Waco Church Swap Tool Kit

Ramona Curtis and Mia Moody at the Fred Batts Leadership Luncheon 

Ramona Curtis and Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., presented the Church Swap Took Kit at the Fred Batts Leadership Luncheon on December 10, 2012. 

The presentation was a follow-up to the 2011 Church Swap during which the two joined several other community members in a racial reconciliation project titled, A Grassroots Approach to Dismantling the Most Segregated Hour in America. The project was funded partially by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Waco Foundation and the Waco Community Race Relations Coalition. 

The Church Swap tool kit is designed to help other organizations and institutions create dialogue among people of all races using a church swap. It describes a grassroots approach to dismantling the most segregated hour in America. Its contents may be modified and adapted to meet each group’s personal needs. 

The Fred Batts Leadership Luncheon is a forum that is held every Monday at noon at the Bledsoe-Miller Recreation Center. It is coordinated by Commissioner Lester Gibson and his wife Coque Gibson. 

Visit the tool kit by clicking this link: http://hewitttx.wix.com/churchswap. For more information, e-mail Ramona_Curtis@Baylor.edu,  JoWelter@egm-tech.com or Mia_Moody@Baylor.edu. 

Church Swap Update

By Bob Province

A. Wednesday, May 4

1. Attended bible study.  We studied Daniel 12.  Had a visiting minister there who added at lot to the study.

B, Thursday, May 5

1. Attended Methodist Men meeting – several scriptures were read.  They had a regular business meeting mostly involving things they were doing for Bracks.  They are still trying to fix things caused by the recent break-in.  We then discussed current local and world events and how they call Christians to action.

C. Sunday, May 8

1.  Attended Sunday School – difficult lesson built around Revelations 4.

2. Church – had a good crowd for Mother’s Day.  Many stood and praised their mothers.  At the National Day of Prayer service Thursday at First UMC they passed out wrist bands that said “God Is BIG Enough”.  I brought some to pass out at Bracks.  Everyone seemed appreciative.  The pastor preached from Matthew about the woman coming to Jesus about demons in her daughter.  Jesus said he came for the Jews but the MOTHER persisted and Jesus healed her daughter.

Passover

By Bob Province

A. Thursday, April 21

1. Attended Maundy Thursday service.  I sent pictures earlier.  Corliss McBride, a church leader, went to great lengths to show us a Christian Passover meal and service.  She had a Jewish meal consisting of lamb, carrots, salad, matzah and haroset.  We followed the service according to the program that comes with this.  Very, very impressive.

B, Sunday, April 24

1. Easter Program – No Sunday school today.   They had an Easter Program put on mainly by young adults, teenagers and children.  It included a dance performed by children and then a play that included the rest.

2. Church – We had regular church service after the Easter Program.  Had a much larger crowd than usual.  Everyone was in high spirits and full of thanksgiving and praise for God and for the Resurrection.  Someone(s) broke into the church Saturday and did a lot of damage.  Broke a lot of windows and doors and stole the money collected at the Good Friday service.  We prayed for those people.  They had an Easter Egg hunt after the services.

Easter Sunday

My family and I went to our church home this Sunday to celebrate Easter. My sons had speaking parts in the annual Easter program. It was very nice to see everyone. Many people thought we have left Antioch forever. We explained to them that we are participating in a church swap.

We are also making good friends at our temporary church. We discovered  that several of its members have children at our sons' school. This became apparent at their Easter party where we saw two members of our Sunday School class. That was a pleasant surprise.

We are looking forward to going back next Sunday. So far, it has been a wonderful experience.

Church Swap - Second Visit

Our second visit provided a more realistic preview of our new church. We were able to hear the pastor preach and to go to the Sunday school class for married couples our age. We really connected with the members of this class who are very friendly and outgoing. The Sunday School teacher focused on the history of Israel and connected it with what is going on in the region today.

One of the major differences in this church is the number of opportunities offered to fellowship as a couple in small groups. On Sunday evenings, members of our Sunday School class have a potluck dinner, while our children attend a class at church. In addition, each month, college students offer babysitting on Fridays. This is a great idea!

We enjoyed the sermon, which addressed sin. The pastor discussed the importance of striving to do the right thing, but said humans are programmed to fail. However, when we sin, it is important to get back up. He used an analogy of a baby learning to walk, falling, and getting back up. It is important never to give up.

The music was awesome this week. The choir this Sunday included an orchrestra and percussionist. It sounds great!

--Mia Moody

Church Swap: Our First Visit

Be the change you want to see in the world.

                                             ~   Gandhi

Perhaps the scariest part of our visit to a new church was driving up to First Baptist Church of Woodway. I was overwhelmed by the size of the building; however, once we got inside, members were friendly and welcoming.

We met the pastor and many other people who welcomed us.  We didn’t get to witness his preaching style this week. He discussed the church's outreach efforts, which include donations to Haiti, Cuba, Japan and Chile. They are contemplating starting a local Hispanic church, which sounds very promising.

My sons, who were against switching churches, loved it. They saw several of their friends from school and really enjoyed the church’s Sunday school class. William even announced that he would love to join the church.

There are several changes worth noting. The choir’s singing style was very different. However, I found it relaxing. Perhaps the biggest difference in congregations is size. FBCW is perhaps 20 times larger than my church home. However, I see many opportunities for small group experiences.

My family and I enjoyed the first chapter of this adventure. We are off to a good start!

Let the Church Swap Begin

The Waco Church Swap officially begins today. I am a little nervous. However, my nervousness stems from going to a different church rather than from going to a church with a predominantly White congregation. I am accustomed to being one of the few black people in many situations. In fact, one of the reasons I chose a predominantly black church was to expose my children to some diversity.

I believe this project is very important because change should begin in the church. For the most part, society is desegregated everywhere else, including schools, jobs and neighborhoods. There is no reason for the 11 a.m. hour to be the most segregated hour there is.

My children were perhaps the most resistant to this church swap. Like me, they love their church family, and they did not want to leave it --even for three months. I stressed to them the importance of being a change agent. And discussed the fear the Little Rock Nine felt integrating schools in the sixties.

To alleviate their fears, I let my oldest daughter choose the church we will be visiting--First Baptist Church of Woodway. It has a very active youth department, and they are very excited about that. My husband is probably the least nervous. He joined my church last year, which was a “church swap” of sorts for him. He has always attended a predominantly white church. He made the adjustment very well, and has taken on an active role at our home church--Antioch Baptist Church Waco.

I will keep you guys posted as we embark on this adventure!