Illinois church ‘fasting from whiteness’ for Lent

OAK PARK, Ill. — A church in a suburb of Chicago announced last month it was “fasting from whiteness” for Lent.

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First United Church of Oak Park is “an open community united in love and justice,” according to the church’s website.

The announcement was made in the March edition of the church’s newsletter, The Messenger Bell. “In our worship services throughout Lent, we will not be using any music or liturgy written or composed by white people. Our music will be drawn from the African American spirituals tradition, from South African freedom songs, from Native American traditions, and many, many more,” according to the announcement.

The church also offered during Lent a six-week series called, “Tell Me the Truth About Racism.”

WMAQ reported that in 2020, the church created a task force that identified revised language to be adopted into the church’s constitution, and a set of new core values to be adopted into the church’s strategic plan.

In a follow-up statement released Wednesday, the church said, “Our Lenten theme has spurred considerable discussion, with some people questioning the message. In practice with the Lenten spiritual discipline of fasting, our intent was to lay aside our usual frames of reference and open ourselves to hearing the Gospel message through the voices of Black People, Indigenous People, and People of Color. Our worship services in Lent have been diverse and beautiful. We pray that God oils the hinges of our hearts’ doors that they might swing open gently to receive the good news of Christ’s resurrection, which we all await at the culmination of Lent.”

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