Dear Leaders, Supporters, and Close Friends of the Center (DC4PW),
Monday, July 25th is the birthday of our deceased co-founder, Dr. William Christopher “Chris” Hobgood. Born on July 25, 1936, to mission-partners in Africa, Chris was a congregational minister, regional minister, general minister, and, alongside Dr. Alvin O’Neal Jackson, co-founder and first co-president of the Disciples Center for Public Witness (DC4PW). Barton W. Stone declared that “unity is my polar star.” For Chris this was also the case, and for him, this unity is completely incompatible with racism and totally impossible for the Church until it becomes a proreconciliation/antiracist institution. As Chris saw it, the image of the Church as the “Body of Christ” cannot be a living reality until there exists racial and ethnic equity in all aspects of the Church’s spiritual, intellectual, liturgical, political, social, cultural, and institutional life. Chris would often insist: A Christian cannot grow spiritually and at the same time continue in their blindness to, denial of, benefit from, and/or support for racism in the life of the Church.
This weekend and on Monday, July 25th, please join us in celebrating the vision and legacy of this incredible Church leader.
Chris' vision for society was similar: there is no peace or unity without justice, and there is no justice without racial and economic justice. Therefore, together with Dr. Alvin O’Neal Jackson (then senior pastor at National City Christian Church), Chris (then regional minister of the Christian Church Capital Area) founded the Disciples Center for Public Witness. Its mission? To be a prophetic witness for justice--especially racial and economic justice--to the policy-shapers and law-makers in the United States Capitol.
This vision of Chris Hobgood and Alvin Jackson not only created a justice-based partnership between the National City Christian Church Foundation and the Christian Church Capital Area, but also brought on board seven founding congregations, added many new partnering congregations, and expanded into Canada. Now, the Center (DC4PW) is a recognized organization of the Church through the Office of the General Minister and President, an associated ministry of Disciples Home Missions, and a partner in advocacy with the Division of Overseas Ministries/Global Ministries.
Ever true to our original vision, the Center (DC4PW) promotes greater racial and economic justice and views all legislation, as well as other domestic and international issues, through these lenses. Guided by this vision, we actively cooperate in justice advocacy with our ecumenical and interfaith partners, relate in new ways to other Disciples ministries, and involve more and more Disciples (and other people of faith) in prophetic public witness.
Again, please join us this weekend and on Monday, July 25th, in celebrating the birthday, the vision, and the legacy of Dr. William Christopher “Chris” Hobgood. Show your support for the vision you share with both Chris and the Center he co-founded, the Disciples Center for Public Witness.
You can contribute online to the Hobgood Racial Justice Fund.
Or you can mail your checks or money orders to:
Disciples Center for Public Witness, c/o Disciples Home Missions, PO Box 1986, Indianapolis, IN 46206
Please make checks or money orders or checks out to Disciples Center for Public Witness and write “Hobgood Fund” on the subject line.
Thank you in advance for your generous gift—and many blessings on you, on your family, on your congregation and region, and on all that you contribute to creating the Beloved Community in society and building up the Body of Christ.
Dr. Marcus Leathers, Co-President
Disciples Center for Public Witness (DC4PW)
Senior Pastor, United Christian Parish of Reston, VA.
Dr. Robert Perry, Co-President
Disciples Center for Public Witness (DC4PW)
Served as former pastor, interim regional minister, and interim pastor at many congregations in the Christian Church Capital Area.
Dr. Ken Brooker Langston, Executive Director and Team Leader