Ken Edwards, Senior Pastor

Where do we see God at work? Where do we hear God calling us? Recently, one of our church members, Kim Hawkins, watched the nightly news of people protesting the building of mosques and Islamic centers in places like Antioch and Murfreesboro. The protests featured angry people whose fears are centered in misinformation and a lack of understanding. Kim began to hear God’s call to host a silent walk from Belmont to the Islamic Center to celebrate the 31-year presence of the Islamic Center in our neighborhood on 12th Avenue South. She shared this call with her Covenant Discipleship Group, which includes Reverend Linda Johnson, and then she made a call to Yousuf Ahmad, a young friend of the Hawkins family to see what he thought about the idea of an Interfaith Walk.

What happens when you hear God’s clear call to follow? Over 300 people might just show up at your house to help you! And that is what happened on July 19th at 6 PM when Belmont’s Community Center was filled with persons ready to walk as a witness to our unity, our shared heritage, and our concern for justice. People from all sorts of churches, from Congregation Micah, from the Islamic Center, and from all walks of life joined together to give witness to what has been happening in our neighborhood for a long time. What has been happening is that we have peacefully shared our lives in this neighborhood and we have grown in our awareness and appreciation of one anohter. We have done more than coexist here—we have come to celebrate the ways in which our lives have been enriched by diversity.

The Interfaith Walk was a powerful witness to the universality of God’s love. It was a great day for the city of Nashville. We are grateful for all who worked through the details of this event over a short two-week period. We are grateful for every walker and every volunteer. And we are grateful for the new friends we have made through this effort. So where is God calling you?