This week there have been numerous reports about the fallout from the baseless lies directed at Haitian immigrants in Springfield, OH. Additional law enforcement was called in to address over 30 bomb threats that closed government buildings, public schools, and local colleges. Two hate groups staged marches through the traumatized town. All this combined to raise the level of fear in the Haitian community beyond anything previously experienced in their adopted home. Such fear was caused by fearful people who believed the lies about immigrant criminality of Black and Brown people in general and the local Haitian community in particular. The first video clip posted below comes from a recent PBS report that highlights some of the trauma visited on Springfield OH.
Yet amid all this fear, some people in Springfield are choosing to reach out to their Haitian neighbors with love rather than fear. In the latest episode of the Red Letter Christians podcast, Shane Claiborne interviewd the Rev. Carl Ruby who is the pastor of a local church in Springfield. Along with others in the Christian community, Rev. Ruby is being proactive in calling the followers of Jesus in that town to show God’s love to their fearful Haitian neighbors. They held a joint worship service for the whole community in which they shared communion together. He also challenged the local churches to join him in handing out 15,000 cards to their Haitian neighbors printed in Creole and English that read, “I am glad that you are here. Christ loves you and so do I.” He reported that some people cried when they received this message of support. They are also actively supporting the town’s Haitian Community Help and Support Center. These seemingly small acts of kindness reveal the truth of Dr. King’s words, “Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” The second video posted below comes from an AP report about the churches in Springfield. I encourage you to listen to the Red Letter Christian podcast episode that features Rev. Ruby by going to https://redletterchristians.org/podcast/ You can also support the Haitian Community Help and Support center by going to their website and clicking on the “Donate” button. Their website is https://www.haitiansupportcenterspringfield.org/ At a time when the forces of fear and hate seem so strong, may we remember and practice the words of Scripture from I John chapter 4, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them…There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…”