Black History Month invites the Church not only to remember, but to repent, to listen, and to see again. At the center of Scripture stands a God who does not look away.
“I have observed the misery of my people … I have heard their cry … I know their suffering, and I have come down to deliver them.” - Exodus 3:7
This is not a distant God. This is a God who enters pain, who stands with the wounded, who interrupts history with compassion.
Black spirituality was born from this holy interruption. From chains and cotton fields, from segregated streets and broken schools, a faith emerged that refused to surrender dignity. Songs became sermons. Tears became theology. The body became a testimony that said, “we are still here.”
The Civil Rights Movement was not first a political uprising; it was a spiritual awakening. The march was prayer in practice. The pulpit was for breath. The cruciform love was carried again in American history.
Leaders like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and John Lewis did not ask merely for inclusion. They proclaimed a Gospel that refused to separate salvation from justice, or faith from flesh.
To honor Black History Month faithfully is to inherit its holy restlessness, to become a Church that refuses to cross rivers alone, that carries the wounded with us, that remembers the past not to glorify it, but to keep it from repeating.
The Spirit is still calling. And the future of the Gospel depends on whether we are willing, once again, to step into the water.
Read this Soul Food article in its entirety.
Storyboard: Faith Witness Transformation is a podcast highlighting ministries across the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church that are transforming lives locally, nationally, and globally. Produced twice-a-month by EOC Communications, each podcast episode focuses on one of the core values of the #BeUMC campaign: Disciple Making; Belonging & Inclusion; Influence, Connection & Impact; and Experience of God through The United Methodist Church.
Episode 75 "Belonging & Inclusion: Embodying Black History Beyond February" is a conversation with Rev. Leo Cunningham of Toledo St. Paul’s UMC, Pastor Tennille Power of North Olmsted and Rockport UMCs, and Multicultural Ministries Director Will Fenton-Jones.
“This year I was thinking how do we slow down and ask, ‘How does Black History Month become more than just remembering the past but something that shapes who we are right now?’” Fenton-Jones shared.
“You start by acknowledging it (Black history) and bringing it to the forefront, by becoming a fabric of worship and liturgy for the year. That’s where it begins,” Power offered.
Cunningham said, “For me the Black Church has always been that we see the world for what it is, but we also see the world for what it could be, and we have hope that because of God, it’s going to get better.”
Listen to previous Storyboard podcast episodes.
View clergy and laity sharing their #BeUMC stories.
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung will host days in the districts in February and March. Participants at each gathering will connect around the Five Strategic Pillars of the Ohio Episcopal Area 2026 Missional Direction.
Make plans to attend whichever of these five days fits best with your schedule, even if it is not the day that will be in your district:
Western Lakes & Maumee River Districts
Saturday, February 21 @ Lima Shawnee UMC
South Forest & Hocking River Districts
Thursday, February 26 @ Zanesville Grace UMC
West Plains & Olentangy River Districts
Wednesday, March 4 @ Lexington Church of the Cross
Scioto River & Great Miami River Districts
Saturday, March 7 @ Resurrection Mason UMC
Northern Waters & Central Valley Districts
Saturday, March 14 @ North Canton Faith UMC
Clergy will gather at 9:00 a.m. for 9:30 a.m. worship followed by a Bible study led by Bishop Jung.
Laity should arrive at 11:00 a.m. for a training session on laity leadership skills led by Julie Carter, director of Faith Formation & Lay Ministries. Laity who will travel with their pastor are invited to the 9:30 a.m. worship service.
Clergy and laity will eat lunch together at noon followed at 1:00 p.m. by a discussion with Bishop Jung and Conference leadership around the Five Strategic Pillars of the Ohio Episcopal Area 2026 Missional Direction.Learn about Bishop Jung’s Days in the Districts.
Register for each of the Days in the Districts.
MESSAGES FROM OUR EPISCOPAL LEADER: Bishop Hee-Soo Jung is resident bishop of the Ohio Episcopal Area consisting of the East Ohio and West Ohio Conferences of The United Methodist Church. View Bishop Jung’s Soul Food messages to Ohio laity and clergy.
OHIO EPISCOPAL AREA TASK TEAM:
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung formed the task team of East and West Ohio clergy and laity to actively listen, discuss, and discern about forming a new, unified Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church. Learn more about the Ohio Episcopal Area Task Team.
UMC STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN: GCFA, Discipleship Ministries and UM Communications have collaborated to educate and resource churches about the positive impact apportionments make on how we minister to those in need. Learn about apportionments and the United In Impact campaign.
EOC STANDS AGAINST RACISM: Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, the Cabinet, Executive staff, and East Ohio laity and clergy are committed to stand against racism. Visit the Stand Against Racism resource page for small group studies, videos, podcasts, books, and more to learn how you can stand against racism.
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