This is a powerful story about two churches, one white and one black, coming together to work through race issues. Associated Press writer Rachel Zoll and I worked on this story together in Macon, Georgia.
The Rev. James W. Goolsby, Jr., senior pastor of the First Baptist Church, left, and the Rev. Scott Dickison, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Christ, right, pose for a photo at Dickison's church in Macon, Ga., on Monday, July 11, 2016. There are two First Baptist Churches in Macon _ one black and one white. Two years ago, Dickison and Goolsby met to try to find a way the congregations, neighbors for so long, could become friends. They’d try to bridge the stubborn divide of race. (AP Photo/Branden Camp)
Paul Bronson, left, joins hands with District Attorney David Cooke during a Black Lives Matter prayer vigil at First Baptist Church, with a predominantly African-American congregation, in Macon, Ga., on Monday, July 11, 2016. Pastors of both First Baptist Churches in Macon are trying to bridge the stubborn divide of race against a painful and tumultuous backdrop. (AP Photo/Branden Camp)
The Rev. James W. Goolsby, Jr., pastor of the First Baptist Church, left, and the Rev. Scott Dickison, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Christ, walk together in Macon, Ga., on Monday, July 11, 2016. In September 2016, they plan to lead joint discussions with their churches' members on racism in the history of the U.S., and also in the history of their congregations. (AP Photo/Branden Camp)
The Rev. Scott Dickison teaches from a book of sermons by Martin Luther King Jr. during a Sunday School class at the First Baptist Church of Christ, a predominantly white congregation, in Macon, Ga., on Sunday, July 10, 2016. This class was held days after the fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota, and the fatal ambush on Dallas police. "It’s weeks like these when we need more than ever to be with God’s people," Dickison told the roomful of congregants. (AP Photo/Branden Camp
Paul Bronson prays during a Black Lives Matter prayer vigil at First Baptist Church, a predominantly African-American congregation, in Macon, Ga., on Monday, July 11, 2016. The pastors of both First Baptist Churches in Macon are trying to bridge the stubborn divide of race against a painful and tumultuous backdrop. (AP Photo/Branden Camp)
Parishioner Bea Warbington-Ross sings during a worship service at First Baptist Church, a predominantly African-American congregation, in Macon, Ga., on Sunday, July 10, 2016. The retired human resources specialist says, "There’s no reason for Sunday to be the most segregated day." (AP Photo/Branden Camp)
A parishioner at First Baptist Church, a predominantly African-American congregation, leaves after a worship service in Macon, Ga., on Sunday, July 10, 2016. There are two First Baptist Churches in Macon, one black and one white. (AP Photo/Branden Camp)
Marty Price, 11, attends a Black Lives Matter prayer vigil on the steps of the First Baptist Church, a predominantly African-American congregation, in Macon, Ga., on Monday, July 11, 2016. The pastors of both First Baptist Churches in Macon are trying to bridge the stubborn divide of race against a painful and tumultuous backdrop: the 2015 massacre at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina; the much-publicized deaths of blacks at the hands of law enforcement; the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the sniper killing of white Dallas police officers. (AP Photo/Branden Camp)
The Rev. James W. Goolsby, Jr. poses for a portrait at the First Baptist Church, a predominantly African-American congregation, in Macon, Ga., on Monday, July 11, 2016. The 59-year-old Atlanta native and graduate of Morehouse College and Mercer’s McAfee School of Theology, has been the pastor here for more than 12 years. He said he and a previous pastor at the white church tried to build ties between the congregations but the effort didn’t go very far. This time is different, he said, in part because of his relationship with the new pastor, Scott Dickison. (AP Photo/Branden Camp)
In this Monday, July 11, 2016 photo, the Rev. Scott Dickison poses for a portrait at the First Baptist Church of Christ, a predominantly white congregation, in Macon, Ga. The 33-year-old North Carolina native and Harvard Divinity School graduate became the pastor about four years ago. (AP Photo/Branden Camp)
Members of the community join hands during a Black Lives Matter prayer vigil in front of the First Baptist Church, a predominantly African-American congregation, in Macon, Ga., on Monday, July 11, 2016. The pastors of both First Baptist Churches in Macon are trying to bridge the stubborn divide of race against a painful and tumultuous backdrop: the 2015 massacre at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina; the much-publicized deaths of blacks at the hands of law enforcement; the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the sniper killing of white Dallas police officers. (AP Photo/Branden Camp)
Parishioners clap during a worship service at the First Baptist Church, a predominantly African-American congregation, in Macon, Ga., on Sunday, July 10, 2016. There are two First Baptist Churches in Macon _ one black and one white. (AP Photo/Branden Camp)
The Rev. Scott Dickison teaches from a book of sermons by Martin Luther King Jr. during a Sunday School class at the First Baptist Church of Christ, a predominantly white congregation, in Macon, Ga., on Sunday, July 10, 2016 - days after the fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota, and the fatal ambush on Dallas police. "It’s weeks like these when we need more than ever to be with God’s people," Dickison told the roomful of congregants. (AP Photo/Branden Camp)
