Supporting Our Muslim Neighbors

by Tim Moore on September 20, 2026

Letter by Rev. Dr. Tim Moore sent to The Islamic Center of Lake Norman September 14, 2026

To the Muslim community of Mooresville: 

The members and ministers of Myers Park Covenant Church want you to know that we stand with you while you are facing bigoted prejudice with the building plans for your new house of worship. We were distressed to hear this on the news and from our interfaith partner—Mecklenburg Ministries (MeckMin). 

Myers Park Covenant Church is strongly committed to religious liberty. We recognize your fundamental right to practice your faith and expand your facilities to serve your faith community within the broader life experience in Mooresville. We appreciate the tenets of Islam and what we share as Abrahamic religions. Everyone in this country is afforded the freedom of conscious and religion and deserves respect. We grieve that this has not been offered to you and that instead you have had to endure hostility and discrimination. 

We will uplift your community in prayer and will share our concern with MeckMin and will be available to be advocates for you. 

This fall our congregation will host MeckMin’s annual Thanksgiving event, called an Interfaith Friendsgiving, on Thursday, November 19, from 6:00—8:00 PM.  Please know that any members of your community would be honored guests at our house of worship. If some from the Islamic Center can attend, in addition to events of the gathering I would love to show you Shalom Hall, which documents the religious expression of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian families. 

I offer this note on behalf of the congregation at Myers Park Covenant Church, 1900 Queens Road, Charlotte, to your congregation. We are neighbors seeking peace in our world.  You are not alone. 

In solidarity with your community and in hope for brighter days ahead, 

Reverend Dr. F. Timothy Moore 
Interim Senior Minister 
Myers Park Covenant Church

Tags: community, justice

About the Author

Tim Moore

The Rev. Dr. Tim Moore has served churches in the greater Charlotte area for over 30 years, most notably as pastor of Sardis Baptist Church for nearly 20 years, where he still holds the title Writer-in-Residence. He is the author of Practicing Midrash: Reading the Bible’s Arguments as an Invitation to Conversation (Wipf & Stock, 2018) and the editor of Taking on the Cross: Reimagining the Meaning of Jesus’ Life and Death (Nurturing Faith, 2022). He is a contributing writer for the Smyth & Helwys devotional guide, Reflections, and for their Bible Study curriculum, Formations.

With a love for the Church, Tim has been heavily involved in Baptist denominational work and institutions. Currently, he serves on the board for Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School and on the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina’s Helping Pastor’s Thrive advisory council where he also mentors cohorts of young pastors. In the past, he has served on leadership boards for the Alliance of Baptists, Baptist House at Duke Divinity School, CBFNC, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, and Mars Hill University. Locally in Charlotte, he was a founding member of the Charlotte Clergy Coalition for Justice and served as the co-chair of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Interfaith Advisory Council. 

He graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary (D.Min.), from Andover Newton Theological School (M.Div.), and Mars Hill University (B.S. in Business Administration). 

Tim’s wife, Magay Shepard, is a CFP and Vice-President for Stifel Investment Services. They live in Charlotte and are the proud parents of three young adult children. When he is not writing or serving congregations, he enjoys hiking, playing tennis and basketball, traveling with family (especially national parks), and attending Charlotte FC and Carolina Panthers games.

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