Currently living in the city of Atlanta Georgia, I am a native Californian. At a young age, I was introduced to pastoral care. My grandfather enjoyed a prominent position as an elder in the Baptist church. He would visit his members on a regular basis. He was the one who actually introduced me to learn about pastoral care as a PK. The basis of Pastoral care, as exemplified in one's treatment of the neighborhoods, grew out of the theological commitment as demonstrated in one's love for God’s people. I believe that my interest in pastoral care is a call from GOD and ought not to be under emphasized. This exceptional call from GOD not only gives legitimacy to my ministry as a profession but also offers credibility of work. In my humble opinion, the starting of all ethical behavior is brilliantly reflected in the verse: “Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that women/men should do to you, do you even so to them; for this the law of the prophets”. This verse is a direct reflection and lesson for people telling them how they should act towards their fellow human beings.
Ministerial ethics is directly related to my life as a minister and allows me to focus on my professional relationship with other ministers. As a minister, I feel that one must flaunt his character and knowledge before the people he serves or the congregation under his care. An individual who talks down to people and is insensitive to their needs and feelings will probably display the same arrogant attitude towards GOD. Even though ministers are required to treat everybody right, they are also desired to remain sensitive in their professional and personal dealings with each other. Several spheres amalgamate when ministers carry out their business work and transactions. Certain situations may develop among clergymen that must be handled with special skill and awareness. It is at this point that a codified set of ministerial dos and don'ts, as they relate to an ethical code, has its meaning. Considering it, people having the same calling, sharing the same faith, and facing same kinds of struggles ought to develop a sense of fraternity and brotherhood. Preachers have a lot in common. Therefore, there ought to exist among them a certain affinity and a certain willingness to help one another. ITC covenant, thus, creates the spirit of sisterhood/brotherhood, professional courtesy, and respect.
Without any doubt, I am extremely enjoying helping people in Africa. It helps us in understanding how religion works in this region. In addition, we get to know how many societies share some common religious beliefs. In fact, nearly all worldwide communities enjoy a rather common unification factor. Religion is known to be the most collective element to unify people. With this in mind, the attribute of religion among the black people is worth mentioning. To be precise, we need to investigate its origin and what does its study encompass. Generally, the commencement of the African American religion is dated to the period of slavery in the 18th century. Most of the studies I conducted made me realize that the foundation of the African American churches is largely associated with the high levels of racial segregation in the earlier centuries. Specifically, the start of those organizations was a form of escape from racial discrimination experienced by them from the white supremacists.
After reading Edward P. Wimberly’s African American Pastoral Care, I understood how pastoral care and counseling may help African Americans through the adoption of a narrative methodology. In addition, they could be counseled by linking personal stories and the pastor's stories. Fortunately, I was able to use God's unfolding drama to bring healing and reconciliation to many human lives. Furthermore, I got to know how demonstration of care can be shown through storytelling. In fact, the same strategy is widely used by the Black church.
The United States’ Pledge of Allegiance states, “I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all”. However, how many people really believe in this pledge? Liberty means freedom, liberation, and right, whereas justice means fairness or impartiality for all Americans irrespective of their ethnicity. I believe that it is the high time the government revisit this pledge just to get a reminder that our county was built on the principle of equal opportunity. Even though the county was divided by races during that time, the government made sure to use some of its power to help African Americans. People were tired of the mistreatment so they organized in the 1940s. Regrettably, this struggle with segregation was attacked in the neighborhoods and in the court system. Unfortunately, African Americans are still struggling for equality and fairness receiving just a little help from the government.
The term 'Pastor` is a title known to most people in the Western culture. In the same connection, the terms ‘pastoral care’ and ‘pastoral services’ are not restricted to the religious world in the contemporary times. Still, attaining the true meaning of 'Pastoral` can often be misinterpreted; and, particularly so, within the precincts of the Christian church. The paper will be structured to provide a balanced appraisal in which each side of value or difficulty will be considered. Personal pastoral experience, biblical principles, and recent observations will be combined together for a comprehensive evaluation. Black self-contempt seeping into African American culture is irrefutable, as is the fact that it is misconstrued, unchallenged, and undervalued. The unparalleled intense emotion of internalized self-hatred currently plaguing the minds of numerous Blacks is not an ordinary phenomenon developed from centuries of evolution. It is not a nameless occurrence empty of a coherent justification. It is simply the consequence of an intentionally condemned system of suppression and control. An enormous scheming method used for preserving the present grand image of society. Oh, what treacherous lengths has America traveled to conceal this horrific secrete. As the privileged class continues to define normality through mass media, African Americans are unconsciously forced into lives cloaked with self-hatred. Keith A. Robert & David Yamane offers us the different dimensions of religion and life in chapter 5-g and share their viewpoints concerned with the many aspects of how cultural society is composed of many different stages - good and bad. Therefore, the church, family, friends and cohorts help shape a person in the church who may be struggling in his Christian growth. Many novice and veteran Christians are concerned with what God has done and can do to help them with certain situations. These concerns can often relate to sickness, hunger, death, family, crime, education, and spiritual growth. The authors provide examples explaining how both parents sharing a same religious faith may help the children in becoming more religious as compared to parents belonging to different religions. Most of us are influenced by societies. We believe in the moral self-government of a rationality of enlightened individuals. We cannot count the enormous contributions made by African Americans for the global solidity. Black Americans are innovators in many areas; music being just one of them. In the book, The Black Church in the African American Experience, Eric Lincoln and Lawrence H. Mamiya tell the readers how American music was derived from the Black culture. This book also discusses how African Americans originated various kinds of music, spirituals, gospel, blues, ragtime, jazz, rock and roll, and soul and rap. Many different creations of the music world have derived from the Black culture. In addition, music has played and an important role in the elevation of the Black Church.
Bibliography
Wimberly, Edward P. African American Pastoral Care. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991.
Ehorn, Lee Ellen., Shirley J. Hewlett, Beverly Ecker, and Marina Wood. February Holidays. Fresno, CA: Learning Boutique Publications, 1982.
Rice, John R. The Home: Courtship, Marriage, and Children. Wheaton, IL: Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1945.
