Those Who Don't Count

A minister friend wrote to me this morning about what he called "a racial issue" in the Church: the problem of people who "don't count" because they belong to another racial group. This is a phenomenon that I am continually aware of. Usually, in my experience, it is unconscious rather than overt. For instance, people get overlooked -- quite unintentionally -- when one draws up rosters, or puts together orders of service, and so on. Here's another example of the phenomenon: a woman in our Church said to me one Sunday morning: "There's no one else here in my age group." I said: "Look, there are lots," and I pointed out and named several people. She hadn't seen them. OBSERVATION: In our own Church, I see this at work in various directions. That is, it's not just one cultural group that does it. I think one simply needs to be aware of this, continually seek to avoid favouritism (be no respecter of persons), and continually seek to reveal all those lamps hidden under bowls/candles hidden under bushels. The Holy Spirit does a marvellous work in all.