by Hollen Barmer and Amber Snyder (ed)

The Background 

Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the 214-year-old Citadel of Hope in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, hosted an ecumenical gathering on June 19 to emphasize the role people of faith must play in reparations as Bethel works to reclaim the land the city stole via eminent domain 65 years ago. 

Bethel’s current pastor, the Reverend Dr. Dale B. Snyder, Sr., said education had been a significant part of Bethel’s reparations efforts thus far. Since 2021, Bethel has been partnering with predominantly white churches to educate Christians in Pittsburgh through table talks based on the book Reparations by Duke Kwon and Greg Thompson. Members of those partner congregations–Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community, St. Andrews Lutheran Church, Sixth Presbyterian, First United Methodist Church, Pittsburgh Friends Meeting, and Sisters of Mercy–were in attendance and helped lead services and sessions throughout the day.

An honest reflection of June 19, 2022, at Bethel AMEC

On Sunday, the people of God gathered to worship, celebrate and reflect. “We joined our voices in song, and my almost two-year-old began his career as a pastor’s kid leading the congregation in dancing. I was thankful that over 100 members of predominantly white congregations chose to go outside of their comfort zone to attend worship at Bethel AMEC at 11:00 am and to build a relationship with the people of Bethel,” said the Rev. Erin Jones, pastor of Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community.

A sermon

Bishop Errenous E. McCloud, Jr. of the Third District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church preached from the first chapter of Habakkuk. Bishop McCloud drew connections between Habakkuk’s cries of, “How long, Oh Lord?” from his post at the watchtower and the systemic evils of white supremacy that manifest in gun violence, voter suppression, and control of women’s bodies by the government. 

“If you’re a good watcher, sometimes some of the things you see will make you angry. When you’re a good watcher, you will learn that sometimes you are not able to do something about everything you see. Watching will make you angry, and sometimes you may even cry,” Bishop McCloud told the congregation, concluding with a call not only to pray but also to vote. 

Annual Old Bethel Site Visit

The annual visit to Old Bethel is an effort to not only reclaim the land but also to seek repair for how the theft of that land continues to affect Bethel’s neighborhood and people today. With a promise from the Pittsburgh Penguins to fund pre-development efforts for vacant and blighted land around the current location, Bethel and the non-profit civil rights organization Color of Change are now negotiating with the Penguins to agree on a dollar amount for that funding. With the theft of the land, the community lost its center for community services, which included reading programs, the boy scouts, training programs, and a nurses guild. In addition, Bethel is working with the Sisters of Mercy to address the health disparities that plague the community. Together, the churches will establish a telemedicine program to address infant mortality and care for community senior citizens.

Therefore, the afternoon was spent with a bus ride down to the site of Old Bethel, hearing the stories of the Hill and our hopes for its future. We prayed together, a diversity of voices and traditions raised in unity, calling for repentance and repair. Then we returned to Bethel on Webster Ave, where we heard from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and AME Bishops about the importance of ecumenical and cross-racial engagement and how our faith calls us to the hard work of reparations.

We ended by hearing an update from Pastor Snyder. “We were encouraged to stand alongside Bethel as they continue to advocate for themselves and to help them find seats at the right tables,” said Rev. Jones. We know this is only one step in a long flight, and we hope this day gave us enough encouragement and connection for the next few steps together. 

View the service on Bethel’s Facebook page: https://fb.watch/dRCyYX65X-/

Contact information Bethelamepitts@gmail.com Phone 412-683-2160