Mission: to Amplify Compassion by amplifying marginalized voices in our community, including those marginalized by their race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, or any others searching for equity. We will help challenge our congregation to amplify justice, mercy, and humility to create a more compassionate church.
Reflection – Pastor Cade
The other week, my wife and I drove to the outer banks for a vacation. As we made our way across the eastern part of the state, the sweet smell of North Carolina in spring was occasionally interrupted by the pungent odor of hog farms. While the smell was only a momentary inconvenience for us as we drove through these rural counties on the highway, I was reminded that somebody lives next door to these farms - whose view from their back porch is a lagoon of hog waste. Of course, such neighborhoods can be identified by racial as well as socio-economic trends.
As we made our way down highway 64 and passed signs for Princeville, I remembered how this town is a frequent destination for disaster response volunteers from North Carolina churches to clean up after hurricanes and floods. I always wondered why this town, so far inland, is hit so hard by hurricane damage. Learning about Princeville’s history as the oldest town incorporated by African Americans in the United States has helped me begin to understand this pattern. Founded during the Jim Crow era, it is no coincidence that this town, with its historically Black population, lives on land that sits below the flood plain. When the Tar River rises, Princeville floods.
Environmental stewardship gets national attention during the month of April. As Christians, our call to responsible stewardship of the Earth as God’s creation is clear. Sending volunteers to clean up after a hurricane is important and holy work – so is asking which groups of people are affected by our treatment and mistreatment of our planet and its resources. When certain communities are disproportionately affected by environmental tragedies and abuse, we have more work to do than just rebuild porches and muck out basements. When we do so, our service is a fragrant offering to our God that smells like justice.
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Join A Tu Lado - a ministry opportunity through the Migrant Assistance Project in which houses of faith partner with an immigrant family and walk with them on their journey through the immigration process in the U.S. If you are interested in joining an A Tu Lado team at Dilworth UMC please reach out to Pastor Cade for more information.
Suggested Resources
Join the Amplify Book Club for our study on “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Click Here to purchase a copy of the book, and please reach out to Pastor Cade to express interest in being part of this study (
cade.barefoot@dilworthchurch.org).
Are you interested in sharing a reflection in the Amplify newsletter? If you feel called to share a story, testimony, or devotion related to diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation, please reach out to Pastor Cade. The Amplify Team is open to all members who feel passionate about shaping our conversation and working for justice in and through Dilworth UMC. Please contact Pastor Cade to become a part of this important ministry.
