Joe Clifford, Myers Park Church pastor in Charlotte, North Carolina, former pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas, and member of the Austin Seminary Board of Trustees, understands the impact acts of violence can have on a community. He witnessed such an ordeal this past summer, when five police officers were killed in Dallas, Texas, by a sniper. Clifford was tasked with helping the community respond and talked with The REED about how individuals and groups can come together in the wake of continuous acts of violence that fuel fear and dissention among us. In such senseless moments, Clifford offers hope and definition on how we may all unite.
Note: Clifford's last month on the Austin Seminary Board of Trustees is in November.
The REED: What role does the church play in a situation like the recent Dallas shootings?
Joe Clifford: Situations like the shootings that took place in Dallas leave us feeling vulnerable. In our vulnerability we can become fearful. Fear has a way of mutating into anger that can divide us. One of the great ends of the church is to work for the reconciliation of the world. So the church is called to bring the community together. In the midst of our vulnerability we turn to God to find our comfort and strength. In coming together, we discover our kinship in the family of God. Together, the community is stronger. The church can facilitate this strength.
TR: Where do we find God in a time when violence and tragedy seems to be in the headline news daily?
JC: We find God is the goodness we see in the midst of such violence and evil. We find God in a mother who lays down over her sons to protect them from a shooter. We find God in the police officers who, in turn, lay down on top of her to protect her. Greater love has no one than to lay their lives down for another. When we do that for each other, we see something of the Divine. We see God in the responses of love, in the passion for justice, in the beauty of tears shed in sorrow. And we see God in the new life that comes on the other side of these crosses we endure.
TR: How were you directly involved in working with the community after the recent shootings of officers in Dallas?
JC: At about 2:45 a.m. the morning after the shootings, Mayor Mike Rawlings reached out and asked me to coordinate a multi-faith prayer service. Because of my involvement in "Faith Forward Dallas," a multifaith organization in the community, I was able to have speakers for the service in place by 7:30 that Friday morning. In addition, I was asked to help coordinate a community choir for the President's Memorial Service. Again, through established connections in the Christian and multi-faith community, we were able to get that done in a timely manner.
TR: What advice or words would you give to the Austin Seminary community and beyond as they work through a period of turmoil, and the emotions surrounding it?
JC: Build your relationships before tragedy strikes. They need to be there when the time comes. Then you are working with friends, not strangers. Relationships born of the tragedies seldom endure. But when you call on a relationship in the midst of the tragedy, then going through the dark times together strengthens that relationship and enables you to build upon it in the ongoing work of reconciliation, peace, and justice.