Disciples award 14 grants to help eradicate racism

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 17, 2002 -- Wanting to eradicate racism from North America, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) recently awarded $163,800 in grants with emphases on education for racial reconciliation and anti-racism advocacy.

Disciples Reconciliation Mission Committee awarded 14 grants from 31 applications during its Sept. 4-7 meeting in Indianapolis. They included 11 regular one-time grants ranging from $2,300 to $10,000 and three special grants of $25,000 each. These Disciples-related ministries in 13 states included two advocacy programs, three advocacy education programs and nine educational programs either in racial reconciliation or in enhancing public education for ethnic-minority children and youth.

According to Eugene Fisher, Disciples Minister of Reconciliation based in Indianapolis, the committee awarded more than double the $65,000 that it awarded last year with three grants.

Reconciliation grants are awarded to congregations and church-related or non-profit community-related projects designed to contribute to Disciples of Christ's covenant "to be an anti-racist/pro-reconciliation church" and to eliminate racism in church and society.

Unique to this year's grants are two totaling $30,000 that focus on racism among Hispanics in North America. The committee awarded a regular $5,000 grant to Disciples Central Office for Hispanic Ministries to hold a "Conference on Latino Racism" next year. The conference plans to focus on three forms of racial discrimination among Latinos: racial shading, national origin and language.

According to Pablo Jiménez, National Pastor for Hispanic Ministries, with the rising number of Hispanic congregations among Disciples, there is a need to foster dialogue and exchanges among Mexican-American, Central-American and Puerto Rican Disciples.

The Reconciliation committee awarded Hispanic Ministries a $25,000 special grant to fund the "Border to Border" project. This project plans to facilitate exchanges among Hispanic ministers in the Southeast and Eastern United States in order to foster dialogue among Hispanic ministers of different national backgrounds. Disciples ministers in Arizona, California, Florida, New York and Texas will be invited to participate in this anti-racism, pro-reconciliation project. Hispanic Ministries hopes that through the project pastors will meet the needs of those beyond their own culture.

The Reconciliation committee awarded two more $25,000 special grants to other Hispanic and African-American ministries. One was awarded to provide English as Second Language and enrichment classes to Hispanic children and youth in Greensboro, N.C. This grant also provides a parish nurse for the Hispanic Outreach Center of the Shalom Community Christian Center in Greensboro.

The other $25,000 special grant projects will provide for a "Youth Reconciliation" program as part of the Helping Others Perceive Excellence Institute housed at historically African-American Park Manor Christian Church in Chicago. Through a weekly program, 15 youth, selected for this ministry, will participate in reading, think tanks, training, lectures and instruction in the use of technology.

Other projects awarded Reconciliation Mission grants include:

• "Building Inclusive Community" project of the Religious Action for Affordable Housing in Ann Arbor, Mich., for $10,000 to be advocates for low-income housing;

• "Combating Racism and Organized hate Groups: An Ecumenical Response" to the Washington Association of Churches in Seattle for $10,000 to plan for ecumenical responses to racism and hate groups. Half of the grant was given from the Domestic Terrorism Response fund that enables the church to respond to the systemic evil responsible for attacks against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001;

• "Developing Churches as Community Restorative Justice Centers" project of the Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries (FIRM) in Fresno, Calif., for $2,300 to provide training in restorative justice to pastors of Southeast Asian immigrant churches;

• "Developing a Metropolitan Interfaith Community of Accountability for Greater Washington, D.C." project of the Pilgrimage Christian and All Souls Churches in Wheaton, Md., for $10,000 to build interfaith bases of anti-racists community in Washington;

• "Idaho Community Action Network" project of the Idaho Community Action Network in Boise, Idaho, for $8,500 to assist low-income residents in combating institutional racism;

• "Starting at the Beginning: Integrating Anti-Bias Education into Faith-based Programs" of the Young Children to the Early Childhood Equity Alliance in Pasadena, Calif., for $8,000;

• "Southern Crescent Hispanic Center" of Iglesia El Aposento Alto in Forest Park, Ga., for $10,000 to continue an English as Second Language program;

• "Yakama Christian Mission Anti-Racist Curriculum and Workshop" of Disciples-related Yakama Christian Mission in White Swan, Wash., for $10,000 to nurture anti-racism pro-reconciliation efforts with 300 to 500 volunteer workers to the mission next summer;

• "Longview HOPE Initiative" project of Memphis Hope in Memphis, Tenn., for $10,000 to overcome the adverse effects of academic tracking in public education and to nurture career aspirations among minority youth; and

• "Housing Justice Program" of the Community Alliance of Tenants in Portland, Ore., for $5,000 to combat racist public policy pertaining to housing.

The Reconciliation Mission is funded through the Reconciliation Mission Offering to be received in Disciples of Christ congregations across North America on Sundays, Sept. 29 and Oct. 6. The Reconciliation Mission does not receive funds from Basic Mission Finance. For more information about Disciples Reconciliation Mission call 317-713-2416 or on online at www.disciples.org/reconciliation. For materials to participate in the upcoming Reconciliation Offering, call 317-713-2440 or by e-mail: shirley@cfc.disciples.org.

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List of Reconciliation Grants

Contact:
Daniel R. Gangler, director of communication
Church Finance Council
(317) 713-2408
dgangler@cfc.disciples.org