I want to applaud the Lutheran Church and Canada Lutheran magazine for emphasizing clergy and bishops who are people of colour. When I was young, it was all white, so it is a big change for me. And it was meaningful to have Rebecca Wong highlighted in the July/August issue. While this is a crucial effort, it also could filter down into congregations, where patterns of classism and racism often unintentionally persist. I have experienced times when I sit down in a pew only to have the people there move as far away as possible. Coffee fellowship hour can be another painful time. After church service, people gather in familiar groups and I would have loved to be included. Instead, I was often the only one who would spend time with a member who was mostly deaf and lonely.
Within the dynamics of congregational life, sometimes immigrants are expected to do a lot of the physical work. One woman years ago told me she left the church because she was always being asked to help out and she just couldn’t do it anymore. Someone said she just could have refused, but it’s really difficult to say no to a pastor who represents God and whom we respect.
With numbers dwindling, I am glad the ELCIC is taking steps to broaden itself. May the work continue!—Phoenix Winter, Vancouver, BC
