wfn.org | Charlotte's Seigle Avenue Church, Atlanta's Open Door

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14-June-1998 
GA98022 
 
 
    Charlotte's Seigle Avenue Church,  Atlanta's Open Door 
    Community Receive Witherspoon Awards 
 
    by Midge Mack 
 
CHARLOTTE, N.C.--Two Presbyterian communities of faith that chose 
intentional, radical Christianity were recognized at the Witherspoon 
Society's annual luncheon Sunday, 
June 14. 
      The annual Congregation Award,  given since 1992,  went to Seigle 
Avenue Presbyterian Church in the Piedmont Courts area of Charlotte, 
organized with 35 members in 1945, and described as "a church ahead of its 
time." 
      It opened a day nursery and a kindergarten long before even 
kindergarten was cool,  along with boys and girls clubs and a well-baby 
clinic, said the Rev. Jane Sumney, of the Myers Park church, who made the 
presentation. Myers Park, she said, is a large congregation that has always 
been  supportive but now has a formalized sister relationship with Seigle 
Avenue. 
     Sumney traced the church's history, including growth to some 300 
members prior to integration legislation which created massive white flight 
in Charlotte. The Seigle Avenue church chose to stay and become an 
integrated church, though its membership fell to 35.  Sunday's Charlotte 
Observer's headline, "Church vows  to bridge racial divide," would have 
been as appropriate 30 years ago as it is today,"  she said. 
     Since pastor Charlie Summers arrived in 1985, Seigle Avenue has 
experienced "miracle of transformation"  as an integrated congregation 
moving ever ahead in serving its community. A recent project is Helping 
Empower Local People (HELP) which drew 1600 community residents, totally 
mixed racially,  in age, and religion,  to its first event. 
     Receiving the annual Witherspoon Award, given since 1974, the Open 
Door Community was founded in 1981 when a group of Christians  made a 
decision to do an intentional ministry of presence with hungry, homeless, 
despairing, and imprisoned persons. The group incorporated and bought an 
apartment house.   The 30 men and women in residence are also mixed 
racially, religiously, in age, and also  in educational and social-economic 
background. 
      Part of their ministry is  serving  nearly 300 breakfasts every 
weekday, maintaining a soup kitchen, open restrooms and a large bathroom 
with soap and towels, providing showers and clean clothing twice weekly, 
providing telephone access, offering  a safe haven and resting place for 
homeless.  Monthly they provide transportation to families of prisoners and 
form the core of the Southern Prison Ministry of which the principal 
mission is to advocate for abolition of the  death penalty and for the 
rights and dignity of women prisoners. 
     Open Door residents are supported by the Presbytery of Greater 
Atlanta, a regular corps of citywide volunteers,  donations of needed 
staple goods, and occasional visitors who spend a few days working with 
them. 

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