Building a Collaborative Community

Grace! Mercy! And Peace

Greetings  my brothers and sisters in Christ. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that “when we work together collectively, we are stronger than any nation on earth.” Several years ago while working on my Doctoral Dissertation, I was reminded of these words from Dr. King as I approached this process. I use these words now as a backdrop during this tenure as your Interim Associate Conference Minister.

This method of collaboration is nothing new. In our sacred text we are reminded in Genesis 1 that the Lord said, “Let us make humankind.” In this particular text we are informed that there is a Trinity associated with the creation of humanity, God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This, to me, represents the first form of collaboration and one that God intended for us all to model. We are also reminded in our sacred text in the book of Nehemiah in Chapter 2: 17-20, which was the foundation I used to build upon in my writing, that Nehemiah is urging the people of Jerusalem to see the conditions we are in and that God's hand is upon our efforts as he declares, “come, let us rise up and build.  The critical words in this text are the “let us,” which means, for me a spirit of collaboration.

In this present time I believe even more so than in the past, that there is a call for a collaborative spirit. This means all of us collectively working together to build up the body of Christ. We know that the body of Christ, like our physical bodies, has many members.  However, there is no superiority in these parts.

Many years ago, I experienced the misfortune of breaking my middle toe while trying to imitate John Travolta  in the movie, “Saturday Night Fever, on the dance floor.  I experienced a complete break in my middle toe which caused a tremendous amount of pain. Although it was one of the smallest members of my exterior body, I soon discovered the importance of it within the framework of my body.

One of the chief purposes of the little toe is that it gives balance to your walk and your ability to stand. I know that as an Association we are many parts and many committees and yet, we all play an important role in the life and breath of this Association.  As we have recently embraced our duly installed Conference Minister, I call upon all of us to begin the process of working together collaboratively. In this past year it has been my desire to bring about unity within our Association after a period of confusion and fractured perspectives.  But now is the time for us to come together, share together, work together and, yes, commit together to realizing all that God desires for us as we move into our future.

Finally, I pray that every congregation, every clergy, and every member of this Association will find peace in knowing that, as Nehemiah states in the text, by God's hands we will find our success.   

Rev. Dr. Edward Smith Davis

Interim Associate Conference Minister

Chicago Metropolitan Association

Illinois Conference