From Markus Grae-Hauck, Director of Music Ministries
If you missed the interfaith service on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, or if you just want to hear and see it again, you are in luck. Some of our intrepid technical wizards (including Jason Brome, Randy Crafton, Eileen Delahunty, Jerry Fried, Debbie Ann Tripoldi, and Rev. Scott ) have done great work to capture the experience. You can find the video at www.facebook.com/jasonbrome/videos/10156567578171104. Here is one of many powerful instants: go to 1:04:55 and watch the anthem “I Need You To Survive.” About four minutes into the song, people start spontaneously rising from their seats and reaching out to each other; and within another minute they are connecting across the middle aisle of the Sanctuary to sway and sing together for the remainder of the song.
Moments like this are not enough to bring about the Beloved Community that Dr. King envisioned – and let’s be very clear that they do not indicate that we have arrived. We have a long, long way to go. We need transformation at an institutional level, legislation, and much more in order to dismantle the systemic oppression that the White supremacy culture has perpetuated for so long.
And we need fuel to keep fighting. If we don’t sustain and feed our souls, we will burn ourselves out in the endless grind of working for change. On Sunday, February 16, 2020 at 4:00 PM in our Sanctuary, we are hosting our annual Interfaith Music Festival for the seventh time, and we are excited to welcome members from other congregations in and around Montclair once again. Come and be nourished! We look forward to being with you.