AUTHOR: ERWIN LOPEZ - PASTOR OF WESLEY AT UCF
Tonight is a special night as we premiere a video we made for our seniors. We love our seniors so much and are thankful for the many ways that they have blessed Wesley. They have volunteered their time to do the beautiful and messy work of the church. They have led small groups, preached sermons, washed dishes, washed feet, witnessed and performed baptisms, made friends, laughed and from time to time roast me. All of which I am extremely grateful for. They have taught me so much as a Pastor and I know that we will be friends for eternity wherever their paths lead them.
I felt that is was also necessary for me to write a post about our current times. Our videos are pre-recorded and we did not discuss George Floyd, the riots, racism, and our current situation in today’s video. I feel a bit ashamed because I was taught at Duke Divinity school the words of MLK, the ministry of Oscar Romero and have always been inspired by gospel leaders who speak against injustice.
This is why at Wesley we have spoken against racism every year, why we share a table with people of different religions, and why we invite all people into our space and most importantly our hearts. This is why the farmworkers fighting for equal pay have served communion in churches I serve and visit us at Wesley to remind us of the struggle of our time.
At Wesley we will continue to learn, grow, and preach against the sin of racism. We will encourage our students to take peaceful action and we will strive to continue to educate ourselves on how we can be allies.
On June 16 I will be devoting the entire service to the issues of racism. We will discuss it in such a way that we will honor our theme of unity, joy and creativity during this pandemic.
Make no mistake. We are watching. We are praying. We are marching. We are learning and we will continue to do so as we always have.
I hope you enjoy tonights service and join me in honoring seniors who are actively speaking against racism and doing everything they can to be a voice to our brothers and sisters in the black community.
-Erwin Lopez