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July/August 2004 |
First and goal to go
By Lori Crantford
Indiana's Bishop Woodie W. White is an avid Colts fan.
With his retirement as Bishop of the Indiana Area coming up in August along with his pending move to Atlanta, White is candid about what he may miss most of all - his season tickets to Indianapolis Colts games.
If you spend any time talking to White about his life, you come to understand that perhaps his love of Colts football isn't all about the sport. His life seems to embody that all-important field position in football - first and goal to go.
In his 68 years, White has pushed his way through many third-down conversions to keep moving ahead toward his goals, both personal and for the church. While his lists of first downs is impressive, it is the quiet strength radiating from him that gets and holds your attention.
He grew up in Harlem, New York City, the oldest of seven children. While in high school, one of White's closest childhood friends died of a drug overdose. He was a young black man with a positive attitude during a time when being a young black man with a positive attitude was extremely hard: the 1950s and '60s. In a Feb. 1, 2004 Indianapolis Star article by John Shaughnessy, White states "In black families, you were told that if you're going to have opportunities, you're going to have to work twice as hard and be twice as good . . . it was a time when you didn't make excuses. There were no excuses for being poor, for being black. Neither of my parents finished high school, but we were expected to read, learn and all the rest."
He graduated from United Methodist-related Paine College in Augusta, Ga., as senior class president and valedictorian. Having chosen the ministry as his vocation, he went on to earn his Master of Divinity at Boston University School of Theology.
It would be during his time as a young pastor in Detroit in the 1960s that White's quiet strength and positive attitude would be severely tested.
In 1963 at age 27, White traveled to Jackson, Miss. with two white pastors to peacefully participate in civil-rights demonstrations. While there, he, a white pastor and a white layman attempted to attend a Methodist Church service -- and were arrested because White was African-American. The congregation was white. The three of them were jailed, where White said he experienced the most frightening part of the event: separation from his colleagues as they were taken to the white section of the jail, he to the black. "Jail was very scary," he remembers.
When asked "Do you remember the charges you were held on?" White smiles in a way that tells he never forgets. "Oh yes. Number one: Trespassing. Number two: Disturbing divine worship." There was a thousand-dollar fine associated with each charge, so $2,000 times three equaled $6,000 that had to be raised back in Detroit before they could be released. It took three days to get the money to Mississippi and for them to get out of jail.
In a definite God-thing experience, 30 years later White coincidentally was invited to preach as a bishop at the very same church he had been arrested for trying to worship. The pastor and people of the congregation had no idea of those circumstances, and White chose not to mention it to them.
That arrest and jail time was a pivotal third-down experience for White. He could have dropped the race reconciliation ball right there, turned it over to the other team and let them score. He chose instead to continue heading toward the goal. Breaking racial barriers and forging bonds between blacks and whites has been a lifelong endeavor.
Making bad situations good
"When I was a teen, I became a member and then the vice president of the New York Chapter of the NAACP Youth Council. Even as a teen I was interested in constructive ways to encounter prejudice. I also met good role models in the area of race. I don't think I knew it then, but they would be impactful. My godfather was probably the single individual who helped me look critically at race. He played a pivotal role in looking at the issues and getting me to ask myself 'how can I make a difference?'"
He specifically made a difference in the 1,300 Indiana United Methodist churches he has served over the past 12 years as bishop. On a global level, he enrolled both the North and South Indiana conferences in his dream of making a difference at Africa University.
What would be their greatest need? Dormitories - that they had the capacity to educate more students but no place to house them.
"So I came back to Indiana and asked the conferences to raise the money for one dormitory each, and they said 'yes.' The people were so generous with their support that instead of building two dormitories we built four. It's one of the things I'm most proud of during my time here."
A travelin' man
On the Hoosier front, White has been a travelin' man, making the rounds of United Methodist churches throughout the state and making a difference. "I think that, while not a goal per se, I've broken down a lot of fears and anxiety where people all across the state have never had personal contact with a person of color. In many rural areas, a child can go through his or her whole public education experience and never see a person of color. Then here comes a black Bishop - a person of color AND prominence.
"I've been to their churches, eaten with them at potlucks, visited with them. I've been able to move in and out of these communities over the years … people begin to question their attitudes and prejudices and break down their feelings."
White leads by example, however, not by sermonizing. "I have a strong sense that a bishop is to be a spiritual leader of the church. You might be surprised at what I say now, but I have not really talked about race when I go into these churches. Instead I try to find common ground, speak to the hungers of the people and reach a deeper level. People expect me to preach about race and are surprised when I don't. I try to be a spiritual leader - there are hungers that transcend race and I've intentionally tried to be a Bishop who happens to be black rather than a black Bishop. I think when people think of me they first think of me as a Bishop, then maybe black or from New York. What makes you you is the sum total of your character."
White says he sees progress on both the national and local levels of The United Methodist Church - after all, when he became General Secretary of the Commission on Religion and Race in 1968 the entire denomination was segregated. There were white conferences and black conferences, white youth units and black youth units. Great strides have been made. "We have more Bishops and District Superintendents of color, more African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans. I don't think we've done as well in helping members confront their feelings and attitudes. We also continue to be challenged in trying to appoint pastors across racial lines."
Bishop White sees the next phase as helping people live together in the same church. "It's still true that 11 o'clock on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the week. Church is still the most segregated entity.
Well, how come? "Two factors: first, our culture plays a significant role. There are indeed black and white religious experiences and traditions. Second, church is voluntary, wholly voluntary. And there are still churches that are not welcoming to blacks - you might be surprised at how many. So a black person says, 'Look, I have to bump against racism six days a week, but not seven.'"
As he looks ahead for the church, White has two major concerns. "Next for The United Methodist Church is to get through this challenge regarding homosexuality. We need to find a way to do that." And his greatest disappointment has been lack of growth in The United Methodist Church. "Evangelism is my passion - to present the Gospel so people can see it and accept it and become part of the church. Our church numbers have been declining for 35 years. My hope and dream is one day we will come to the close of a year and not report losses."
God's will is now taking Bishop White to Emory University to teach. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity to engage and inspire students, to be part of a faculty." When classes start in September, back here in Indiana we expect to hear stories about our former bishop who stepped to the lectern, not in suit and tie or clergy garb, but in a Colts jersey, ready to teach open minds about the importance of first and goal to go.
Lori Crantford serves as director of communication at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis.
Last updated on July 09, 2004