Rich Town Church, greetings, and welcome to those of you joining us online.

My name is Gabriel J. Flores, and this is the Daily for Friday, February 26th.

Today in our final daily honoring Black History Month, I would like to spend our time highlighting

the value of togetherness.

I believe that we can experience and see God more holistically when spaces reflect a multi-ethnic,

multi-cultural and multi-generational community and are bound together in love by the Holy Spirit.

I believe that to be like Jesus is to establish spaces in which people come together and feel

seen, yes, but honored and welcomed as well.

In a time where the divide continues to increase, I believe that togetherness, while rooted in

commitment is a path toward healing for our church, our communities, our city, and our country.

So first, let me take a step back and tell you a little bit about myself.

I'm a father of two young children, a husband, a coach, and I love to fly fish.

I am also Latino.

I was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the minority is the majority in

much of the city.

When I first moved to Portland, I heard that it was the widest city in the country, and

at that point, I didn't question why it was white.

But as I started to build new relationships here in Portland, I sensed a discomfort from

Oregonians and talking about my race or ethnic background, tip toying around what I was

and where I was from.

This was all a new experience for me.

In a church small group where I was the only minority, I would try to ease the tension by

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