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Row

UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

IN THE U.S.A.
Office of
SYNOD OF INDIANA
eee Patras De 1138 N. ALABAMA STREET
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA 46202
Sentenber 19, 1963 Tel. ME. 5-4446
URGENT

Dear Pastor:

The National Gouncil of Churches has urged its member denomi-
nations to encourage each of its congregations to engage in a period
of silent prayer on Sunday morning, September 22, in order to intercede
for the families suffering the loss of children in last Sunday's
Birmingham bombing, and for all involved in the struggle for racial
justice.

You are urged to consider offering this opportunity to the
congregation you serve, and after the period of prayer, to ask them
to indicate, by card provided, that they will write or call Senators

and Congressmen encouraging support of strong Civil Rights legislation.

Sincerely,

a Veal goo Fee

John N. Fox

JNF smt

On Race Relations September 22, [963

This week six children were buried in Birminghan Alabama. |The place doesn''t

ig fepk : ~

matter - they were buried somewhere in the United Stetes ie young girls were
i — LT

—_—_—-

killed when a bomb exploded in the church where fhey were attending Sunday School.

A boy was shot down by officers of the law as heg ran away from an episode af

rock prrowing. [anorner young fad was shot through the head as he rode down the

sgreet on the handlebars of his brother's vicycte.\i wonder what this lad was

a

thinking about as the bulet ripped through his sku? + what's for supper? —

the arithmetic lesson? Let's not be too sentimental, however \these children got

—

what was coming to then.\ They were guilty: guilty of a gr ievieous offense — they

were biack.|But more than that, they had directly prompted the viotence they sa
a eae SE a

a
—

richly deserved because their race wants to be treated as every other human being

is treated in this great land of freedom, justice and equality. [out ity? They
Yow SEEPS

certainly were. \ihese niggers, as | hear them affectionately called, had the
a an

arrogance to not ask for, but demand thedA same rights as. _ you and | had bestowed on

racing, 4 oe,

us simply because we happened to be born inte the Caucasion race they were guilty
rr ee —

all right : guidty of wanting te be Americans: guilty oF wanting to see and feel

ee

and experience the freedom guaranteed them in the constitution: gut ly ef wanting

the equality that has been promised them by every politician from Thomas Jefferson

on down who needed their vote.

Theseg are serious of fenses.\atter all their skin ‘is dark. \lt's bad enought

¢eomemeatame ——r

that they are coiored differently: buf that they'd have the absurd audacity to

' . \> . : : +: ,
fhink America wes honest in these guarantees of freedom and justice: this fs a crime

punishable by death: death by bomb and shot gun blast.

Se niaaetaiaiiterem tenant. 5 :
A few congressmen, ted by Senator Hubert Humphery, have asked that this day
be a day of national mourning for those victims of Birmingham justice \ the
Natinal Council of Churches: The fake County Councli of Churches, the United

iS

Presbyterian Synod of Indiana and the Presby¢ery of Logansport have asked that

@ period of silent prayer be devoted ky flee events -— [as

week,

I've grieved all week: in fact 1 wept fast veoks| Hlysorron is for those

children ~ for their parents -— for the whole American: Negroe Race — for men so

consumed by their own hateed and madness that they've stopped being men in any

sense of the word.

But my grief goes even deeper. \ grieve today, bécause the same undercurrent

of racial hatred; the same basic motives, that when fanned by passion ignited

a fuse in a church, boil beneath the surface here in Byer: in my town: in my church,

— —y, —! tere

The same detached and distant atti tuude (1 don't think it's right to kiil em:

but they are niggers and they did ask for it: and besides what can | do") that

aka

today is in the minds of the white community of Birmingham; is present in the

minds af my congregation:=peoplte whom | have promised to try fo lead and guide

spiritually.
| grieve because [| know and you know that the town of Dyer has every

ale

ingredient to become another scene of overt hateed.\1 grieve that we are capable

of such hatred,

“herefort s ; .
1 must, in order to call myself a minister of thé church of Jesus Christ,

Ce

speak my mind to you, my congregation: and 1 speak to you as fellow Christians

by way of a three fold appeal.

Firstly | appeal to you as Americans: as citizens of the United States.

In the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are guarantees that every citizen of

this nation shalt enjoy a cerfain number of freedoms,\ Indeed the whole democratéc

alle i

ideal is based on the freedom and equality of every citizen. [You've heard this

before: the point | want to make is that when freedom is denied: we alf lose a

littie pit when justice is overlooked — just once~ the democratic hope and ideal

eam

suffers a staggering blow.

Sometime in the 1930's the first Jew was kilied iin germany. \sonet ine, someone
—r : re ren

wenf out and shot down a Jew - and the crowd cheered and spat out hatred: there

— EF

were eulogies, no doubt, and expressions of official regret ~ but nothing was dane:

public morality was not arroused. \At ter all it was just some smart Jew - and justice

¢

was overlooked. ]At fhat time in Germany, no one, not even Eichman or Goebells or

brine GE

Hitter himself would have befieved that in i945 therd would be 6,000,000

corpses and a tale of slaughtert that still can't be ‘fully comprehended,

Justice was overlooked just once: freedom was denied just once - at one fime: but

Leeann sl

a trend was started that evenfually erased fhe words freedom, justice and equality

from the German aind. \ wren a Negroe is denied the opportunity to be free:

fo ride on the bus with me: to eat beside me: fo go to school with me: to live

aie) one |

in my nefghborhood— the great overall concept of American freed is shaken,
ais,

?
Who'se to say then that some day Presbytertang wow? F be the hated minority: 4

What is there fo guarantee that my grandchildren won! t be denied their freedom and
hah atthe sin
(oewmee rats, ?
fan)

dignéty because they're Christians, or white or something elde?

RThe legal battle against segregation rages and will continue te rage for

i ER,

some time.\And it is sald by people on ail sides that you can't legislate morality.

Up until now we have shaken our heads and agreed; ("ves, that's right: you can't

force a man to love his neighbor.'"/Gut today [| say non ‘sense: | say that this is
* : a

just a convenient way of avoiding being called @ nigger jover.
ene —

What is the source of madralitye 14 there is such a thing as public morality:

a

where does it come fromé Who says it's bot right to! take narcotics? Who says

I
— _

| can have only one wife if I'd leke to heve two? Wine says [ can't kill my
' —

neighbor because | hate him? The [aw says. | the law creates a morality that tells

ied —-

us what is right and what is wrong.\1¢ the law of the land says everyman shall be

treated equally — and [| defie anyone to find if differently: then the law should

be obeyed: and when it is disobeyed if must be enforced. | the law can't enforde

eee]

love: but {t can estabfish a standard of morality that eventually will bring about

persona | noratity.\the law can't force you to love 4 negree: but then he doesn't

_ Ae ©
speciafly want you'r love: méaém All he asks it that you respect the laws, amd

—

nation and democratic ideals created by you and your forefathers. \Ané so my

first appeal is to fellow Americans: Americans who have had their freedom threatened
. rag

because it has been denied te our fellow citizens.
Hee ee amaiimmiaimmnas cil

o€ Dyer — whose responsibilty if is to maintain fhe integrity and decency and dignity

of their town,

My third appeal is to you as members of the First United Pfesbyterian Church:

a congregation of the United Presbyterian Church in the USA: part of the universal

Church of Jesus Christ: | a church that dares to cal! itself Hely and Univeral —

a

the Bady of Christ on carth.\ie hnow each ofher well in this chureh:\ 1m very

SE ne

much aware that a number of you, perhaps even a majority, don't agree with what I've

coids| know there are some who ate disagreeing as vehément ly as they can right

now. |1've been informed in very unsubtle ways, that i f negroes came to this church

1'd tose a jot of members: a lot of important members {t is diplomatically added. |

But if is fo_you that ? still must appeal.

We have set abouf here to be the church of @Jesus Christ -~ first and foremost.

We hope and have faith that our number will grow: that! soon we will be able to

build a new ediface and become an ever more effective servant of our Lord.| but

le? me say that, if to de this job, if in order to puij}d a succesful church, we

have to compromise and avoid touchy subjects — [ want ho part of init in order

—

to expand and build we have to stop being a true church, I don't think you want my

TT,

part of it \re what Is required of me to be a success fil pastor is a prostitution

of everything 1 believe | wili gladly preach in @mpty bhurch: and know af leas?

that | have been faithful to my Lord: whose church [ have promised to serve.

ale ini

a

Over the years the church has ste@ppped being the church and become a comfortable
sogtat—tnsttitutéen institution or club when it has backed away from the deep,

unpopular and explosive social issues of the dey. | The, church in Germany is

4 “
histories best examp|e.| Rather than stand against the evils of Naziism if chose

— mee

— eri

to remain sifent: and it silenced itself right out of existence. the church of

Jesus Christ® today is called by God - to be in the wor Id - doing his work —

———

reconciling men ta men — healivg the wounds of hatred that separate men.| christ

—-

did this: and this kind of work was no more popular in his day than tt is fn ours.
i
In fact socities answer to his efforts of reconciliation was a cross and death.

My second appeal is to you as citizens of Dyer: a community in the state of

Ingiane.\You and ! know that the time when a negroe family moves to Dyer is a

lot closer today than it was five years ago. \In may hot happen this year, or

in five or ten or twenty years: but if will happen: and perhaps those of us here
today will be among those who will have fo deal with: the si tuation.\ou and | kaow

that some time ago a negoe was prevented foom moving to Dyer: we know that should

a,

the situation arise today a strong combine of econom{c forces would do all in its

power to prevent such a nove: \we all know that should a negroe force his way in
all “

threught the courts, or sneak in by accident —- there could and tn all probability “°°!
be a veriatble explosion of hatred and resen?.\ My appeal then is to be prepared:
fo think about in now before it happens: so fhat when it does we will act

sensibly, responsibly, legally: \! appeal to you to think about it know: so that

when if happens we can prevent an episode that will hake us eternally sorry.

NA
‘if one moves in my property

The first fear of every community is economic:

value will fall down: if one moves in my nei ghborhood it will become a filthy
slum overnight". } Let me say that where this has happened it has been the fault
ens eneeene

of the resident white community and not the incoming: negroe \rime and time again
——

it has been proven that these fears, in situations $uch as ours, are absolutley

—e

unfounded. \proerty values decrease when a nei ghtborhood pantes:|when house after
—— _

St

house is sold in despararton, naturally the value of those houses will decrease

and continue to decrease as long as panic rei gns.|inen a neighborhood sits fight,

however,when it refuses to panic and sel) in desparation, property values do not

Se al

fait\as far as a negroe family dirtying up a neighborhood, fhis too is a figmant

of our fears, or perhaps a resulf of a trip through the siuns.\But the facts

iy
—

are that a lower income negroe, like a fower income whate, has no desire

fo own and five in @ home in @ suburban neighborhood} |nei ther do they have the
ere

resources to do so. |The family that moves in is one of stature and commensurate

education: a family very mugh like the other fami ties that ercable to Live in the

———t il

net ghborhood.\ ty appeal, however, is not fo sociolagical data : but to residents

—

His church can be and do no other than this toaay.| 1 if means public scorn, the

church , like its Lord must accept that scorn:| if it means suffering, the church must ,

—_. ———
like its lord gi tlingly suffer: \i¢ it means the dooth of a church fhen this too
we must pay :\for Jesus Christ did not stop short of death.

Christian responsibilty in this matter goes fur ther thak the responsibilty
of citizenship or residence in byer. 14 goes straight to rhe heart of the matter:

to our faith in Jesus Christ and in his church: to our responsibilty as Christians

oa eed

ta do what we know he woul d havews do.

Jesus Chris? died that men might know God's jover | and further ~ that they

might show God's love by loving each other. \this is ai sim le maxim: | know no other

Lena ene

way to say it: and with it t appeal to you.

Youngsters have died: but their death needn't be: in vain: if it has jolted

us ouf of our detached apathy: if it has forced us to rethink our posttion and

our responsibilty.
| conclude with words from the first letter of John to the early church:
‘We Jove, because he first loved us, if anyone says ‘| love God' and hates
his brother, he is a liar: for he who does not love his brother whom he has
seen, cannot love God whom he has net seen, And this commandment we have from
him: that he who loves God should tove his brother also. Amen
QO God, who art the creator of ail men: forgive our sins of hatred, prejudice,
and pride. Forgive us O Lord for the sins of apathy and unconcern. Help us,
we beseech thee, fo see our oneness with all men: give us the humility to
Stand beneath thee as children of one father. 0 LOrd we pray for the families
who grieve today in Birmingham. Ye near them in their sorrow: descend upon them
with the healing comfort of thy spirit. We pray oO Lord for those who have caused
this deed: for those who did it: for those who have cgndoned it: for those
who have sanctioned it by their silence. Bring teh grace of thine infinite love
to bear on their hearts and minds. Heal the cancer of ;hatred that resides in

their haerat. Help us all O L‘rd: for we pray in the | name of Jesus Christ:
who died for all men — Amen :