Brother Love!

This morning I attended the Spangled Banner Church -- upon invitation. The Spangled Banner is a white-framed gem situated in the bend of a gravel road in Pace, Mississippi. The church sits on a picturesque seat canopied by huge old trees. I actually missed the church initially. The church van was parked in someone's driveway. It wasn't actually a driveway, rather the front on someone's trailer. I thought to myself, 'there is no way I'm going in if church is in this trailer'. Luckily, I man on the street gave me directions and it wasn't to the trailer. The church was much as I had imagined a small, black, country, Baptist church would be. The building was short and narrow with windows lining the longer walls. The initial white outside double doors led to a small foyer which proceeded another set of brown plywood double doors. Of course I got caught in the foyer during a prayer -- a small, black, country, Baptist church prayer. Fifteen minutes later the doors opened and I found my friend and colleague Mr. JR Love waiting in a pew for me. The story ends here -- at least the story of the Spangled Banner. The Spangled Banner is the third church in the Delta that I've visited. It's special, as all of the churches have been, but this story is more about Brother Love. JR and I are working on similar projects for the Institute for Community-Based Research. Six weeks ago one could not have convinced me I'd be sitting in the Spangled Banner with Brother Love. JR hails from rural Mississippi -- born and raised. He's a Mississippi State grad and, I think, a Republican. He's also white. And not 'down-with-the-homies' white either. One day at work, while we were talking about churches, JR mentioned the Spangled Banner. Now, in my mind I knew that sounded like a black church (and so do you) so I sort of snickered. He picked it up right away and acknowledged that is was indeed an all black church and he invited me. I didn't know how serious he was about the invitation but over the next couple of weeks he kept mentioning the Spangled Banner. He went to church on Sunday, sunday school, Wednesday night prayer meeting.... I kept thinking 'who is this white boy' and, simultaneously, 'how interesting'. Of course, he couldn't escape the wise cracks which is where he got the nickname 'Brother Love'. So here I am, in the Mississippi Delta, home of some of the nations most tension-filled racial relationships, attending this small, black, rural church with my brother -- Brother Love. How picturesque.