Charlotte Unrest: Rage Dies Down If Church Is Engaged, Pastor Says

Suzette Gutierrez-Cachila : Sep 29, 2016
Gospel Herald

"It was the Church in Charlotte which dominated the night and made the peace that was so very needed."

(Charlotte, NC)—[Gospel Herald] A pastor in Charlotte said the Church engaging the community can help dispel the violence that has erupted in the city over the past few days. (Chuck Burton / AP Photo)

In an article, Dimas Salaberrios, pastor at Infinity Bible Church, described how the prayers of the church at the site of the protest cooled down the anger of the protesters, who at the time were forming a human blockade on the street to keep vehicles from passing.
 
Salaberrios said 10 men began walking toward the middle of the street and blocked the traffic. A confused police officer turned to him and said he couldn't understand what they were doing.
 
Salaberrios, out of concern for the men who could possibly be hit by cars, decided to speak to the crowd.
 
"The only one who never gets it wrong, and is the Judge of judges, is God. Looting and going to jail is not the way," he said. "We want justice, but we also must conduct ourselves respectfully. Trust me, no one gets away with murder, even if they win a case. Life will never be the same for them."
 
He also led them in prayer. In a short while, those who were blocking the traffic quietly abandoned their positions, causing the crowd to erupt in applause.

"It seemed that our words had penetrated those blocking traffic as they willingly dispersed without further provocation," Salaberrios wrote.
 
He said the unrest that Saturday night was kept in check because the church in Charlotte engaged the...
 
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