letter from the
GENERAL SECRETARY
This issue has a wonderful selection of interesting and wonder-filled articles and great examples of men’s ministry and scouting ministry at its best. But there are also some articles that might fall into the category of “difficult conversations.” While they may be difficult for some, every page and every article are worth reading, and worth praying about.
GIL HANKE General Secretary/ Chief Executive Officer
As you know from my picture, I am a white male. I grew up just a few miles from Washington D.C. I am of an age that allowed me to experience the passing and implementation of civil rights legislation. I am also at the age where I have witnessed racism and a patchy path toward justice and equality. I remember that Thursday night in 1968 when I returned from choir practice at the church. Dad––fighting back tears––said, “Martin Luther King has been murdered.” That event and subsequent riots across the nation triggered many conversations with my family along with discussions with Black, Asian, and Hispanic high school friends. When I was in college, preparing to begin my student teaching, the white professor in the Education Department had great difficulty telling me that my cooperating teacher was black. “We’ve never done this before,” he said. Garnell Stamps, the black teacher to whom I was assigned, and I got along famously; I was honored to be mentored by him, even in those seasons of unrest. We had great conversations. I hope you will be blessed and inspired by this issue to seek out some of those great conversations.
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