We come from different places. Sandra was born in Aiken and has lived here all her life. Gail is from San Deigo and has lived in Los Angeles, Maryland and Aiken. Our backgrounds might be different, but we feel the same way about our church’s involvement in repairing the harms of racism. We are proud that our church, along with 2nd Baptist, is doing some good work to see beyond race and form good relationships in our community.
We both attended the pilgrimage on August 23rd. It was a good day. Some of what we saw and heard was not easy, but it was good to be with brothers and sisters as we encountered our past and prepared for a better future together. We saw first-hand how our “communities” have been separated in many ways, and how the truth of that separation has often been covered over.
On the pilgrimage we toured Aiken, North Augusta, and Augusta. We saw and learned a lot about how African Americans and European Americans have often lived different realities. The most significant thing that happened that day, though, was all of us being together, riding on the bus and sitting at the tables during lunch. The most important thing we saw was our neighbor. The most important thing we learned was how our neighbor was doing.
We are excited about the next step because it is all about building relationships. It is called Sunday Suppers where people from different churches will be paired together and encouraged to share a meal and conversation. You can learn more and even register for this by using this link:
Sunday Suppers – Aiken’s First Baptist Church
And don’t forget, we will be worshipping and fellowshipping with 2nd Baptist on October 19th on our campus. We have marked our calendars, and we know you will want to make sure to be here as we continue to know all of our brothers and sisters in Christ and the God who unites.
Grace and Peace,
Gail Shields and Sandra Thomas
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