Title: Reconciliation mission funds ongoing work of discernment process
Date: October 23, 1997
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: news@cm.disciples.org
97b-57
INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) -- The most recent round of funding for Reconciliation highlights the ministry's changed emphasis from "War on Poverty" type programs to those that directly attack the root cause of racism. That's the word from the Rev. L. Wayne Stewart, administrative director of the Disciples ministry to eliminate racism.
"We want to move from awarding spot' grants toward funding projects that have as their primary goal, eliminating racism," he said. Yet the ministry continues to receive appeals to support "1960s-type" projects addressing hunger, unemployment, etc. While all of these are worthy causes, they do not directly address the primary cause of racism.
General Reconciliation Committee members recently granted the Office of General Minister and President $48,000 to continue its work with "racism in North America." A forum and a series of exercises on the topic during the Denver General Assembly "focused on step one of the discernment process by issuing a call to faithfulness,' " Stewart said.
The assembly activities only began churchwide dialogue on racism, he added. The process is ongoing and "it's going to take coordination and lots of planning."
"We see this as a long-term transformational process," said the Rev. Lori Adams, minister for transformation. "The process of discernment on racism is directed at a process of transforming the racism that exists in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)."
The next activity designed to address the discernment issue is a November meeting of the steering committee in Chicago. Assisting the committee will be Crossroads Ministries, a consulting agency with 20 years of experience helping religious and not-for-profit groups tackle the issue of racism. The agency will work as a partner in developing a strategy or model that is relevant for the Disciples of Christ, said Adams.
"Our prayer is for the process to eventually engage all three manifestations of our church with education, training and other exercises aimed at dismantling racism and building a multicultural church," said the Reconciliation director.
Approval of funding was a "strong vote of confidence that the steering committee can lead the church into a transforming process or vision, and help it live into that vision," Adams said.
The General Reconciliation Committee also approved $12,000 in funding for additional projects aimed at identifying anti-Indian bias in local schools ($5,000); confronting racism and bigotry in county and local governments and local schools ($2,000); and moving the Ohio region's reconciliation program to a clear focus on racism ($5,000).
-- end --