In a time of needed racial empathy, the Rev. James A. Hailey III commits time to integrating black and white congregations, children and radio listeners through the will of love.

Hailey, pastor of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 316 E. Jackson St., began preaching at the church in 1993 10 years after he first received his religious calling. He since has been involved in many community activities outside his services, hoping to bring the Carbondale community together.

I hope to bring love and unity among people, Jew or gentile, Muslim it doesn’t matter, he said. Though we may not like some things, we can still love each other.

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His religious denomination, African Methodist Episcopalian, is an offspring of the Methodist denomination, which was founded in England and America in the 19th century.

The immediate cause of the organization of the African Methodist Episcopal Church was the fact that members of the St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1787 segregated its colored members from its white communicants. This lead to the introduction of the Free African Society and from this society came two groups, the Episcopalians and the Methodists.

Then in 1816, the African Methodist Episcopal Church was injected into the religious mainstream to implement the conception of freedom of worship and desire to be rid of the humiliation of segregation, specifically in church.

In recognition of past differences and with the yearning to change present racial misunderstandings, Hailey attended an Intervarsity Christian Fellowship meeting Friday and preached of the need to combine black and white communities. The meeting of about 16 people was predominately white.

At the worship gathering, Hailey encouraged members to respond vocally to words they agreed with by proclaiming Amen! A bit taken back by the request because of the silent nature of their worship services, one by one the participants gradually responded with the exclamation.

Lamel Washington, a junior in aviation management from Chicago, serves as the chairman of the SIUC Black Student Ministries. He was familiar with Hailey’s ministry style, having attended some of his past passionate and rousing services.

He found Hailey’s education and encouragement at the meeting will aid in the understanding of different races.

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We need to learn the ways of different groups of people, he said. There’s a lot of understanding in the religious groups but there’s still a lot of ground that needs to be fielded.

And Hailey continues to cover that ground by encouraging love through his preaching, community work and his family life.

Hailey coaches the Lincoln Junior High School track and field team, works as a volunteer track coach for the Carbondale Community High School and is the director of the Gospel Inspirational Hours program on WDBX 91.1 FM.

At present, Hailey is focusing on integrating his church, a predominately black congregation with the First Christian Church, 306 W. Monroe St., which is predominately white.

Bringing our congregations together and learning about each other is the first step, Hailey said. The bringing together of blacks and whites is happening in Carbondale.

There’s already some interaction with black and white American congregations. We’re moving in the right direction, but in the final step, we need to all do it together.

The first attempt occurred last summer when Hailey and Suzanne Webb, minister of the First Christian Church, organized an ice cream social on the lawn of the First Christian Church and discussed the history of each denomination and congregation.

The tradition not only continued but expanded this year when Hailey and Webb exchanged pulpits. Webb lead the congregation at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal while Hailey preached at the First Christian Church.

Two weeks ago, inspiration surrounded Webb as she spoke to the people of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

There was a lot of music and prayer involvement by the congregation, she said of her experience. It was wonderful.

The spirit rang loud in the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church Sunday as Reverend Hailey shouted words of inspiration on loving one’s brother, whether black, white, red or yellow.

Integrating congregations of black and white is only one step in unifying the community as a whole, and according to Hailey, it is based on the notion of love.

It is not in the color, he said. It is in the love of the individual.

And with locked gazes and inspired hearts, the only response from Hailey’s congregation was a loud, heart-felt Amen.