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A black church went in search of a white church to talk about race

Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com
By Rosalind Bentley
July 21, 2017

Pastor Lee Jenkins of Eagles Nest Church in Roswell wanted to find some way to engage white Christians about race.

As police shootings of African-Americans seemed to grow in number, he heard other black pastors talking about race, but he heard nothing from white pastors. It struck him as wrong.

So, last summer, Jenkins invited clergy from majority white congregations to to his church to learn about African-American history and to talk about what would be required to heal one of the nation's oldest wounds.

He thought it would be an open conversation, not an easy one, but one of good will.

“It was, ‘They deserved it.’ ‘If liberals didn’t do this.’ ‘If the last eight years hadn’t been that,’” Jenkins said. “Their hearts weren’t broken. I was just discouraged.”

But Jenkins thought there was a seed that could grow and flower if he found the right partners.

Then he met Lisa Harding and Matt Miller, pastor of Roswell Community Church. Meet all three and many others in our special report.

About the Author

Rosalind Bentley is an award-winning feature writer focusing on culture, arts and sometimes food, as they are expressed and experienced in Atlanta. She is a two-time James Beard Award finalist and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Follow Rosalind Bentley on twitter
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