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Where Do We Go from Here? Sacred Memory in a Black Church Context

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Where Do We Go from Here? Sacred Memory in a Black Church Context WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? SACRED MEMORY IN A BLACK CHURCH CONTEXT A professional project submitted to the Theological School of Drew University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Ministry Advisors: Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson, Rev. Dr. Leonard I. Sweet David K. Brawley Drew University Madison, NJ May 2021 Copyright © 2021 by David K. Brawley All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? SACRED MEMORY IN A BLACK CHURCH CONTEXT David K. Brawley St. Paul Community Baptist Church, Brooklyn, New York Life is shaped by what we remember and what we forget. Identity is shaped by how we remember. This project examines a long-standing annual event at St. Paul Community Baptist Church of Brooklyn, NY, to ascertain its value and sustainability as sacred memory in the community. As defined in this project, sacred memory encompasses the community’s intentional, ritualized acts to recover, reinforce, and retain communal identity. St. Paul's expression of sacred memory called MAAFA addresses the trauma experienced by African- Americans from the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the residuals of slavery. With over two decades in our rear view, we explore the power of sacred memory within the context of a congregation deeply connected to its community’s needs and traumas. Beyond local import, MAAFA has been a template for congregations worldwide to address local needs through a decidedly incarnational ministry of sacred memory. We seek to discover, has a culture of sacred memory been thoroughly understood and established? Is the importance of sacred memory through MAAFA significant to the next generation? Do we see this ritual of remembering as an essential aspect of our identity? In short, "Where do we go from here?" To investigate this query, we administered a pre-survey to establish a baseline of involvement and understanding concerning MAAFA. This information was used to inform the curriculum for a three day mini-conference to orient new members and reorient veteran members. A post-survey was conducted to test the effectiveness of the conference and participant reactions. Responses were contrasted to the initial survey to measure the congregation's evolving disposition and understanding of MAAFA. Results showed that the congregation is committed to continuing the commemoration. We also discovered that the community is interested in a yearly pedagogical effort to deepen our institutional understanding of MAAFA as a sacred memory ritual. On this basis, our church is investigating new and innovative ways to continue our work in sacred memory in a decidedly digital world. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 CHAPTER ONE: LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING ........................................................3 FROM HYMN TO ANTHEM..................................................................................4 RENEWED RELEVANCE ......................................................................................6 VOICES AT THE VANGUARD .............................................................................8 FORGING PASTORAL IDENTITY .....................................................................11 MAAFA AS PASTORAL MINISTRY ..................................................................16 FANNING THE FLAMES OF PROPHETIC FIRE ..............................................19 CHAPTER TWO: STONY THE ROAD WE TROD ........................................................27 A HAVEN UP NORTH ..........................................................................................34 THE END OF CIVILIZATION..............................................................................42 CHAPTER THREE: FULL OF THE FAITH. ...................................................................54 CULTURE BIRTHED IN THE CRUCIBLE OF OPPRESSION ..........................54 BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH FORGED THROUGH SUFFERING ......................................................................................61 CHAPTER FOUR: DRUNK WITH THE WINE OF THE WORLD ...............................77 ADVISORY TEAM................................................................................................79 SANKOFA NIGHTLY PROGRAMMING ...........................................................84 POST-SANKOFA REFLECTIONS .......................................................................88 CHAPTER FIVE: TRUE TO OUR GOD, TRUE TO OUR NATIVE LAND .................93 ORIENTATION .....................................................................................................94 DISORIENTATION ...............................................................................................95 i A NEW ORIENTATION .......................................................................................99 IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE ................................................................105 THE MOMENT OF TRUTH................................................................................106 MY PERSONAL TRUTH ....................................................................................107 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................113 APPENDIX A: PRE-SURVEY RESULTS ..........................................................113 APPENDIX B: POST-SURVEY RESULTS .......................................................114 APPENDIX C: MAAFA RITUALS .....................................................................115 APPENDIX D: SOCIAL & NEW MEDIA ENGAGEMENT OVERVIEW .......122 APPENDIX E: 2020 SANKOFA CONFERENCE JOURNAL ...........................126 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................178 ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am fortunate to be surrounded by encouraging voices that have supported me while writing this dissertation. I want to acknowledge my mentors in this endeavor who have challenged my thinking. To Dr. Gary V. Simpson, thank you for your expectation of Black excellence. In the spirit of mentorship, you have placed demands on me that have caused me to grow. To Dr. Leonard Sweet, thank you for exposing me to the power of a story and the necessity of having a personal soundtrack. Without advice from this powerful tandem, I would not have arrived at this point in my journey. Thank You! I would also like to acknowledge my cohort; you have become a community of friends that have allowed me to think and imagine. To the Trustee Board of the St. Paul Community Baptist Church, thank you for your investment in my pursuit of self- improvement and academic attainment. To my research team, thank you for your partnership that made this project possible. To the Reverend Raymonda Speller, thank you for your editing expertise and brotherly support. Also, I would like to thank the St. Paul Community Baptist Church of Brooklyn, NY. This project reflects our journey together, what we have learned, and what we share. Thank you for your trust and your willingness to imagine together. iii INTRODUCTION In 1967 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community. Ironically and eerily, much of the subject matter of his last book before his untimely death is as relevant today as it was then. The subtitle suggests there are only two options for America: chaos or community. Dr. King's vision of the beloved community is rooted in the notion that America would need more than ratified legislation. King called for a radical redistribution of wealth and racial parity. Community, as King described, was full enfranchisement and economic inclusion in the wealthiest nation in the world. Put plainly, Dr. King was calling for an America beyond the rhetoric of change. As King has said, "the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice," suggesting that change is not an overnight occurrence but a journey. The power of sacred memory grounds us in our authentic communal identity and sustains us to continue the work for justice. Sacred memory can assist us in forming prophetic communities that fight for freedom. How can the community be formed or re-membered for African Americans after the trauma of slavery? What makes it possible for traumatized people to claim their voice and space? How can we express and fight for that freedom despite the effects of an imposed colonized mindset? One answer: sacred memory. Sacred memory goes beyond “good ol’ days” reflections. Instead, it is the community's act to remember a collective journey. America remains at the crossroads of change. For the oppressed and marginalized, sacred memory provides the space to shed the constraints of Black inferiority and White 1 2 supremacy, making change possible. However, without the recovery of a painful history, there cannot be healing. This project focuses on an expression of sacred memory embraced by the St. Paul Community Baptist Church of Brooklyn, NY, called MAAFA. With global implications for healing, St. Paul seeks through MAAFA to reorient itself as well as to recommit to and introduce a new generation to the work of sacred memory. In the pages that follow, we strive to assert the collective identity of St. Paul as a congregation called to share the power of memory with the world. In the spirit of sacred memory, I have framed each chapter of this writing with the lyrics of James Weldon Johnson's offering, Lift Every Voice and Sing. More than a soundtrack,
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