First coined in the early
days of the 20th century by the
philosopher/theologian Josiah Royce, “The Beloved Community” is a term
that was popularized and invested with a deeper meaning by Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.
The website of
the King Center gives a two-page
explanation
of “the beloved community” as envisioned by Dr. King. Foremost in his thinking
for creating such a community were the characteristics of brotherhood and
sisterhood, nonviolence, and justice.
To a significant degree, those of us who are a part of
Rainbow Mennonite Church in Kansas City, Kansas, experience the joys of being
in a beloved community. As an Anabaptist church, RMC regularly emphasizes the characteristics
just mentioned.
Although King was a Baptist pastor, his emphasis on
nonviolence is especially much more in harmony with the Mennonites and other
Anabaptist groups than with most of the Baptist churches in the U.S. And one of
King’s closest colleagues was the Mennonite scholar Vincent Harding, who passed
away last May at the age of 82.
The goal of RMC is to accept all people “regardless of
race, ethnic identity, gender, sexual orientation, age, economic or other life
circumstances” (words from RMC’s homepage). The
picture below, which shows those who served Communion at RMC this past Sunday,
is one small expression of what that looks like.
As a rule, the Communion service is led by the pastor
assisted by the worship leader for the day, who last Sunday was Carmen, and the
deacon in charge of preparations, who happened to be me. In the picture Pastor
Ruth Harder is handing the cup to Amy, who was helping serve Communion for the
first time.
There are six deacons at RMC, always three women and
three men, and they rotate being in charge of Communion preparation. Being in
charge includes enlisting three other servers. In addition to Amy, I had asked
Fred, an older African-American man June and I sit next to almost every Sunday,
and Emma, a high school student who was baptized last year, to help serve. Because
of the snow that morning, Fred didn’t make it, so Dave substituted for him.
At RMC there is no “qualification” for being a
Communion server other than being a part of the “beloved community.” In the
Baptist churches I had been part of in the States, the Lord’s Supper was
always, as far as I can remember, served by the deacons—who except for the last
Baptist church I was a member of were always white men.
It was in Japan that I first experienced women serving
as deacons and serving Communion. And then for years and years at the Fukuoka
International Church that June and I help start and which I served as
(part-time) pastor for 24 years, there were no deacons. So the servers for the
Lord’s Supper were more like those at RMC—except there were usually only two
beside the presiding pastor.
By “the beloved community,” King meant more than local
church congregations. But local congregations are a good place to start. If our
churches don’t find ways to transcend race, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation,
age, and economic differences, how can we possibly expect to see the emergence
of the beloved community in the larger society?
Note
This coming Wednesday, January 14, is the regular
monthly meeting of Vital Conversations at the Mid-Continent Public Library in
Gladstone (Mo.). The discussion topic will be “The Beloved Community” and
several local African-American guests are expected to be present for the
meeting, which begins at 1 p.m. Visitors are cordially welcome.
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