Barbara Wankollie ’25
Being surrounded by people that share the same experiences, and are actively seeking solutions to solve social issues while promoting the importance of community, is always inspiring and a blessing to me. Today we had the honor of fellowshipping with the Liberty Grace Church in Baltimore. Going into this experience I expected to see all of the amazing work Mr. Terris King II and the Liberty Grace Church are doing in the Black community surrounding food security and the ecosystem, but what I was not prepared for was how passionate they promote community or what I assume after our meeting “Family”. There were two things or instances that I connected to on a personal level. The first was the bowling center in the basement of the church and the sermon.
Before worship, we were given a tour of the church. On this wonderful tour, Mr. King led us to a basement, and nothing could prepare us for what we saw. There was a bowling game room that was historically a meet-up point for Jews and Blacks during the ’60s in that area. This was a safe space where they could meet and commune together without restriction or fear. The church decided to renovate it and use it as a place where children or youths can come and be themselves and play without any insecurity. In Mr. King’s words, “Play is a form of resistance, if kids are not even given a space to express themselves freely, how can we as a community talk about freedom?” This was very powerful for me because these are “little” things we as individuals forget. Sometimes a little act of playing freely can mean so much more for our community than we expect. Being able to play without worrying about being harmed is a privilege that many don’t have, and the few that do should be thankful for.
The next thing that I connected to was the sermon. We visited the church in their time of mourning. They just lost their associate minister two weeks ago. The preacher’s sermon was mainly about the importance of community and how everyone is needed. Emphasizing the importance of checking up on others, we went through the service listening to how the departed (may her soul rest in peace) was so helpful in all departments of the church including the children’s ministry. One of the kids mentioned that there was nothing the deceased couldn’t do. She was always showing up for the church. This made me think of my Grand Aunt who just passed two months ago. She was a big part of my upbringing, she was a part of that space where I could play and be safe. She helped my mother raise me. This made me realize how important unity and care are in maintaining a safe community. Individually we are all important when it comes to maintaining our communities. It could be planting a tree, helping to cross a kid across the street, checking on the senior couple in your neighborhood, or listening to someone. Individually, if we care enough to do those “little” things, it could be a great step to something bigger.