By Maya Speece, CIU Student Writer
In honor of Black History month, Columbia International University dedicated a week of chapels to celebrating ethnic unity in Christ. Along with great worship music, Dr. Jeff Philpott and Dr. Malcolm Walls, pastors at Sandhills Community Church in Columbia, preached every chapel in an engaging panel format.
They emphasized the need to remember the history of African Americans and their involvement in the church, because without knowing the history, there can be no improvement.
Philpott, a CIU alumnus who also serves on the CIU Board of Trustees, said that “we need to look back on the atrocities and victories, but look forward to forge a new history and future.”
Each message centered around Ephesians 2, which emphasizes Christ’s grace that makes all who are saved brothers and sisters.
The main takeaway was for students to “find the third space.” When two people each take a step closer to the cross, they end up in a space together. This place is where everyone of diverse backgrounds can come together and worship the Lord. As Philpott said, “getting over ethnic division starts with the cross.”
Because of the importance of the “third space,” churches need to be intentional about diversity. The differences between people do not need removed, because as Walls said, “unity implies differences.” Both men emphasized that to be unified, the body of Christ needs humility.
Several students commented on how engaging the chapels were, because of the powerful preaching and the playful dynamic of Philpott and Walls.
Paris Acquah said that “having a discussion format made me feel like the audience was part of the conversation. We were not preached at but invited to take a step closer to cultural unity with the speakers.”
Another student, Katie Lawson also commented that “they spoke on pressing cultural issues in a biblical context and had the courage to mention things most people do not in a church setting.”
See all three Black History Week chapels on CIU’s YouTube channel or listen at CIU’s podcast page on Spotify.
Photo: Dr. Malcolm Walls (left) and Dr. Jeff Philpot.
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