African Americans in GCx Churches

Welcome to De-Commissioned, a place for former members of the Great Commission movement (aka GCM, GCC, GCAC, GCI, the Blitz) to discuss problems they've experienced in the association's practices and theology.

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[Sassy]

Hi everyone!  I'm new to the forum.  I am an African American and want to find out if there are any others reading this board.  Careful, it's hard not to identify ourselves, since there were so few of us! LOL... Just want to say, I'm not bitter about GCI, just better now... I still have a lot of friends from GCI, since most of them left anyway.

 I have many humorous stories about my days in the church.  Maybe it's because humor is the way I handle life's hurts. 

One of my favorite sayings from the church is "sisters, GYH (guard your heart).  This phrase was given anytime you expressed an intrest in any man...(which for African Americans, were usually not in the GCI church)! 

[blonde]

I had a hard time being a white person in my all white church.  We had a few Asians, some from Korea, Japan, a few African Americans, but it was mostly all white, and I did not like the fact it was not more cultural.  Culture was not encouraged.  We were the culture of Ames, IA planted in Minneapolis, MN.

-Blonde

[ISU Alumna]

I never picked up on any negative vibes towards people of different ethnic backgrounds. Quite to the contrary, some church members tended to get so giddy about bringing people of color into the group, that they would say really embarrassing things like, "Just think of the inroads this will give us into the black community!"

I noticed that even though some African-Americans joined the group from time to time, they never stuck around for long. Maybe people just don't like being seen as "inroads." 

[Sassy]

  That's so funny!  Ok, I was actually part of the Maryland church which had quite a few African Americans from all of the other churches...True, not many stayed.  But there were a lot of really wonderful people, who loved God, and those of us who stayed, had our own "focus group"/"life-group".  The Maryland church was more diverse since they had an international group as well... most of them ended up with Hershel Martindale once that church split. 

In spite of all the things going on behind the scenes, I am thankful for all the scripture I learned during that time, which God still brings back to memory. 

[BTDT]

Hi, Sassy -- I was part of the Maryland church, too.  I'm not sure when you were there (and *no* pressure about revealing that, or anything else), but it seemed like a lot more African Americans came and stayed after Valley Brook had left GC.  I really enjoyed the added diversity of culture, worship style, and music.  And food! Between the potlucks, soul food dinners, and my housemate's jambalaya, my Midwestern taste buds got quite a treat.