Bridging the differences
Bridge of Peace Community Church, Camden, N.J., connects Fairview and
Morgan Village, two neighborhoods with a history of racial segregation
and conflict, including such hate crimes as cross-burnings—as recently
as the 1990s. Since then “much has changed,” says pastor Wolfgang
Herz-Lane. “Our congregation is seen as a symbol of the ‘new’
[neighborhoods]. We draw black, white and Latino people from both sides
of the bridge.”
Jessica's dream
During her high school years, Jessica Fertig's congregation hired an
African American pastor."He brought new people to the church every
Sunday. But our congregation wasn't ready, so [he] left after two short
years and the church was torn apart," she says. Now Fertig, one of
perhaps 10 white seminarians at the Lutheran Theological Center in
Atlanta, dreams of working in multicultural ministry. "It's helped me
grow as a person and a minister, making me more aware of my neighbors'
needs and concerns," she says.
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© 2013 Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
