Northside Drive Baptist Church was happy to be a part of Alliance of Baptists Sunday 2010. We joined with many fellow Alliance congregations in celebrating the history of inclusiveness, healing and justice the Alliance has stood for and worked for during the past 20-plus years.

NDBC helped birth the Alliance many years ago, so this special Alliance Sunday allowed members to remember stories of connection with the Alliance and Alliance mission and ministry partners. Like many in the Alliance family, we have congregants who have traveled to Cuba to visit our Fraternity of Baptists sisters and brothers; members who have experienced Spirit-filled community worship at various Convocations; families who have volunteered with Bridges of Hope partner programs; and many individuals who have found a “home” in the Alliance, working as a faithful, progressive voice for the Kin-dom of God.

As the pastoral resident at NDBC, I was humbled and thankful to have the opportunity to deliver the sermon for our first official Alliance Sunday. The Alliance has been a pivotal part of my personal and spiritual growth during the past 10 years. I was first introduced to the Alliance while a student at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. I will be forever indebted to mentors and friends who had those first conversations with me about the existence of an active, progressive Baptist voice—a communal voice that is welcoming of all in Christian service.  Looking back, it’s difficult for me to imagine not being a part of the Alliance.

As I was meditating and preparing for the sermon on Alliance Sunday, I was moved by the Revised Common Lectionary Hebrew Scripture texts for that Sunday, Jeremiah 8:18-9:1. At first read, the mournful words of the prophet may seem awkward, at best, for a denominational family celebration. But as I reflected upon the words of Jeremiah, the cry for a “healer” and a “balm in Gilead” to cure injustices of the day quickly spoke to me as what the Alliance has been up to the past two decades: striving to be God’s healing presence in the world. Serving as a faith-based refuge for those displaced and exiled from churches, associations and other religious bodies, the Alliance has welcomed all to Christ’s table. By leading intentional efforts to provide real equality and sincere justice for all people in all parts of the world—regardless of religion, nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, etc.—the Alliance has been a prophetic voice, despite the costs prophets often pay. Providing a space not only for ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, but also ecumenical and interfaith service, the Alliance has shown that the Creator God is far greater than the lines we regularly draw.

In a world of divisive, explosive theological “bombs,” the Alliance and partnering congregations and ministries have always made the effort to be the peaceful, healing “balm,” the presence of Christ, for all of God’s children. For that, I am always thankful!

Eric Cain is the Maddox Pastoral Resident at Northside Drive Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA.  He is a recent graduate of the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University in Atlanta.  To hear his Alliance Sunday (Sept. 19, 2010) sermon, “Balm, Not Bomb,” visit http://www.northsidedrive.org/sermons.asp.