HomeFront PageSt. Paul UMC Repents...

St. Paul UMC Repents for Past Racial Injustice with a Very Public Visual

By Rebecca Wallace

The plaque on the exterior of St. Paul UMC.
The plaque on the exterior of St. Paul UMC. Photos courtesy of St. Paul UMC.

On January 18, this year’s day of honor and remembrance for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, St. Paul UMC in Atlanta’s Grant Park unveiled a new plaque. Posted just beneath the building’s cornerstone, the plaque and its message were inspired by a study done in the summer of 2020, as members tried to educate themselves on the racial injustice in our society in hopes that they would then pray for and work towards bringing about peace and justice.

Inspired by the example that came out of the North Georgia Conference and Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, the group accepted that at certain times in its history the church’s failures had perpetrated systemic racism in its community and across the country. In response, members decided to make a public statement that acknowledges the church’s role in contributing to this racism and announcing their intention to repent and start the process of reconciliation.

The plaque on the exterior of St. Paul UMC. Photos courtesy of St. Paul UMC.
The plaque on the exterior of St. Paul UMC. Photos courtesy of St. Paul UMC.

“The plaque explains the church’s part in perpetuating racism and our hope and desire to learn and grow and repent so that we can be a part of the solution and walk in the ways that lead to Christ,” said Rev. Cassie Rapko, St. Paul UMC’s pastor. “Our journey is not over, but we felt that in order to move forward, we had to take a good hard look at our past. This is the beginning of our work, not the end.”

The cornerstone was laid in 1906,when St. Paul UMC was a part of a Methodist Church still divided by slavery and segregation. It remains a stark public reminder of this, and the fact that St. Paul was on the “South” side of the Methodist Church.

Bill McKinnon, a member of the working group, says “We intentionally placed the plaque below the cornerstone because we want those who see them together to understand that we recognize we cannot erase our history, but that we are seeking a different path forward.” 

The plaque reads as follows:

When founded, this congregation was a part of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, a splinter Methodist denomination formed specifically for condoning slavery and resisting abolition. Through a series of mergers, this congregation became a part of the newly formed United Methodist Church in 1968. The mergers were incomplete steps in the denomination’s efforts to address racism in the Church. In 2020, both the North Georgia Conference of the UMC and St. Paul UMC formally acknowledged and repented their roles in perpetuating the sin of racial inequality. Motivated by undeniable evidence of continuing racial injustice in our society, St. Paul UMC pledged to educate itself further about racism, white privilege, and ongoing systemic racist policies, and to work intentionally to eradicate these sins from our existence.

Located at 501 Grant Street, St. Paul UMC continues to hold weekly services on Sundays at 11:00am at www.StPaulGrantPark.org, and our Facebook page, @stpaulgrantpark. Please visit our website or call 404-688-7501 for more information.

Recent

AdvertisementAd for A-1 Roofing. Phone: 404-627-6909 / 404-787-7001. Website: www.a1roof-remodeling.comAd: ScreenFixing, We're here because you broke something. Phone: 404-969-6FIX, 1267 Glenwood Ave SE, Atlanta Ga 30316, http://screenfixing.com
AdvertisementAd: Steve's Tree Service and Landscaping, phone: 770-474-5565

More from Author

Calendar March-April 2023

CALENDAR Community Meetings GPNA (Grant Park Neighborhood Association). 3rd Tuesday of every month, 7:30pm-9:00pm....

Southeastern Trust for Parks and Land Acquires Conservation Easement

By Amanda Leesburg Southeastern Trust for Parks and Land (SE Trust), a...

Spring Blooms at Oakland with Family-Friendly Events!

Visitors enjoying last year's Illumine event Photo courtesy of Historic Oakland Foundation By...

EAV Farmer’s Market Springing Back

By Katie Kriner East Atlanta Village (EAV) Farmers Market is a-springin' back...

Read Now

Calendar March-April 2023

CALENDAR Community Meetings GPNA (Grant Park Neighborhood Association). 3rd Tuesday of every month, 7:30pm-9:00pm. Check www.grantpark.org for details. SAND (South Atlantans for Neighborhood Development). 2nd Thursday of every month, 7:30pm, Ormewood Church Fellowship Hall, corner of Woodland & Delaware Avenues. EACA (East Atlanta Community Association). 2nd Tuesday of the month, 7:00pm. See www.eaca.net for details. EABA (East Atlanta Business Association)...

Southeastern Trust for Parks and Land Acquires Conservation Easement

By Amanda Leesburg Southeastern Trust for Parks and Land (SE Trust), a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, acquires, conserves, and utilizes natural land for its mission of Conservation, Recreation and Community. SE Trust is proud to announce the creation and filing of a perpetual Conservation Easement for Tapestry Greenspace in...

Spring Blooms at Oakland with Family-Friendly Events!

Visitors enjoying last year's Illumine event Photo courtesy of Historic Oakland Foundation By Angie Wynne March and April are filled with fun, family-friendly opportunities to experience spring at Oakland Cemetery. Phoenix Flies, Atlanta Preservation Center’s annual celebration of historic sites, comes to Oakland on March 17 for an exciting “Geology in...

EAV Farmer’s Market Springing Back

By Katie Kriner East Atlanta Village (EAV) Farmers Market is a-springin' back up on Thursday, March 30, from 4:00pm-8:00pm. It will continue every Thursday 'til mid-November.  All your favorite farmers and vendors are back, as well some new faces,  live music, market chef with free samples, good vibes, all the...

Phoenix Flies Launches March 4

By Atlanta Preservation Staff Phoenix Flies 2023 celebrates 20 years that the Atlanta Preservation Center has brought together organizations and individuals from the community to demonstrate the value of Atlanta’s historic built environment. From museums to adaptive reuse projects, to neighborhood tours to public libraries, this year’s 90...

EACA Monthly Meeting Minutes – Thursday, February 14, 2023

Call to Order / Start Meeting Recording 7:00pm. January 10, 2023, Meeting Minutes approved. January 2023 Treasurer Report approved. Key January Events Recap – Chase Miller: About 30 people came to the MLK day of service to work at Branan Towers and two Neighbor in Need homes. We...

SAND Update – February 2023

By Kate Champion, SAND president SAND’s February 9 meeting was held in person with special guests, Council Members Liliana Bakhtiari and Jason Winston. You can find the questions asked and answered in the article below.  Several items of business were presented. The Ormewood Park Makers Festival will be held Saturday,...

GPNA Monthly Meeting Minutes – Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Call to Order–7:30pm. President’s Introduction. 2023 GPNA Goals: Website refresh - GPNA will finalize and implement the rebranded GPNA website. Sign toppers - GPNA will finalize neighborhood sign toppers project and implementation. Legacy neighbors outreach & support - GPNA will continue building on success from 2022. Community engagement -...

Madison Theater Participates in the GA Trust Historic Theater Tour 

Photo by Elena Kaplan Friends of the Madison Theater (left to right) include Stephanie Cherry-Farmer, Bill Gould, Jennifer Murray. Photo by Jenny Murry Stephanie Cherry-Farmer in front of the Madison Theater By Jenny Murray On February 11, the Madison Theater in East Atlanta was included in an “Historic Theaters Expedition”...

EACA Re-Launches the Friends of Brownwood Park Group

Photo by Patrick Cousins Park Pride, EACA and community leaders gather at Brownwood Park for a walk-through in January 2023. Left to Right: Michael Halicki, Executive Director of Park Pride; Ellen Bruenderman, Director of Community Services at Park Pride; Chase Miller, EACA President; Justin Cutler, City of Atlanta...

Council Member Liliana Bakhtiari Directs One Million Discretionary Dollars to Park Pride

By Nicholas Cappon Today, the Atlanta City Council adopted 23-O-1074, authorizing a contribution of $2.8 million in district-specific funds to Park Pride, with $1 million directly to park improvements and upgrades in Council District 5. “The health and vitality of a community can be measured by the growth and...

Legacy Neighbor Spotlight: James and Lillian Rowland

By Dee Dee Abbott Imagine buying a house in Grant Park for $450 down with a monthly payment of $57. This real estate reverie was a real estate reality for James Rowland. When James and his wife Lillian moved to Grant Park in 1965, there were only three other...