Dear Great Nephew Baby Brooks (who is expected into this world right around Christmas):
Today is a day that will not be forgotten in the life of The United Methodist Church. This has been the faith tradition of the Ensley side of your family for more than 9 decades. Your Great Great Grandfather Ralph led the Methodist Church in Fieldale in hymns that praised God for all of creation at a time when people of what was considered the "wrong" ethnic background were being slaughtered around the world. Your Great Grandfather Gene risked his life in World War II to fight for those who at that time in history were deemed "unworthy of life." Depending on which historical accounts you read, that group of people included those of Jewish heritage, Polish ancestry, Chinese labors, people with disabilities and mental illness, homosexuals, and many other "labels." He came home to continue singing about a God who loves all people unconditionally. Your Great Grandmother still worships in that same church in Fieldale which now has members who are people of color, something that was unthinkable when your Great Great Granddaddy Ralph was leading the choir.
Your Grandfather Ralph served during the Vietnam Conflict. In his inaugural address, President John F. Kennedy pledged to "pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty." Your Grandfather voluntarily joined that cause. As your grandfather was coming home, I was about to become the first Ensley to go to integrated schools after the long struggle for civil rights in our country. Even now, your dad is serving to ensure a level of freedom and dignity for all people around the globe.
While I know my political views don't always agree with the rest of the family's, I continue to sing of a God who came into this world as a human to try to teach me how to love and respect those who walk along side me. I firmly believe in the teachings of our United Methodist tradition that I must live out my faith in all the actions I take in my walk along this earth. In doing that, I can't exclude anyone.
So that brings us to today. By the time you are old enough to read history books, you probably won't find any information about the impact that events of this day will have on The United Methodist Church. Yet, today will be a turning point in our denomination as a retired Bishop, the son of sharecropper parents (like your Great Grandmother) who spent three days and nights in jail with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. following a civil rights protest, blessed the marriage of two people who are deeply in love with one another.
This will be a turning point for our church. What I pray, Baby Brooks, more than anything is that you will be able to find strong, vital United Methodist Churches all around you as you grow up and that someday you will be proud to say your family was a part of helping The UMC live into being followers of Jesus Christ who have open doors, open minds, and open hearts to truly understand the mystery of God's love for all people.
With all my love,
Aunt Martha
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