By Frank Ramirez
“What is it like to be Black and Brethren?” Robert Jackson asked the attendees of Saturday’s Multicultural Gathering and Leaders Luncheon, before answering the question himself. “Well, I like to say I was born Black and bred Brethren.”
Jackson was part of a panel who shared their experiences as multicultural members of the Church of the Brethren. He alluded to his earliest memories of attending church in Ohio, and described his experiences in the church over the decades–in many ways “the best of times and the worst of times.”
One of the best of times was an incident when he was young. He entered a bank in the company of a venerable Brethren elder. When a teller used the N word to describe him, the elder immediately withdrew both his and his company’s considerable funds from that bank and took them elsewhere, telling the bank president “what your teller called my son.”
One of the worst of times was an incident not so many years ago when someone who was Brethren used the N word to describe Jackson at a Brethren meeting.

One of the worst of times was being told in Sunday school that it was inappropriate to draw Jesus with an afro.
One of the best of times has been noticing in recent years that some Brethren churches include stained glass windows featuring a Black Jesus.
Jackson mentioned other “worsts” in Church of the Brethren history, including the difficulties faced by Samuel Weir in the 19th century and Mattie Dolby Cunningham in the early 20th century–pioneering Black Brethren ministers who encountered many obstacles. But Jackson smiled as he gestured toward the decidedly multicultural gathering at the session. “Seeing a room full of people of color” is a wonder, he said. “That that kid crying in the back of the church is now speaking up here today.”
Panelist Cesia Salcedo-Morrison, from Floyd, Va., serving the Nueva Vida congregation, likened her experiences to that of the biblical Ruth. “I think about her because she was different.” Salcedo-Morrison noted that Ruth honored and respected her mother-in-law, a basic tenet of the Panamanian culture where she grew up. She admitted there was some culture shock when she came to the United States.
“We Panamanians don’t see differences. We don’t see color. It was so hard to enter a room and to be looked at in different ways.” She appreciated the Church of the Brethren because she could be herself. Even though the style of worship at Nueva Vida might be different from other Church of the Brethren congregations (“We like to sing very loud. We like the drums.”) she was allowed to use her gifts. “So I was given the opportunity to be who I am by the Church of the Brethren. We all have a gift, no matter where we came from. I have been called to serve because this denomination seeks that.”
Panelist Ramon Torres from Traveler’s Rest church in Easley, S.C., wondered if he would be accepted into ministry because, despite his educational background, he had “no theological education.” And there was one other barrier to his entering into the ministry of a Church of the Brethren congregation. He told those who called him into ministry: “First you have to convince my wife.” His spouse had heard about the way other pastors’ spouses had been treated in other churches, and “it wasn’t good,” he said. He was glad that neither he nor his spouse had to meet the expectations they had encountered in other church settings.
He felt very accepted, and told those present, “Spanish is what you will speak in heaven.” He has learned, when it comes to ministry, “Just invite the Holy Spirit into the room and then stand back and watch it happen.”
Panelist Becky Zapata of Anaheim, Calif., is one of the pastors at Principe de Paz. Her upbringing and experience contributed to her concept of ministry. She listed four things that she loved about her Brethren experience: First, the privilege of being a part of the Church of the Brethren. Second, the freedom to worship God in my own way. Many heads in the audience nodded when she said that. Third, that there are places for her children and grandchildren to be active in the ministries of the church. Fourth, that over the course of her ministry, which began in 1991, “I never felt rejected. I’m so grateful to be an ordained pastor in the church.”
The event opened and closed with music from the Bittersweet Gospel Band. Annual Conference moderator Madalyn Metzger brought greetings as did general secretary David Steele. Steele also affirmed the work of new director of Intercultural Ministries Founa Augustin Badet, adding that as General Secretary he is committing to prioritizing multicultural ministries.
Badet, who shared that she is the first ordained Haitian woman in the Church of the Brethren, invited all attendees to ask themselves two questions: “Do we want to be multicultural? Do we need to be multicultural?” She added, “When we want something go for it. When we need something–it requires hard work. Together we can figure it out.”
#cobac2024