Church without walls: The climbing vine ‘On May 10, 1931, the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, as usual, was packed. There was a buzz in the crowd. Adam Clayton Powell, Sr., the pastor, was ill. His son, Adam, Jr., would deliver the sermon. The pulpit hardly frightened Adam Junior. He was raised in this church. The women in the audience had known him since he was an infant, saw him take his first step, and stocked his room with beautifully-wrapped gifts on special occasions: he was theirs. But some of the older deacons were wary of young Powell. To them he was a bad boy, a whistler in the dark. However, his sermons would become as compelling as the works of the great literary giants of the Harlem Renaissance area. Even though he was engaged to a showgirl, he commanded the pulpit that Sunday Morning,’ Wil Haygood. The period from 1910-1931, represents a very important phase of Black History as well as American History; this period covers the beginning and end of the Harlem Renaissance. The close of that period represents the beginning of the great depression. The Harlem Renaissance was normally characterized by poets and writers, with the likes of Hughes and Hurston; however, religion, church, and particularly the “sermon†defined the modern concept of the “church without walls.†In a Sermon entitled, "A Hungry God", Powell addressed his congregation about the depth of poverty in New York during the Great Depression. He provided clothing, soup kitchens, help with social, and political issues facing families in Harlem. He felt religion was about compassion, care, and service to his people. “You and I can add to God's power on Earth. We clothe God by clothing men and women. Jesus interpreted this as meaning to clothe men and women when they are naked. When you give men and women coats, shoes and dresses you are giving clothes to god. If the Bible does not mean this it does not mean anything,†Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. ‘The importance of this "sermon" to this inquiry was that it accomplished far more than pacification of its hearers and achieved much greater than blind obedience to the pastor's word. Rather, as was Powell's essential objective, it enlightened the congregation about the destitute state of many of their brothers and sisters throughout New York. Further, it is a prime example of how Powell kept critically in touch with his community, surveying its expanses and attending to its needs. In a very real sense, he pastored Harlem,’ Eric Deggans. Our scripture text compares excellent in life and ministry, to a climbing vine. “The son of a fruitful (vine) is Joseph; the son of a fruitful (vine) by the fountain: The daughters (branches) shoot over the wall,†Genesis 49:22.Joseph was the son Jacob the great Patriarch. He was sold into slavery. Joseph worked his way to the king’s court and became a climbing vine, because he went outside of his traditional surroundings to feed his family and care for his country. The creeping vine tends to curl up and not grow very far from its roots. This vine can be contained behind a wall easily. Adam Clayton Powell ,Jr.went far beyond the walls of his church to feed and nourish Harlem during the great depression. He could be considered a climbing vine ,which bore much fruit. He also produced a great church ...without walls. The word for “wall†is “phragmos†in Strong’s which means a fence, or enclosing barrier. It goes back to “phrasso,†which means to block up, to silence, and to stop. What has kept so many churches enclosed? What has kept so many pastors enclosed? What has kept so many Christians enclosed? What has kept so many ministries form climbing through the community and world? What has kept us form climbing over these walls to reach God’s people? ‘I submit to you that the answer to this question lies in the two walls that enclose the church and make us creeping vines, rather than climbing vines. That first wall is denominational. Men have built these buildings and enclosed themselves, with doctrinal prejudice. The ministry or church without walls, should be able to reach into any denomination and preach a sound, and sensible word. The Bible says there is a fivefold ministry. God is very big .No denomination has cornered the market on God. There is room in ministry for all colors, shapes, and textures of ministries. Even the great Hebrew Levitical order of Priesthood only ministered to one nation or denomination, but Paul preached to the Jew and Gentile. This wall needs to come down! Today,Al Sharpton has a great ministry; his congregation covers the entire United States. We must consider him a climbing vine, but he does not have a physical church. ‘That other wall that needs to come down is the “herd mentality.†These churches ,ministries ,and leaders would like to round up followers like cattle and bring them inside their walls. And fill them with their style of worship or dogma. They want to build their ministry from the inside out, rather than the outside in. Although, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. had 10,000 members at Abyssinian Baptist Church;his ministry vines climbed all over Harlem and touched the entire city. He ministered from the outside in,’ Kelley Varner. His ministry vine inspired the NAACP, National Urban League, New City Council, Medicare Legislation, Head Start, and many church coalitions working to help the needed. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Harlem's Pastor, is an example of a climbing vine. This man destroyed many walls that were blocking the progress of his people. I would like to close by saying that ...Jesus is our ministry High Priest .He is the true climbing vine. He says that we must go into communities and by-ways first before we can bring some of them into the store house. If we prepare a great feast inside our walls and the quest do not come, the good servant will go into the streets, highways and the hedges. “So that servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind,†Luke:14:21. I challenge all believers this Thanksgiving to become climbing vines and good servants of the High Priest. Have a happy and safe holiday. Esco Yancey, Jr., Ed.D.(ACSI) © 2007 GOSPEL TIMES MINISTRIES
