and a few cleaning supplies. Congregants texted him asking how they could help, and he told them it was time to help their neighbors: cleaning up businesses damaged by the riots and helping transport people who felt unsafe out of the area in the church van.
At South City Church, worship and outreach coordinator Michelle Higgins kept soup warm and the church doors open for anyone—including protesters, off-duty police, fearful community members—to find a space for prayer and rest. The church was stocked with medics, sleeping bags, hot dinner, and prayer services, but some just needed a moment to sit in silence as the jury’s decision “spoke deep, deep hurt to their souls,” Higgins said. Other churches in the city similarly prepared for the aftermath of the grand jury decision by creating care centers.
Higgins, an African-American who has lived in St. Louis her whole life, said church members gathered around a computer speaker to hear last night’s announcement on the radio because the church’s internet stopped working. Higgins said when she heard Wilson would not be indicted, “all the blood rushed out of my body.” To her, the decision indicated the justice system valued some people more than others, she said.
Later that night, she and about 10 other Christians from nearby PCA churches joined a largely peaceful protest in South City, about 10 miles south of Ferguson. A predominately non-black crowd shut down Highway 44 and blocked a main intersection. During a lull in the momentum, a few opportunists set a garbage can on fire and vandalized buildings, but other protesters stopped most of the unruly behavior, she said. Law enforcement responded by tear gassing the entire crowd.
In Ferguson, protests became more destructive and violent, with the sound of gunshots and flames engulfing businesses. Burton, who also is African-American, believes the clergy at St. Louis churches should focus on the protesters’ “sin of retribution” rather than only pointing to the sin of the government.
While he doesn’t know what compelled Wilson to shoot, “I do know that Christ is consistent in that we are supposed to pray for our enemy and we are suppose to forgive. The clergy don’t even dare bring that sentiment forward to the table, and when they do, it’s from a position that we are more righteous than them…Read More
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