FISHERS — A Fishers church is using the pulpit to do their part in the fight against inequality.
Recent outcries about social injustices has led iTown Church to use ministry to educate and help their congregation to act as allies in the fight for change.
“We recently as a nation have become more aware that we live in a culture that is not as equal as we would like to believe it is," lead pastor Dave Sumrall said.
That idea alone is what led pastor Dave and Kate Sumrall to dedicate an entire series to the cause of "Breaking the Cycle."
"We have to break that cycle especially as parents and the things that have been ingrained in the children in the homes that create the imbalance that we see around us," Dave said.
He says the church is trying to get to the root of the real problem plaguing America.
"As we began to look across the landscape of our church we didn’t have the diversity that reflected what heaven would look like, so we started making changes intentionally," Dave said. "We want everyone to be equally loved and celebrated."
It is a topic some church leaders have been shy about touching but iTown church thinks the discussion is necessary to make sure progress prevails.
"We started to examine not just American culture but church culture we realized there are some things that just give certain people advantages and unfortunately some of those advantages comes simply because of the color of their skin," Dave said.
The series is about embracing our differences instead of using them to tear one another down.
"Every race has different backgrounds, different perspectives, and different stories and I believe heaven is going to be full of that diversity," Dave said.
These two say its also important for us to acknowledge when we haven’t walked in someone else’s shoes.
"I think one of the reasons it is so important that we address this is because white people don’t understand what it means to be a minority in America—they haven’t had that experience," Dave said.
Both pastors say it is also important to learn as an ally.
"There’s nothing better than having an advocate in your life just like if there is a child being bullied no matter the color of their skin I want our children to come alongside that person," Kate said.
The church says they’ve been lending an ear to their staff to learn more about how they can continue to diversify the experience during worship.
