Page 26 - July 2015 Catalyst

THE STATE PAPER REPORTS ...
By Joe Grimaud | Continued From Page 8
hearts, pain in our homes, but there is only one problem, “Evans told the thousands gathered at Williams-Brice Stadium for the opening night of a three-day crusade. “God has not been put in the proper place. Until we fix our foundation, we will forever be do- ing patchwork on our cultural wall.” Cru- sade Co-Chair, Joe Grimaud, estimated the crowd at more than 30,000, but other orga- nizers said attendance might have topped 40,000.
People streamed into the stadium shortly before 6:30 p.m. to hear Evans’ no-nonsense message: There is no eternal life with- out Christ. Evans blasted the established church for keeping silent on the sin of rac- ism. “Slavery existed in this country because of the Church of Jesus Christ kept silent and wouldn’t deal with it as a sin,” said Evans, who is pastor of one of the largest indepen- dent predominantly African-American con- gregations in the country. “Until you deal with it as a sin, you can’t fix it.’
To shouts of ‘amen,” and more than a dozen rounds of applause throughout his sermon, Evans said Christians need not abandon their diversity to embrace unity before Jesus Christ. “When we talk about unity, God is not asking you to become something you arenot,”hesaid. “Heisnotaskingblacksto become white and whites to become black.” But he said the story of Jesus meeting the Sa-
maritan woman at Jacob’s well illustrates how crucial it is to put spiritual needs before racial, cultural and class differences. Samaritans were considered unclean by the Jews of Jesus’ time. For Jesus to drink from her cup and of- fer her the living water of God was a radical act. But Evans said it is time Christians to become radical. “Some of you work next to a person who is culturally different from you, and you have never opened your mouth to tell the Good News,” Evans shouted. “How dare you?”
Before Evans rose to speak, Christian musi- cians Larnell Harris and Steve Green and the crusade choir warmed up the crowd. Harris and Green sang “Teach Us to Love,” which focuses on racial reconciliation. Singer Jean- nie Sharpe’s song “That We May Be One’ was written by Sharpe’s husband, Vance, as the event’s theme song. The Sharpes are local Christian music artists.
Evans praised crusade sponsor CityLight Columbia, an organization established last year to help develop seeds for new ministries in the city. “It is absolutely imperative to find a well to meet at.” Evans said “CityLight is Jacob’s well.” Mayor Bob Coble presented Evans with a key to the city, saying, “I feel the power of Christ in our city tonight.”
At the altar call invitation, several thousand people poured onto the field, leaving little
26 CityLight.org
July 2015