Soaring Into Discomfort: How a Danville Pastor’s Faith Unites a Divided Congregation

I trusted that shared goal would win out over division in the end.

I am the first African American pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Danville, VA. Our church has a predominantly white congregation, and racial division was a real obstacle for us when I became pastor five years ago. 

Shortly after coming to the church, I started a street ministry to serve the homeless in Danville. It was difficult to get traction at first, because many people in the church were skeptical of me: I was different from them, and I was encouraging them to spend time with people who were even more different from them. Some congregants were expressly uncomfortable with having an African American leader and refused to call me pastor or reverend. But I knew their heart was to do God’s work, and so was mine, and I trusted that shared goal would win out over division in the end. 

It didn’t happen right away, but over time, more and more congregants began to get involved and take ownership of the street ministry. Church members approached me to ask, Barbara, how many bagged lunches do you need today? People who were resistant to the ministry at first showed up to serve meals without being asked. They sat down to eat with the people they served and asked questions about their lives. I felt so proud seeing my church build trust with a group of people they had previously feared, and who feared them in return. I saw my church’s internal division slowly transform into harmony through these moments.

I’ve experienced prejudice as a female and African American pastor in more than one church. These experiences have caused me deep pain, and I make an effort to share my pain with the churches I am a part of. I was very open with my church about the way it felt for me to stand in the pulpit and look out on my congregation knowing many didn’t want me to be their pastor. Honesty and vulnerability have been key to us finding true healing and growing in Christ’s love.

One America’s Movement’s Danville Hub is a huge support for me through the challenges of leading a racially divided community. Even though many faith leaders in the Hub are white, I can come to the group for empathy and encouragement as I continue in the work I’ve been called to do. It’s also been encouraging to see the other faith leaders lead their congregations to join our service projects and become more engaged in the community than they were before.

For five years now, Trinity United Methodist Church has voted for me to stay as their pastor, saying that we have not finished the work we need to do. I hope my church’s story can be a source of hope for others right now—a reminder that we don’t have to be overcome by division, that we can overcome it, especially in faith communities. We are called not to escape the discomfort but soar into it like an eagle, showing strength and courage by God’s grace and mercy.

Reverend Barbara Cousar is the pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Danville, VA and a member of One America Movement’s Danville Hub.