Worship at the site of George Floyd’s death

I did a thread on Twitter looking into the worship at the site of George Floyd's death.

First tweet of the thread: https://twitter.com/AndyRowell/status/1272620688453455874

Last tweet of the thread: https://twitter.com/AndyRowell/status/1273881757339627521

Here is the whole thread: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1272620688453455874.html?refreshed=yes

Here is the full updated PDF of the thread:

Download Worship at George Floyd memorial 2

Original PDF:

Download Worship at George Floyd memorial

Below it is harder to read the thread but I pasted it there anyway.

I deleted this comment on Instagram and Twitter because I see that Sean Feucht did not set up the stage.
Organizers:

Unity Revival Minneapolis!Unity Revival Minneapolis! has 1,258 members. We are saddened by the injustices in this world and what has happened to George Floyd. We believe that now,…https://www.facebook.com/groups/625712998026827/

Locals: Curtis Farrar and Alfonzo Williams of Worldwide Outreach Ministries.

Ministries hold daily services at site of George Floyd's death: 'From hatred to healing and hope'Tears shed and lives changed at the street corner where George Floyd was killed at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.https://www.foxnews.com/us/floyd-minneapolis-ministry-memorial

'We got to act': Minnesota ex-felon finds purpose at George Floyd memorialAlfonzo Williams waved his massive forearms and urged onlookers to clear the way for the procession of clergy members marching toward the site in his Minneapolis neighborhood where a white police off…https://www.reuters.com/article/us-minneapolis-police-faith/we-got-to-act-minnesota-ex-felon-finds-purpose-at-george-floyd-memorial-idUSKBN23A2V9

A little research into those involved with the worship and preaching at the site of George Floyd's death.

Curtis Farrar pastors a small church on the corner where George Floyd was killed. He witnessed the killing on May 25th.
My May 26 tweet:

Andy Rowell@AndyRowell

Here is an interview with Pastor Curtis Farrar who has led Worldwide Outreach For Christ for 30 years which is on the corner where this happened. He witnessed the incident. https://twitter.com/ChaoStrib/status/1265350731382640641 …

Chao Xiong@ChaoStrib

Here is the full 14-minute interview w/Pastor Curtis Farrar about the deth of #GeorgeFloyd https://photos.app.goo.gl/SEywqghmgPSkrzzdA …

4:27 PM – May 26, 2020

Twitter Ads info and privacy

See Andy Rowell's other Tweets

Alfonzo Williams "is a member of the Worldwide Outreach for Christ, a nearby church where he works security and helps organize events for the small congregation . . . Now he is part host, part traffic cop at the sprawling makeshift memorial for Floyd."

Charles Karuku, who is pastor of International Outreach Church in Burnsville (14 miles away), has been going to the site since May 31st and called it "Unity Rally Minneapolis."

Dr-CharlesAnnouncing the Unity Rally Minneapolis. For details join the Facebook page Unity Rally Minneapolis….https://www.facebook.com/Drcharles.karuku/videos/10158267757589513/

International Outreach ChurchInternational Outreach Church, Burnsville, Minnesota. 1,438 likes · 56 talking about this. IOC is a place where we encounter God and raise up Godly…https://www.facebook.com/experienceioc/

,
charleskaruku.com/about-page

Joshua Lindquist has since June 3rd been working with outreach based at CityView Church in Minneapolis.

Joshua LindquistLOOKING TO DO OUTREACH IN MINNESOTA? Join us for worship + prayer + daily outreach at 8a + 12p + 4p + 8p from CityView Church at 3041 4th Avenue South,…https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10163963870575171

BennyK had been doing DJ work in the street since May 28th. He was looking for a stage on June 5th because YWAM Circuit Riders (outside speakers) were

BennyK Music on Facebook WatchSTAGE NEEDED – George Floyd outreach this Saturday & Sunday. DM/comment any ideas. Details: Worldwide Outreach For Christ (Church parking lot) 3808…https://www.facebook.com/djbennyk/videos/2582767085318699/

Danny Bryan of Circuit Riders (that is affiliated with Youth With a Mission) of Huntington Beach, California says he was given permission to hold rallies by Curtis Farrar.
instagram.com/p/CBOvAQblvkV/…,

Circuit RidersHope on the Front Lines – A team of four of us from Circuit Riders left for Minneapolis, MN on May 31st with less than a 48 hour notice. We knew we had…https://www.facebook.com/circuitridermovement/posts/3360695423975100

June 6-7 outside preachers:
Joel Bomberger (Huntington Beach, California

JoelGuys! Incredible things happening in Minneapolis this weekend!! 😳👇🏻Read this! A team of our Circuit Riders went to Minneapolis to hold open air…https://www.facebook.com/Joelbomberger/videos/10157762679001773/

Christophe Ulysse (Brantford, Ontario, Canada) says they built the stage.

Christophe UlysseWe built a stage and have been sharing the love of God at the death site of Gorge Floyd since Saturday. It’s the epicenter of so much pain and hatred,…https://www.facebook.com/christophe.ulysse/posts/10158346999709941

Jonathan Tremaine Thomas (St. Louis, Missiouri)

Joshua Giles has his ministry office in St. Louis Park about 8 miles from the site of George Floyd's death. He preached at the site on June 12th and did the two baptisms on June 13th in the videos of Sean Feucht.

Joshua Giles MinistriesI’m here now preaching on the streets in Minneapolis!! REVIVAL HAS BROKEN OUT IN THE STREETS where George Floyd was killed!https://www.facebook.com/ProphetJoshuaGiles/photos/a.2033354423366069/3276141015754064/?type=3&theater

Meanwhile, leading local pastors in the Twin Cities have been involved in grieving, marches, clean up, countering looting and arson, talking with political leaders, attending memorial services, organizing food drives, and leading worship services.

Sean Feucht of Bethel Music in Redding, California led worship there on Saturday night, June 13th.
Instagram:
instagram.com/p/CBZc52pJ0uE/, instagram.com/p/CBZkLqvg0I4/, instagram.com/p/CBa5RxhAjlh/
Facebook video:

Carissa KreyTonight was so powerful!! The media isn’t showing you the truth of what’s happening; we’re here right where George Floyd was murdered. What the enemy…https://www.facebook.com/carissa.diacogiannis/posts/10219789599264528

Any group who sets up near the site of George Floyd's death should consider whether they are disturbing other people gathering to mourn or reflect or learn. A microphone and music with big speakers right at the site is very questionable.

One of the lessons from the death of George Floyd is that outsiders need to be sensitive to local neighborhood issues. Outsiders need to listen, not preach. White people generally need to follow the lead of people of color and others with long-earned relevant knowledge.

As someone who ran in a Republican primary in March for Congress in Redding, California, and was photographed touching Donald Trump's sleeve at the White House in December, Sean Feucht brings baggage to being a messenger of reconciliation in Minneapolis.

Unroll available on Thread Reader

Sean Feucht says the Saturday evening time of leading worship was among the most powerful revivals he has ever seen in the United States.
His statement:
instagram.com/p/CBZkLqvg0I4/,
Compare video: instagram.com/p/CBa5RxhAjlh/
and other description:

Worship is both expressive and formative. In this case, worship should help people express their agony and anger. And form people, prepare people, to act for justice.
See:

Esau McCaulley Ph.D@esaumccaulley

This was not easy to write. I tried to speak as honestly as I could in @nytimes about Black Anger and a theology of hope.https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/14/opinion/george-floyd-psalms-bible.html …

Opinion | What the Bible Has to Say About Black Anger

The Psalms are not silent about the rage of the oppressed.

nytimes.com

955

10:10 AM – Jun 14, 2020

Twitter Ads info and privacy

373 people are talking about this

, and worship resources at:

Calvin Institute of Christian Worship@cicw

We lament and grieve the indefensible and tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery even as we continue to lament and grieve the indefensible and tragic deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Sandra Blanc, Eric Garner, Rekia Boyd…. https://worship.calvin.edu/resources/resource-library/anti-racism-in-the-renewing-of-christian-worship-2020 …

6

10:09 AM – Jun 2, 2020

Twitter Ads info and privacy

See Calvin Institute of Christian Worship's other Tweets

Prayer for people is very appropriate and good but it would be best if people wore masks to prevent infection. There are numerous signs at the site urging people to wear masks for the safety of everyone.

Evangelism involves Christians acting in such a way that they are worthy of trust. This almost always involves sincere listening to people about their wounds and pain and pledging support to help them. This is demonstrating to people what Jesus was like.

The Christian eventually explains why they act the way they do. But preaching or playing Christian songs tends to repel people rather than attracting them if the person has not been seriously listened to.

Baptism is indeed celebratory. It is part of someone's journey from the grip of self-destructive sin to a new start with God. Typically this is done with others who will assist and encourage the person with their journey.

These two images do tell a different story:

Good overview here:

More discussion in this thread of the video of Sean Feucht and Charles Karuku. Recall that Karuku is a pastor in Burnsville, a suburb. He is selling his book on Facebook amid videos of himself. Feucht is a worship leader from Redding, California.

The thread above tries to trace how Sean Feucht was in Minneapolis at the site of George Floyd's death about 19 days later.
(1) The local black pastor gave
(2) YWAM preachers from California the okay to come preach,
(3) a suburban pastor made a page on Facebook,
(4) Sean.

Jake Dockter has also been trying to figure out what Sean Feucht was doing in Minneapolis.

RJ was trying to help Sean Feucht and I interact on Instagram but I deleted my initial reply to him because I learned the "stage" had been set up June 6th (not the 13th). Meanwhile he had screenshotted my reply and tweeted it angrily. 🤷‍♂️
Instagram:

Having listened to Sean Feauct reflect on what he was trying to do, it sounds like he sees himself as a worship catalyst and therefore he should rush like a firefighter to world problems. And he says he has done so. I wonder if there is a theological misunderstanding there.

Jesus was late sometimes so missed his chance to heal people so he had to do it later or from afar. He played down the importance of special worship sites. He usually avoided crowds and the spotlight. Is that applicable?

Is worship music what is needed in a global crisis? Partially. But when hurrying from place to place one can make cultural errors because one does not know the context, making the crisis worse.
Or one can be used by the players involved so as to appear partisan, making it worse.

Billy Graham, Martin Luther King Jr., and all U.S. Presidents all considered carefully the message their presence would send. And whether it would distract and make things worse.

There is certainly a place for crisis response teams in earthquakes and for news media to hurry to get on the scene. But they have a very limited, modest, practical purpose.

The other thing Sean Feucht seems to believe in is hyping, marketing, selling "revival" worship gatherings so that people know about them. He is trying to publicize these good things. The challenge is to avoid the embellishing and exaggerating, which misleads the trusting person.

I think he sincerely thinks that if he can be somewhere and play worship songs there, the Spirit of God will be unleashed from its local chains to bring healing to people. But I think that puts too much pressure on Sean Feucht and underestimates God.

As a little more information trickles out, I will add it below.
For example, Josh Giles (St. Louis Park, MN) who spoke last night with Sean Feucht on Instagram, (and was preacher on June 12-13 and Sean was there June 13), run in similar circles.

Unity Rally / Revival Minneapolis Facebook page is run by Charles Karuku of Burnsville, MN.

Curtis Farrar of Worldwide Outreach for Christ is the church at the site.

They are both Pentecostal churches and led by people of color.

Wow. I just found out that Sean Feucht took a screen shot of a deleted Instagram reply by me while we were replying back and forth there and posted it on Facebook (as well as Twitter).