August 22, 2002
Dr. Mel White
Soulforce
P.O. Box 4467
Laguna Beach, CA 92652
Dear Mel,
Thank you for your letter of July 3, 2002 and for the update of your plans for the October 2002 return of Soulforce to Lynchburg. We are honored to once again offer our hospitality for you and Soulforce to use our facilities at First Christian Church. We felt blessed to have been a part of your Journey to Lynchburg in 1999 and have welcomed the continued opportunities that we have had to join you in ministry.
Your letter did not indicate what kind of activities Soulforce might wish to hold at First Christian Church. As your plans develop, it would be helpful to know what you might be expecting of us and what help we can provide.
The Spirit brought us together in 1999 and our congregation has been blessed by Soulforce in many ways. We supported your efforts to reach out in love to those who disagree with you and to tone down the rhetoric and hateful speech that is all too common in our community. We were impressed with Soulforce’s call to dialogue openly and honestly with those who may view things differently, to refrain from name-calling and hurtful language and to seek understanding. Your commitment to the principals of love and nonviolence is a welcome breath of fresh air that our society truly needs.
May God bless you and guide you as you continue to seek ways to bring this message to a hurting world. I look forward to seeing you in October.
Sincerely,
Andy Tatom
President of the Congregation
cc: Rev. Roger Zimmerman
Mary Weisman, Board of Elders
Jennifer Riddel