ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 3, 2026
Recently, I heard a preacher give thanks for Harry T. Moore and Harriette Moore, yet without explanation, I was left scratching my head. Who were they? The sermon video I was watching was from a predominantly Black congregation, and so it felt as if I might need to do some quick research. And like so often, I was a little embarrassed when I learned who they were. Harry and Harriette Moore were pioneers in the Civil Rights Movement, doing most of their work in Florida. They filed a lawsuit pursuing equal pay for public school teachers at a time when Black teachers made less than half of what white teachers made. It is estimated that they helped register more than 100,000 Black voters in Florida. They were outspoken when people were falsely accused of crimes, and in December of 1951, the KKK silenced them with a bomb. It was Harry and Harriette’s 25th wedding anniversary, which was also Christmas Day. They became the first martyrs of the modern-day Civil Rights Movement, and their names are ones that I should have known.
With All Saints’ Day still visible in our rearview mirror, I think it is important to acknowledge just how many amazing saints and martyrs whose names never received any significant recognition. There are so many who quietly did the work of the faith and were met with persecution and even death. God knows their names, and for that, I am thankful. But I also feel it necessary to acknowledge that the world is a better place because of so many whose names never made the front page of the paper or the history books I read. Psalm 147 speaks of how God knows the name of every star in the heavens, and if that is the case, I feel confident that God knows the names of the faithful who lived their convictions in a quiet, yet impactful way.
Holy God, you spoke a good word into the world, and there are those who received it and have chosen to live it. We are thankful for their faithful witness that has made this world a bit more kind and just. Amen.
