The Sankofa Experience: Learning from the Past to Impact Present Systems (feat. Rev Dr. Kendrick Curry)

In this episode of "Around the Block with Pastor T", host Thabiti Anyabwile speaks with Reverend Dr. Kendrick Curry, pastor of Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., about the history of their neighborhood from the 1950s to the present. They discuss early church planting, changing racial demographics, and major social change in the area. The podcast aims to encourage more Christians to join God in the margins and do gospel work with people in vulnerable and neglected places. Listeners are invited to think about the history of their own neighborhoods.

The episode highlights the importance of understanding the stories that shape a neighborhood in order to effectively communicate the gospel. These stories are diverse and interlocking, operating on individual, organizational, community, and national levels to create the ecology of a neighborhood. Church planters and pastors must learn these stories to effectively engage with the community and share the gospel. Even faithful Christians must find ways to integrate the gospel into the neighborhood ecosystem. The gospel is not limited to the church but is present in the wider community, and Christians should be a visible presence in the support system necessary to show that they are the hands and feet of Christ. By incorporating the stories of a neighborhood into the articulation of the gospel, transformation can occur, and the hurting needs of the community can be addressed.

Pastor Curry emphasizes the importance of addressing not only individual needs but also larger systemic factors that impact marginalized communities. He believes that the church has a responsibility to use its system to bring about systemic change that enables all to thrive and prosper. The church should be a support system that undergirds and embraces the community, demonstrating that they are the hands and feet of Christ. Pastor Curry draws on his personal experience of growing up in Dallas and learning about the power of organized groups to bring about change. He believes that by systematically eliminating all reasons why individuals cannot follow Jesus Christ and live a kingdom life, they can live more abundantly without being associated with the greed and scarcity often found in marginalized communities. The episode highlights the need to grapple with the notion of systems and systems change in a self-conscious and theological way to address the larger factors that impinge upon the lives of individuals.

Pastor Curry believes that the church has a responsibility to use its system to bring about systemic change and improve the health and prosperity of communities. He emphasizes the importance of addressing issues of greed and scarcity that are often found in communities of color, particularly black communities. The church must systematically eliminate all reasons why individuals cannot follow Jesus Christ and live a kingdom life. Pastor Curry acknowledges that systems are a reality of life and that the church must contend with them in marginalized communities. He and other pastors at Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church have grappled with the notion of systems and systems change in a self-conscious and theological way, seeking to impact not just the needs of individuals but also the larger-scale demographic and social changes that shape local church ministry. They believe in creating a support system that undergirds and embraces the community to demonstrate that they are the hands and feet of Christ.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01:35] Neighborhood history and change.

[00:07:23] Living in a changing community.

[00:10:16] Racial reconciliation at Pennsylvania Avenue.

[00:16:41] Organized groups and systems.

[00:18:18] The church's responsibility.

[00:23:23] Sankofa and the Gospel.

[00:27:25] Boldness in sharing the gospel.

[00:33:29] Literacy and the Gospel.

[00:35:37] Wealth redistribution in society.