“God emptied God’s self in the form of Jesus — and it cost God something,” says the Rev. Dr. Bart Roush, pastor and head of staff at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church in Bloomington, Minnesota. For Roush, this theological truth challenges Christians to consider what repairing historic harms might cost them. “We’re on board with food pantries and diaper drives,” he says, “but that doesn’t change systems. Repair asks more of us.”
Roush is featured in the fourth episode in the series "Zero to One: A Congregation’s Journey to Repair," which explores the spiritual heart of this congregation’s reparative work, delving into how theology, discipleship and trust in God have shaped the congregation’s decision to surrender wealth as an act of justice.
The series, which documents Oak Grove’s journey toward restorative action, began with questions about history, systemic racism and white privilege. By episode 4, the focus shifts to the deeper motivations behind repair: the faith that calls Christians to act, accepting that their actions will cost them something.
Sue Greimel, a ruling elder at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, connects the church’s decision to surrender $267,000 to the concept of atonement. “I wondered what I would have done if I had seen Jesus being treated that way,” she says. “Would I have spoken up? Restorative action feels similar — it’s painful, but it’s right.”
The Rev. Jermaine Ross-Allam, director of the Center for the Repair of Historic Harms, reframes reparations not as charity, but as theological surrender. “The act of surrendering is a spiritual discipline that allows people to realize that you are not a benefactor, a philanthropist, a donor or a giver,” says Ross-Allam, “but you are a recipient of a debt, and that debt must be paid.”
This surrender, Oak Grove leaders emphasize, must come without strings. Greimel recalls discussions within the finance committee about how the funds would be used. “I was relieved to say, ‘I don’t care.’ It’s not our job to decide. We’re trusting God and the trustees to do what’s right.”
Becky Dop, ruling elder at Oak Grove, shares how the process helped her confront assumptions rooted in white privilege. “We think we know best,” she says. “But it was freeing to realize we don’t. That’s not humility — it’s truth.”
The episode also includes reflections from Ruling Elder Elona Street-Stewart, synod executive of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, and the Rev. Gregory Bentley, who along with Street-Stewart served as Co-Moderator of the 224th General Assembly (2020). Both speak to the spiritual imperative of justice. “I can’t imagine following Jesus without being committed to this work,” Bentley says. “It’s what he was committed to.”
Bentley describes a future where resources are shared equitably, and where compassion — not competition — guides our relationships. “We must disabuse ourselves of the myth of scarcity,” he says. “There is enough for everyone.”
Street-Stewart, a member of the Delaware Nanticoke tribe and a longtime advocate for Indigenous justice, reminds viewers that justice is always possible. “Our ancestors prayed for it even in the midst of genocide,” she says. “And they gave thanks for the world the Creator had given them.”
The voices in “How is faith part of repair?” testify to how reparations is not just a political or economic issue, but also a spiritual witness.
Watch the full series and learn more here. Read the series introduction here.
Beth Waltemath, Communications Strategist, Communications (Click here to read original PNS Story)
Let us join in prayer for:
Caralee Wheeler, Program Associate, Development Office, The Presbyterian Foundation
John Wilkinson, Director, Stewardship & Funds Development, Administrative Services Group
Let us pray:
Loving God, thank you for continuing to move in our lives; for sending us and for sending others to us. Bless all who you call to serve, whether down the street or across the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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