Service Culminates Wawasee Cares Week

SYRACUSE - Performing on stage with a large crucifix behind them and a crowd of 120 people in front, the band "Real Life" kicked off the Wawasee Cares community church service Wednesday night.

The band, composed of local youth, performed eight songs for the crowd. Songs performed included, "Message of the Cross," "I'm Unworthy," "Forever Lord," and "Angel."

The church service was the final part of Wawasee Cares week. The purpose of the week was to give the community an opportunity to support the Amy Vanlaningham Society's commitment to eliminate misunderstanding, confront hatred and advance the best ideals of a truly democratic society. A march was held over the past weekend.

"It went so awesome. The rally went well," AVS member Kristi Brandon said about the march and rally held Saturday.

Brandon said approximately 150 people participated in the rally. She also said that the week is just a part of what AVS hopes to do over the years.

"Everyone's supportive of what we're doing, especially my mother. She's been running all kinds of errands," Brandon said. "It went better than I expected. I think God had a lot to do with that."

Alena List, AVS member in charge of the church service, said, "The Wawasee Cares Community Church Service is to further unite the community.

"I think it's gone wonderful. It's exciting for us to see people take ahold of this. We've been very pleased with the turnout."

The local theatrical group, "Comedia Nouveau," performed after "Real Life" sang their last song. The group is made up from youth from various churches in the area. Their three skits were abstract interpretations of the Bible and modern problems. The message was one of peace, joy and love overpowering anger, fear and sorrow.

List then introduced the first guest speaker, Ken Shipp, a group development manager at Zimmer, who made some observations about recent events.

"I'm a little black kid that grew up in the inner city of Chicago," Shipp said.

He said he went to a college preparatory high school. He then received his bachelor's degree from Georgia Tech in mechanical engineering.

"In my 12 years of living in Kosciusko County, I have encountered individuals who were surprised to hear about my background," he said.

Only through building relationships can prejudice be eliminated, he said. Those relationships must be with one's fellow man and with God.

"It's easy to hate a mass of people you don't know anything about. It's harder to get to know people as individuals in that group," Shipp said.

"As a black man, I have two choices. I can either say the system is biased and prejudiced. Or I can be introspective and look at myself and say I could have been better. White people have a similar choice. They can blame losing a job to a black man on affirmative action or say that they could have been better prepared," he said. "God loves us in spite of our faults."

Shipp then related the story of Joseph from the book of Genesis to the crowd.

"Though Joseph had many ups and downs in his life, he won because he had Jesus with him."

Shipp introduced Pastor John B. Lowe, the other guest speaker and Shipp's pastor.

Shipp began his message by asking the crowd to think about who was their neighbor. He said too many people consider their neighbors to be the people who look like us, have the same amount of income or drive the same kind of cars.

"It's easier to love people who are like you," Lowe said. "Real Christianity is proved when you love someone who hurts you."

Lowe then challenged the youth and adults in the crowd to get out of their comfort zone whenever they grouped together.

"I challenge you when you gather together, don't sit by your friend," he said.

By sitting with someone different than the familiar, Lowe said, people will get to know others more. He said that was important because the American scene was changing. Heritages have been mixing and people must get used to that.

"One of these days in America, we're going to get to the place where we'll admit that we have some 'brother' in our heritage," he said. "There's only one race, the human race."

Lowe concluded by talking about how America was a country of immigrants. He said feelings of prejudice against people who were different are deep, but at one time, we were all people of other countries who were rejected.

"There's nothing more American than opening your heart to someone who's been rejected," Lowe said.

"We are the United States of America. The pilgrims were rejects, exiles. It's the American way."

Lowe received a standing ovation from the crowd after his message.

After the service was over, Brandon said, "I think it went really well. It was really moving."

List said, "God really was here and it had an impact on everyone who was here."