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By Page Johnson
Many
convert black families come from strong Christian homes where generations
of members have been in the ministry, where music has been a powerful
influence, and where the women have been a dynamic motivating force.
At baptism, they bring this legacy of faith and commitment, service,
and patient long-suffering to the Church body, but their home wards
should be prepared to sustain them with continued encouragement
and understanding as each member transitions to what is often a
very different way of life.
The
Revelation of 1978
The revelation of 1978
gave full fellowship to all worthy black male members by allowing
them to hold the priesthood. It helped heal the wounds of many
who had felt excluded and denied, and it opened the doors to new
missionary efforts among blacks in all countries.
Still,
black members often struggle with assimilating their heritage and
culture into their lives as Latter-day Saints. Two families, one
in Georgia and one in Virginia, have not only made it work, but
are also able to offer insight to other members, both black and
white, on how to focus on what is really important.
The Womble
Family of Atlanta, Georgia
When
Brother Nathaniel Womble of the Glenridge Ward in Atlanta, Georgia, thinks of the priesthood, he does not focus on the
revelation of 1978, but rather on the restoration of the priesthood
to Joseph Smith in 1829.
“That’s
the day I commemorate,” he says, “because that’s the day the Lord
restored the priesthood to the earth. He meant for me to have it,
too, but the time had to be right. Like so many other things that
I’ve encountered in my life, I’ve had to be realistic. We all do.”
Among his favorite scriptures is 2 Nephi 26:28: “Behold, hath
the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness?
Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like
unto the other, and none are forbidden.” He adds, “I have never
felt denied in this church.”
Brother
Womble’s first experience with the LDS Church was in May 1978, one
month before the revelation on the priesthood was announced. Two
sister missionaries stopped to get gas at his filling station in
Atlanta and when he noticed their Utah license plates, he asked
the two young women why they were so far away from home. At the
time, he had not even heard about the Church.
When they told him they were missionaries sent to preach the
Gospel, he immediately responded, “Well, come on and teach me!”
Instead, they thanked him, explained they had other appointments
that day, and drove off. “But they kept coming back because I had
the only 25-cent sodas around,” he laughs. “I kept asking them
to teach me, but they always seemed to have other people to visit.”
By the time the sisters called him back to set up an appointment,
the new priesthood revelation had been announced.
Brother Womble thought he was prepared to discuss religion with these young
missionaries because he came from a family of Baptist preachers
and had been one himself. His spiritual search began as a youngster
when he used to sneak into the adult Bible study in his home on
Wednesday nights. He remembers discussions on the prophet Moses
and learning that “when you meet a prophet you will know what to
do.” Later in Vietnam, he promised to serve God if his life were spared.
Upon his return, he says he wanted—and expected—God to do something
for him, to direct his life.
So
he became a preacher, thinking that would help him discover his
spiritual purpose, but he remained unfulfilled. After four years,
he realized that he was set on a path of his own making, not God’s.
“I
stood up before my congregation and explained that I had not really
received the call to serve from God. I was listening only to myself.
By finally admitting that, I felt a great burden lift from me.”
Disillusioned
with religion, but still searching for a purpose to his life, he
moved to Florida for several years where he entertained as a pianist
in a nightclub. But that too did not satisfy him and he finally
returned to his home in North Georgia. There his mother prayed
for him and encouraged him to go to church,
but he only agreed so he could play the piano for the local Baptist
church choir. It was there that he met his future wife, Ruby Jett.
Slowly, Brother Womble began to realize that he was only seeking
God through others. “I could see that I had asked everybody but
God to help me,” he points out, “and I had to learn to pray and
really talk to God. I kept thinking of the atonement and how Jesus
Christ must have loved me personally to do that for me. I knew
in my heart that God would send someone to help me, and that I would
recognize him. I just hadn’t met that person yet.”
Now he believes that the messenger he was looking for was actually two
messengers wearing name tags that said Sister. “I have never
been able to find the words to express what it was like when those
two sisters entered my home,” Brother Womble reflects. “Wherever
they stood, the immediate area surrounding them seemed to be distinctly
clear and clean, while the rest of the room seemed dark, almost
smoky—as if someone had just squeegeed a section of a dirty window,
right where they were standing. I could hardly talk. And when
they showed me the picture of Joseph Smith in the grove, I felt
enveloped right into that scene as if I were there.”
A few weeks later, Brother and Sister Womble were married.
On July 15, 1978, Brother Womble was baptized and then on August 5, he baptized
his wife. They now have five children and 21 grandchildren.
Brother Womble does not think of himself
as a black man who is a Mormon but simply as a man of God. “I may
have a cultural background, a black heritage, but don’t look at
me as only a part of a culture, look at me as a man,” he says.
“When the Lord made me a man, he said it was good. So God was pleased
with me even before I became a Latter-day Saint. Now what I need
to do is find out what God wants me to incorporate into my life
to make me a better man, a spiritual man, one who lives like he
is His son.”
But the Wombles have known other black families in the Church
who struggle to fuse their black heritage with that of a predominantly
white pioneer heritage. He tries to get them to see that when people
come into the Church they are “reborn spiritually and become one
culture together--with the opportunity to build up the kingdom together.
It is not our job to force the church to make changes to fit us
and what we want the culture to be.” He says that if people feel
out of place, they need to look within themselves to see if they
are the ones who need to change.
According to Womble, one of the most difficult adjustments
for some black members is LDS music. “They miss Gospel music. But
I would say that if you want to hear Gospel music, you can listen
to recordings, go listen to Gospel choirs, or work with the Activities
Committee to put on a program that utilizes the musical heritage
of black members. The music at Sacrament meeting, however, is
not meant to entertain but to instill a spirit of reverence and
to remind us that we are reborn spiritually as we take the Sacrament.
We start to see the purpose of the Church through the music.”
Womble
also says that he has seen black members become discouraged because
they don’t feel that they fit. “But no one can pull you higher
than you want to go,” he says. “The Church is not a social club.
In order to receive the blessings, you have to serve and feel the
spirit. And I’ve learned that it is not the calling or position
that counts, but how you magnify your priesthood in that calling.”
As for feeling welcomed and accepted, he encourages black members
to “make a place for yourself in the church.
Don’t wait to be fellowshipped, go out and fellowship someone else.”
Both
Brother and Sister Womble feel there is no difference between the
way they were treated when they joined
the church twenty-five years ago from the way they are treated now.
“The
Gospel is meant to bring people together,” affirms Brother Womble.
“Joseph
Smith spoke out for the rights of every man, and he gave us the
Lord’s doctrine in the Doctrine and Covenants 101:79, which says,
‘Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one
to another.’”
Sister
Womble agrees. She loves Relief Society because it brings the sisters
together in an atmosphere of unconditional love and acceptance.
“It’s a place that helps me become a better woman, wife, and mother,”
she emphasizes.
“And
I come because I know that God loves me,” adds Brother Womble.
“God
has a plan, and I am part of that plan. More than that, I personally
have something to contribute to that plan.”
The
Charles Family of McLean, Virginia
Before
they even joined the Church, the Charles family of Vienna,
Virginia, had their own form of Family Home Evening. Chad, an electrician, and Jueletta, a police dispatcher,
tried to spend at least one night a week doing something with their
five children, even if it was just having a water fight. So when
sister missionaries knocked on their door over seven years ago,
the couple was curious about a religion that emphasized the importance
of family. But after a few lessons and even a visit from the ward
mission leader of the Fair Oaks Ward, Brother Dave Tenny, it became
clear that the family wasn’t ready to commit to baptism.
Over
the next two and one-half years, however, Brother Charles said that
he became so discontented with some of the policies and practices
of his own church that he vowed “never to set foot in another church
again.” Yet Jueletta kept praying for a church in which to raise
her children: Jessica (now 16), Darren (13), Don (11), Asia (9),
and Casel (8).
One
evening as she prayed, the image of the Washington
D.C. Temple “passed in front of her face,” remembers Brother Charles.
They had all seen this familiar landmark in Washington many times
as they drove around the beltway, but they could not explain what
Jueletta had experienced. Just 30 minutes later, however, two sister
missionaries knocked on their door and said that although they had
been tracting in another neighborhood, they had a strong feeling
they should come to the Charles’ home.
This
time the family was ready for their message. “When they told me
that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were three distinct beings,
I realized that I had always believed that,” says Brother Charles.
“I also believed there could be modern-day prophets.” He recalls
the day the family attended Sacrament meeting for the first time
and Brother Tenny, then a counselor in the Bishopric, welcomed them
by saying joyfully, “I knew you’d come!” Over the next weeks, everyone
on the ward council and each auxiliary worked to make the new family
welcome.
At
the time, the children ranged in age from three to twelve years,
but they had never been in a comprehensive church youth program
before. Brother Charles was impressed by how much the kids enjoyed
going to Primary and participating in the Boy Scout program, Achievement
Days, and the Young Women. Jessica Charles had just turned
12, and she couldn’t believe there was a church program just for
girls. “ I was learning new ideas and what
it means to be a daughter of God that I had never learned before,”
she says.
Soon
everyone except Brother Charles was ready for baptism. “The Word
of Wisdom was hard for me,” he admits, “because I liked to drink
beer and watch football games with my friends. To help me change
my habits, the sister missionaries left root beer at my house every
Saturday night. Then one evening, they brought over baptismal clothes
for my family to try on, and I just put one on because
everyone else was. But I had a great feeling.”
So
Brother Charles changed his habits and the family was baptized on
September 28, 1997, in the Fair Oaks Ward. Jessica remembers the “spiritual moment of being
there across the altar and looking at my family in the mirrors.”
According to Brother Tenny, it was also a happy celebration
for all the ward members because they had participated so fully
in the conversion of this family: “What a great ward experience
to see a whole family embrace the Gospel and go on to be sealed
in the temple.” The Bishop at the time, Ralph Johnson, remembers
what outstanding parents Chad and Jueletta were, how they had taught a lesson on
family unity, and how Brother Dick Robinson, one of the full-time
missionaries, had called them “pure and honest people.”
But
the family’s transition from baptism to temple sealing wasn’t completely
smooth, at least for Jueletta. As she learned more about Church
history, Jueletta began to have concerns about the status of black
members within the Church, now and in the past. She had had similar
worries even before they were baptized and she needed confirmation
that families, regardless of race or origin, had full fellowship
and acceptance in the Church. In particular, she was troubled by
various passages in the Book of Mormon and the fact that it took
a revelation in 1978 to give the priesthood to all worthy males,
regardless of race.
Bishop
Johnson and Brother Tenny counseled with the couple to help them
understand the extent of God’s love. “I told them that Heavenly
Father loves each of his children without regard to race or sex,”
stresses Brother Johnson. As Jueletta began to pray and study about
it, she came to believe that the early years of the Church were
a critical period of growth.
“It
(not giving the priesthood to black males) was a situation that
had to exist in order for the Church to be established at that time,
and also be able to survive,” she says. “But now it’s such a blessing
to see my husband hold the priesthood and baptize members of our
family. And I’m so thankful to have the priesthood in my home so
Charles can give priesthood blessings. Just before his aunt died
a few year ago, she asked him for a blessing, even though she was
not a member of our Church. That’s how powerful the priesthood
is in our home.”
Her
son Darren, who received the Aaronic Priesthood a year ago, adds,
“It
felt really good because now I can pass the Sacrament.” He also
likes going to church as a family and hopes to become an Eagle Scout.
Likewise,
Brother Charles feels peace about the priesthood issue because he
believes strongly that “This is the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
From the first time we stepped into this church, we felt welcome.
Now we are closer than ever as a family and it’s easier to raise
our children because the morals we already believed in are taught
here.” So careful are the Charles about the environment they want
for their children, that they have home schooled each of them at
various times.
They
recently moved to be closer to their places of work and are now
members of the McLean Second Ward.
Despite so many positive changes in their lives, however, Brother
Charles notes that these changes have been hard for their friends
to accept. “I don’t allow smoking, or swearing in my house, and
that makes many of my friends uncomfortable. Unfortunately, some
just stopped coming around.”
Now
a Laurel in Young Women, Jessica says she also deals with the challenge
of living up to church standards in high school. “Sometimes I have
to stay away from parties and just hang out with my friends. And
it’s so hard when people are rude or mean. But my Mom tells me
to be an influence on my friends, and to act more Christ-like.
Sometimes, you just have to walk away.”
Yet
each member of the family continues to believe strongly in the power
of example to influence their friends and relatives. Although they
have only been members for five years, Brother Charles has now baptized
two of his nephews, Christian Charles and John Smith, and he is
planning to baptize his mother, Anita Charles, in June.
“I’m
influenced, too, by my friends in the church,” notes Jessica. “When
I listen to people bear their testimony, it makes me want to find
out the same thing for myself.”
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