Gospel singer, speaker and teacher Janice Gaines is to talk about racial reconciliation from a Biblical perspective on Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Warsaw Performing Arts Center. Everyone is welcome to come to the free event. Photo provided.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Organizers of a special event Saturday, Feb. 26, in Warsaw hope attendees embrace racial reconciliation as a result of it.

Warsaw churches Valley Springs Fellowship and Branches Vineyard Church are co-sponsoring the free event featuring Janice Gaines from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Warsaw Performing Arts Center.

Gaines, a gospel singer, teacher and speaker, is to “offer a Christ-centered talk about race and its real effects in society and where we go from here,” according to information from event organizers.

“Gaines speaks on racial reconciliation from a faith perspective teaching that each of us has a distance to travel wherever we are on our personal journey of relationship in a diverse society,” the information further reads.

Gaines’ talk is to last an hour, with a question and answer session to follow.

Valley Springs Fellowship member Dick Rooker said his church was motivated to bring Gaines to speak the Warsaw community after several members including himself took a Zoom class called “Braving the Deep” she taught on racial reconciliation.

That was following George Floyd’s death in 2020 at the hands of a white police officer. Church member Sue Poyner followed Gaines’ husband EJ Gaines, a music executive for Motown Gospel-Capitol Christian Music Group, on Instagram and learned of Gaines’ class.

Rooker noted that there’s a lot of racial conflict “in society right now that doesn’t have to be.”

He said a common perspective is that “matters of racial disparity are behind us.”

“I hope it’s a night of listening and learning that makes us think of others,” he said.

Branches Pastor Amanda Clark said she hopes people attending the event learn to focus on dealing with racial issues outside of “the political sphere.”

“Jesus called us to be together,” she said of different races.

“If we can’t listen to people of color and learn how they want be treated, I don’t think we’ll be able to break down the racial division between us,” Clark said.