I went for a long run today in the
Early morning—a new day pushing back the moon
My heart fully alive
I feel so free when I’m running free
The dawn ripe with possibility
It’s not my neighborhood—I run through it anyway
People mowing their yards
Walking their dogs
Playing tennis on the clubhouse lawn
They all watch me run fearless
A stranger in the neighborhood
No need to lock the door
No need to grab the gun
No need to call the police
It’s a free country
My freedom for a long run today
Is not lost on me
I know Ahmaud’s story—a familiar one
Glynn County, Georgia
Not everyone is free to run
We sing our anthem—‘the land of the free’
We pledge our flag—‘with liberty and justice for all’
But it’s not really
Not every free citizen can actually live free
Not every American actually knows justice
I went for a long run today in the
Early morning—a new day pushing back the moon
The dawn ripe with possibility
My heart not fully alive—not until everyone is
Running free
An invitation from Pastor Keith: I hope you will all join me for the series on race relations described below. We are in unprecedented times, and we need unprecedented courage to enter into genuine conversations with our neighbors. Lasting change can result from opportunities like this. These conversations matter. Please contact the church office for more information and to register.
Struggling with Race, Remembrance, and Reparations: THE FUMC Reconciling Conversations Group, in collaboration with the Education Committee of the Haywood County chapter of the NAACP, will offer a Fall educational series to help us grapple with the complex and searing issues of racism in our nation and our communities.
In ten sessions we will have opportunities to read and discuss White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo; The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander; Between the World and Me and “The Case for Reparations,” by Ta-Nehesi Coates.
Circle conversations will deal with personal, interpersonal, and systemic dimensions of racism as well as the meaning of forgiveness and reparations. Finally, we will hear about efforts to rightly remember the scars of racism in our community and move toward greater community.
566 S. Haywood St.,
Waynesville, NC 28786
info@fumc-waynesville.com
828-456-9475
Main Office
Mon - Fri 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Child Development Center
Mon - Fri 7:30 am - 5:30 pm