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Table of Contents
Focus Text: Romans 10:8b-13
The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:8b-13
Overview
Focus Text: Romans 10:8b-13
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all…
Pastoral Reflection by Rev. Joseph Brown, Presiding Elder, Dunn-Lillington District, A.M.E. Zion Church, Fayetteville, NC
It is rare that the issue of racial reconciliation is attached to salvation. Many times, the issues of race are only discussed from a legal or political perspective, but in our text there is a direct correlation between salvation and racial reconciliation.
Personal Vignette from the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission
As a Commission that looks a bit like Greensboro in microcosm, we found that this process — and our own struggle to hear and understand each other — had a profound impact on our perceptions of the issues we explored. Our individual and collective commitment to the truth helped us persevere. And the human stories and emotions we encountered along the way moved us to do our best to leave behind a legacy we hope will serve Greensboro for years to come.
Key Fact
Only 7 percent of American churches are racially integrated, according to the Pew Center.
Related Texts
Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears [God] and does what is right is acceptable to [God]. You know the message [God] sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all.”
Acts 10:34-35
Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.
1 Corinthians 1:10-17
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
1 Corinthians 12:12-26
As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest also may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels, I warn you to keep these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality.
I Timothy 5:20-21
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!
Colossians 3:9-11
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.
Ephesians 2:13-16
Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:23-29
Other Lectionary Texts
- Deuteronomy 26:1-11
- Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
- Luke 4:1-13
Scriptural Commentary on Romans 10:8b-13
In Paul’s letter to the Romans he writes that he has a burning desire and longing for the salvation of Israel. Their salvation was possible. They could be saved. Their rejection of Jesus Christ was not a lost cause. The door of salvation is open to all men and women, Jew as well as Gentile.
The steps toward salvation were simple: confession and belief that Jesus Christ died and rose again. Through this, salvation would be possible. The great opportunity for salvation is available to all persons.
This God, this Jesus, is God of all regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin. Everyone who calls will be saved, moral or immoral, just or unjust, rich or poor, pretty or ugly, sick or well. Anyone who cries out with a deep-rooted call from the heart could be elevated to a Utopian experience on earth.
The access to salvation by all persons is the bond that ties all of us together. There may be some things on earth that are restricted to certain socio-economic groupings or levels of education, but Jesus is there for all of us to grab hold to and can save us from sin and destruction.
By Rev. Joseph Brown, Sr., Pastor, Presiding Elder, Dunn-Lillington District, A.M.E. Zion Church, Fayetteville, NC
Pastoral Reflection on Romans 10:8b-13
It is rare that the issue of racial reconciliation is attached to salvation. Many times, the issues of race are only discussed from a legal or political perspective, but in our text there is a direct correlation between salvation and racial reconciliation.
It appears at times that there are those among us who proclaim salvation, going to heaven after death with shouts of praise and hallelujah, is separated from how we treat others who are different from us racially. But in Paul’s writing, he shows a direct link between racial harmony and salvation. I further submit that, in line with Paul’s words, there can be no racial reconciliation until there is a Jesus experience.
First, we must confess the evil within us. The old saying “confession is good for the soul” is still true. We must own up to the hatred that is within us, and not only own up to it, we must be willing to let it go and allow God to remove it. We must be willing to confess that hating someone strictly because they are of a different race than we are is as evil as adultery, stealing, or murdering. We must realize that hate separates us from God, and that separation denies us the blessings He has in store. As we confess and seek forgiveness for our other sins, we must also seek forgiveness for racial hatred.
Secondly, belief in Jesus Christ brings a heart change. In 1964, during the debate over the Civil Rights Act, one of our senators stated that “we cannot legislate feelings from the heart.” How right he was, and though the 1964 legislation mandated many changes which have had some positive results, we must admit that there are still underlying problems which remain today.
I am convinced these underlying issues can only be resolved when we fully surrender our lives to Jesus Christ. The hymn writer states: “what a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, since Jesus came into my heart. I have light in my soul for which long I have sought, since Jesus came into my heart. Since Jesus came into my heart, floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll.” When Jesus comes into our hearts and is really there, we can experience the joy of loving and accepting all people.
Finally, accepting Jesus Christ as Lord helps us understand love and reconciliation. The whole idea of salvation is understanding the events of Calvary. It was there that God accepted the sacrifice offered for our sins. It was there through Jesus that God became able to see beyond our faults. God was able to do this because of the love He has for us. When we fully understand that love, and that love grows and matures within us, then we cannot help but reconcile ourselves to each other. If God through Calvary pardons, accepts, and loves us, then when that love flourishes within us, we will find ourselves looking beyond other people’s color, where they came from, and where they live, and embrace them as we were embraced at Calvary.
Whenever I think of social reconciliation and the effort we all have to make to bring it to reality, I am reminded of a gathering that occurred some years ago in a city where I was a pastor.
A group of progressive ministers, black and white, came together to organize a group called CLIFF (Clergy Living in Faith and Fellowship). We came together because we were concerned about race relations in that city, and the evident worsening of the divide.
As usually is the case, the public schools in that area reflected the ever-growing social divisions. From what I hear, it is not much better now. Nevertheless, about 10 or 15 of us came together not only to pray about the situation, but also publicly to express our opposition to what the school board was doing to perpetuate the social disharmony in the community.
CLIFF had several meetings and several of us exchanged worship services. What was unique about this was that we did not have these exchanges in the afternoons or on Wednesday nights. These pulpit exchanges occurred on Sunday mornings at 11:00 a.m.
I remember vividly the first Sunday we did this. The pastor of the United Methodist Church and his choir were coming to our African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and I and my choir were going to the United Methodist Church. I must admit both pastors and choirs were jittery, but we had to demonstrate what we preached and sang about. The exchange went very well, both congregations enjoyed it. We came together after church and had dinner together. I understand this exchange still occurs annually. Those of us who stand in pulpits must take the lead in bringing people together.
During our meetings as members of CLIFF, we discovered something really scary that many of us hate to face but is a reality. We discovered that even as progressive and loving as we were, we had some deep seated racist issues within us that had been unconsciously nurtured and grown through the years. Conversion education and life experiences had helped us shift those racist notions to the point where we could attempt to build bridges, but the tendencies were still there. It was frightening to have to face this, but we did. We also concluded that we could not lead in healing if we were sick and diseased ourselves.
We decided to bring in Doug Tanner, a nationally known leader in facilitating groups in social reconciliation. We spent a full day openly confessing our social sins and shortcomings. During that session we got angry, we talked harshly, we aired our feelings, but at the end, our bond was closer than before. This “Come to Jesus Meeting,” as we called it, started us on the road to healing. As a result of our own healing, we could better lead our congregations toward social reconciliation.
Several years have passed since that retreat, and several of us have gone to other fields of endeavor. However, the bond that we established that day has continued. It has also helped us build relationships in other cities.
As clergy persons, maybe more of us need to search ourselves and be honest with what is really inside each of us so that we can more effectively lead others to social reconciliation. Sometimes it is good for us to look back at Calvary and experience the wonderful, refreshing power of God demonstrated there.
By Rev. Joseph Brown, Sr., Presiding Elder, Dunn-Lillington District, A.M.E. Zion Church, Fayetteville, NC
Worship Aids about Racism & Reconciliation
Responsive Reading
Gracious God, we thank you for making one human family of all the peoples of the earth and for creating all the wonderful diversity of cultures.
Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of fellowship and show us your presence in those who differ most from us.
Forgive those of us who have been silent and apathetic in the face of racial intolerance and bigotry, both overt and subtle, public and private.
And take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts.
Break down the walls which separate us.
And help us to find that unity which is the fruit of righteousness and which will enable us to become your beloved community.
Empower us to speak boldly for justice and truth and help us to deal with one another without hatred or bitterness, working together with mutual forbearance and respect.
And work through our struggles and confusion to accomplish your purposes.
Amen.
(adapted from “Sabbath of Support in Opposition to Racism,”www.religioustolerance.org)
Prayer of Confession
For the racism which denies dignity to those who are different, Lord, forgive us:
Lord, have mercy.
For the racism which recognizes prejudice in others and never in ourselves, Christ, forgive us:
Christ, have mercy.
For the racism which will not recognize the work of your Spirit in other cultures, Lord, forgive us:
Lord, have mercy.
(from the United Church of Canada, www.united-church.ca/bfw/resources.shtm)
To the Creator of All Peoples
To the Creator of all peoples, who loves each of us for our uniqueness, we offer our prayers of petition:
For an end to discrimination in all its forms, we pray,
Lord of all, hear our prayer.
That each person may be respected and valued as a child of God, we pray,
Lord of all, hear our prayer.
That the Church may be a witness and a universal sign of unity among all peoples, we pray,
Lord of all, hear our prayer.
That each of us may acknowledge our part in mistakes and sins of the past pertaining to discrimination and racism, we pray,
Lord of all, hear our prayer.
For a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation among peoples who share a history of mutual mistrust, hatred, or aggression, we pray,
Lord of all, hear our prayer.
That the victims of racial prejudice may forgive those who persecute them, and that their persecutors may have a change of heart, we pray,
Lord of all, hear our prayer.
That the Church will continue to strive to make every element of human life correspond to the true dignity of the human person, we pray,
Lord of all, hear our prayer.
For those who have struggled for civil rights, economic justice and the elimination of discrimination based on race, we pray,
Lord of all, hear our prayer.
For the conversion of the hearts and minds of those who allow another to influence their relationships and limit their openness, we pray,
Lord of all, hear our prayer.
That we may work to influence the attitudes of others by expressly rejecting racial stereotypes, slurs, and be affirming of the cultural contributions of every racial group in our world, we pray,
Lord of all, hear our prayer.
That we may make a personal commitment to abolish social structures which inhibit economic, educational and social advancement of the poor, we pray,
Lord of all nations, hear our prayer.
That we may work for decent working conditions, adequate income, housing, education and health care for all people, we pray,
Lord of all nations, hear our prayer.
Amen.
(adapted from the Augustinians of the Midwest,www.midwestaugustinians.org/justpaxracepray.html)
Creator of All People
Almighty God, source of our life, we acknowledge you as Creator of all people of every race, language and way of life.
Help us to see each other as you see us: your sons and daughters loved into being and sustained by your parental care.
Keep watch over our hearts so that the evil of racism will find no home with us.
Direct our spirits to work for justice and peace so that all barriers to your grace which oppress our brothers and sisters will be removed. In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
(from the Augustinians of the Midwest,www.midwestaugustinians.org/justpaxracepray.html)
Lenten Prayer
O God of unconditional love,
you who show no partiality in respect to persons or nations,
we have heard your good news of great joy for all the people,
We hear that good news, and in hearing, believe.
We know that your sanctuary is a house of worship for all people,
with no regard for the color of our skin.
As we worship you, knit us into a people,
a seamless garment of many colors.
May we celebrate our unity, made whole in our diversity.
Forgive us for our inability to let our “old selves” die to the world.
We acknowledge that we participate in structures that are inherently racist,
and yet we do nothing to remedy it.
Show us when we fail when we judge others according to the color of their flesh.
Amen.
(adapted from the United Church of Christ’s “Prayers for Racial Justice Sunday,”www.ucc.org/worship/ways)
Suggested Hymns about Racism & Reconciliation
In Christ There is No East or West
African Methodist Episcopal Hymnal 557
Christian Methodist Episcopal Hymnal 360
Baptist Hymnal 385
New Century Hymnal (United Church of Christ) 394
United Methodist Hymnal 548
The Hymnal (1982) 529
Presbyterian Hymnal 439
Chalice Hymnal (Disciples of Christ) 687
Moravian Book of Worship 697
Gather Hymnal (Catholic) 738
Diverse in Culture, Nation, Race
Gather Hymnal (Catholic) 739
Chalice Hymnal (Disciples of Christ) 485
We Are Called to Be God’s People
Baptist Hymnal 390
Moravian Book of Worship 635
Quotes about Racism & Reconciliation
Love is creative and redemptive… The aftermath of the ‘fight with fire’ method which you suggest is bitterness and chaos, the aftermath of the love method is reconciliation and creation of the beloved community. Physical force can repress, restrain, coerce, destroy, but it cannot create and organize anything permanent; only love can do that. Yes, love—which means understanding, creative, redemptive goodwill, even for one’s enemies—is the solution to the race problem.
Martin Luther King, Jr
True reconciliation is never cheap, for it is based on forgiveness which is costly. Forgiveness in turn depends on repentance, which has to be based on an acknowledgement of what was done wrong, and therefore on disclosure of the truth. You cannot forgive what you do not know.
Desmond Tutu
It demands great spiritual resilience not to hate the hater whose foot is on your neck, and an even greater miracle of perception and charity not to teach your child to hate.
James Arthur Baldwin
At the heart of racism is the religious assertion that God made a creative mistake when He brought some people into being.
Friedrich Otto Hertz
Vignette about Racism & Reconciliation
The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Background
In Greensboro, North Carolina, on November 3, 1979, members of the Ku Klux Klan and American Nazi party killed five people and wounded 10 others as activists gathered for a statewide “Death to the Klan” rally and conference for racial, social, and economic justice. The planned event, organized by members of the Communist Workers Party, was to start in Greensboro’s Morningside Homes, a now – demolished African-American public housing community. The organizers had obtained a parade permit from the city and had been assigned police escorts, but all the police were called to an early lunch just before the Klan and Nazis arrived in a caravan and opened fire.
Four TV crews captured the killings on film, but the perpetrators were twice acquitted of any wrongdoing. Eventually, in a federal civil suit, Klan members, Nazis and Greensboro police were found jointly liable for one of the deaths. Although the city paid a $385,000 settlement, it has never apologized or acknowledged any wrongdoing.
The entire city has suffered from the impact of this tragedy and its aftermath. Because there is no common understanding about this painful episode in Greensboro’s history, it continues to serve as a basis for fear, division and distrust. For this reason, a broad coalition of concerned community leaders has formed to call the people, institutions and government of Greensboro to engage in the Greensboro Truth & Community Reconciliation Project to confront this troubled history honestly so it can move forward in the unity and strength that can come from forgiveness and reconciliation.
Current Work
With a five-member staff, volunteers and collaborations with a wide range of community organizations, the Commission hopes to become a model that other American communities can use to address incidents of unresolved injustice in their own histories. Created through a public nomination and selection process, the independent Commission is mandated to objectively examine “the context, causes, sequence and consequence” of Nov. 3, 1979. Given the confusion caused by the two acquittals and the subsequent civil lawsuit, as well as the volume of rumors and misinformation that surrounded these events and their aftermath, the Greensboro community has been deeply divided in its collective understanding of what actually happened and why.
Final Report
The Commission issued its final report on May 25, 2006. In the report’s executive summary, the Commission concludes:
“We believe the truth and reconciliation process in Greensboro opened up the debate around Nov. 3, 1979, in a positive way and has successfully engaged a broad spectrum of the community in an effort that offers hope for reconciliation. As a Commission that looks a bit like Greensboro in microcosm, we found that this process — and our own struggle to hear and understand each other — had a profound impact on our perceptions of the issues we explored. Our individual and collective commitment to the truth helped us persevere. And the human stories and emotions we encountered along the way moved us to do our best to leave behind a legacy we hope will serve Greensboro for years to come. We cannot say what the future will hold for this community or what the long-term impact of this process will look like, but we hope that this process also serves as a learning tool for others in this country who, like Greensboro, are burdened by a legacy of hurt and inspired by the possibility of honestly coming to terms with their own history.”
Material from the Greensboro Truth & Community Reconciliation Project, www.gtcrp.org & the Greensboro Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Press Release of 19 April 2005, www.greensborotrc.org
Contacts & Resources for Racism & Reconciliation
Because of the unique challenges that racism and racial disparities pose to Christian unity, we have chosen to extend this list of contacts and resources. Here you’ll find a listing of active organizations across North Carolina as well as numerous religious and denominational resource pages for addressing these issues.
The Elephant in the Courtroom: Racism and Criminal Justice in North Carolina
An adult education curriculum resource provided by the North Carolina Council of Churches which explores themes of community, forgiveness, racism, and restorative justice.
www.ywcatriangle.org/RacialJustice.html
YWCA Triangle Racial Justice Initiative seeks to increase the interaction and dialogue among individuals of different racial and ethnic backgrounds and to address underlying assumptions and attitudes about race and ethnicity. It hosts Study Circles, Action Task Forces and Action Agendas.
www.faihouse.org
FaithAction International House, based in Greensboro, aims to form a united community of many cultures. This is a dynamic center for cross-cultural learning and service.
www.visions-inc.org
VISIONS, Inc. is a nonprofit training and consulting organization that provides a variety of services which support organizations, communities, and individuals as they engage in the process of multicultural development.
www.ncimed.com
The North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development, a statewide nonprofit organization representing the interest of underdeveloped and underutilized sectors of the state’s economic base. The Institute’s working philosophy is that information and business development are critical to wealth creation and to building the asset base among low-wealth sectors of the population.
www.manilasites.com/naacpncgreensboro
The NAACP NC Weblog Network, based in the Guilford County (Greensboro) branch. The website announces current events of the NAACP, and contains articles covering the NAACP’s work in North Carolina.
www.antioppressiveeducation.org
Center for Anti-Oppressive Education. The Center for Anti-Oppressive Education (CAOE) recognizes that the quality of education cannot improve unless we commit to challenging the racism, classism, sexism, and other oppressions which permeate our schools and societies. Through its projects on research, curriculum, professional development, and local advocacy, CAOE develops and provides innovative resources for educators, leaders, students, and advocates throughout the United States and the world who are interested in creating and engaging in anti-oppressive forms of education.
www.splcenter.org
Southern Poverty Law Center, located in Montgomery, AL, the SPLC was founded in 1971 as a small civil rights firm. Today it receives international acclaim for its tolerance education programs, its legal victories against white supremacist groups, and it’s tracking of hate groups.
www.tolerance.org
Created by the Southern Poverty law Center, Teaching Tolerance is dedicated to reducing prejudice, improving intergroup relations and supporting equitable school experiences for our nation’s children.
www.divinity.duke.edu/reconciliation/index.html
Center for Reconciliation at Duke Divinity School is rooted in a Christian vision of God’s mission works to inspire, form, and support leaders, communities, and congregations to live as ambassadors of reconciliation.
www.winterinstitute.org/index.htm
The William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation shall foster reconciliation and civic renewal wherever people suffer as a result of racial discrimination or alienation, and promote scholarly research, study and teaching on race and the impact of race and racism.
www.ethnicharvest.org/index.htm
Ethnic Harvest seeks to serve and equip the Church in North America for ministry in our multi-ethnic society, by providing resources, stories and practical information on our web site and by helping build partnerships between ethnic and anglo churches, between ethnic churches in North America with those overseas, and among individuals and churches ministering to specific people groups.
www.atrr.org
The Alliance for Truth and Racial Reconciliation (ATRR) promotes truth-seeking and reconciliation on issues of racial violence by deepening our understanding of history and its continuing effects and by working for justice. As an alliance of concerned individuals and committed local organizations, we seek to address the concerns of healing, accountability, reparations, restorative justice, and coalition-building. By working collaboratively, we support and promote efforts by individuals and local groups to build bridges and create community, through hearings, conferences, community-based initiatives, dialogue-building sessions, forums, and projects, as well as supporting national legislation and initiatives consistent with these efforts to strengthen the social, economic, political, and environmental fabric of the United States.
www.racialequitytools.org/index.htm
A web site designed to support people and groups who are working for inclusion, racial equity and social justice. The site includes ideas, strategies and tips, as well as a clearinghouse of resources and links from many sources.
www.diversity-matters.org
Diversity Matters is a national nonprofit organization that aims to make diversity and inclusion foundational assets of environmental and social change. They are dedicated to making justice and equity core to the internal policies and practices and external programming of progressive work. The DM team brings decades of collective experience on social justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, cultural competence, organizational development, and leadership.
Denominational Related Websites Relating to Racial Justice and Ethnic Ministry
www.crcna.org/pages/racerelations_index.cfm
Christian Reformed Church – The Ministry of Race Relations is mandated by synod to design, organize, and implement programs that will assist the denomination, churches, and members in eliminating the causes and effects of racism within the body of believers and throughout the world. Race Relations initiates and provides training and programs to mobilize Christian Reformed agencies, educational institutions, and congregations to recognize, expose, and dismantle all forms of racism and to experience true biblical reconciliation as a diverse and unified people of God.
www.disciples.org/convo
The National Convocation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is an expression of the church that is positioned to promote racial harmony. The National Convocation was to be responsible for pointing “the emerging Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) toward racial inclusiveness and unity across racial lines.”
www.obrahispana.org
Central Pastoral Office for Hispanic Ministries – The Central Pastoral Office for Hispanic Ministries helps facilitate, enable, promote, undergird and coordinate the work of Hispanic Ministries for the general church.
www.napad.net
North American Pacific/Asian Disciples of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada, affirm cultures and heritages of Asian peoples within the historic and living Christian faith. We recognize and promote the gifts and presence of North American Pacific/Asian Disciples in the life and work of the Church.
www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice.aspx
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – Through programs, ministries, and in our daily lives, we are dedicated to understanding God’s work for justice in the world. We advocate dignity and justice for all people and stand with people in poverty and who are powerless. We lift our voice with forces for good and participate in activities that relieve misery and result in peace and reconciliation in local communities and among nations.
www.nclutheran.org/ministries/committees_groups.php
North Carolina Synod of ELCA, Multicultural Ministries – This organization is designed to be a vehicle for unifying and conveying the needs and concerns of African American members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) through all existing ELCA structures, especially through the Commission for Multicultural Ministries. (http://www.nclutheran.org/ministries/documents/Outreach-Latino-Strategy.pdf) (http://www.nc-aala.org/NC%20African%20Descent%20Strategy.pdf)
www.nc-aala.org
North Carolina Chapter of the African American Lutheran Association – is dedicated to the task of strengthening the Christian bonds of the African American community of believers, developing a full sense of partnership between the ELCA and the whole African American community through evangelism, education, stewardship, worship and social ministry.
http://archive.episcopalchurch.org/advocacy.htm
The Peace and Justice Ministries Office of the Episcopal Church equips Episcopalians to carry out the promise made in their Baptismal Covenant to “strive for peace and justice and respect the dignity of every human being.” The programs seek to support justice ministries at the local level by supporting networks – domestic and international, by providing resources, by sustaining committees and networks, and by advocating the social policies of the church to government.
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/latino
The mission of the Latino/Hispanic Ministry of The Episcopal Church is to form hospitable communities of faith that nourish, strengthen, and develop disciples of Christ in the Anglican tradition.
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/black
The history of contributions to the Episcopal Church by its black clergy and black congregations is long and inspiring. The church pays tribute to this legacy by supporting and fostering the growth of black congregations through partnerships that reach across ethnic and racial boundaries, from the Episcopal provinces, dioceses, and deaneries to local parishes.
http://diocese-eastcarolina.org/About%20the%20Diocese/anti-racism-commission.html
Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, Anti-Racism Commission – information regarding workshops and resources.
http://commissiontodismantleracism-wnc.org/
Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina, The Commission to Dismantle Racism has the vision of a church and community where…white privilege is openly acknowledged; an anti-racist identity is intentionally adopted; racial and cultural inclusiveness is actively pursued; so that congregations and church institutions continually challenged to become the beloved communities of mutuality, justice and Compassion which we are called to be in Christ Jesus.
http://www.diocesewnc.org/Diocesan%20Ministries/hispanic-latino-ministry.html
Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina, Spanish Speaking Ministries
http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/racial-ethnic-womens-ministries/
Presbyterian Church (USA), Racial Ethnic & Women’s Ministries & Presbyterian Women works to equip, empower and inspire individuals, congregations and the whole church to develop Presbyterian communities of faith that reflect our multicultural society, build leaders of every race and gender and work for racial and gender justice.
www.pcusa.org/racialjustice
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Racial Justice & Advocacy professes that racism, in all its forms, is contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In faithful witness to the love of Christ, the church is committed to confronting the ideology of racism and racial oppression, working to overcome racism with prayer, discernment and worship-based action.
www.pcusa.org/multicultural
The Presbyterian Multicultural Congregational Support assists the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s efforts in becoming the church intended to be as a multiracial, multilingual and multicultural community of faith and empower congregations and governing bodies as they seek to claim, live, and celebrate the vision expressed in the above Biblical mandate.
www.presbyofcharlotte.org/ProgramAreas/MissionJustice/tabid/18203/Default.aspx
Presbytery of Charlotte, Mission and Justice with sub-groups in Advocacy & Justice for New Immigrants, Justice Work Group (justice and social issues) and One in Christ (race relations)
www.presbyofcharlotte.org/ProgramAreas/LatinoMinistries/tabid/18200/Default.aspx
Presbytery of Charlotte, Hispanic/Latino Ministries – A multicultural Presbytery where Latinos have an active part in worship, diakonia and government, expressing in this way the mission of the Church to and with the International Communities. The mission is to work with the Anglo, African American, Asian, and Latino communities, churches, and organizations in the Presbytery of Charlotte, looking to improve the quality of the spiritual, social, and educational life of Latinos on the personal and social level.
www.presbycc.org/Hispanic/church_do_list.htm
The Presbytery of Coastal Carolina has certainly had a major influx of Hispanic people into our cities, towns and rural areas. As you are aware, Presbytery has a staff member, Rev. Edwardo Moreno, working full time on this mission work. What is needed is that all our churches start an active mission program to reach out to the Hispanic community.
http://www.nhpresbytery.org/Pages/Committees/Multicultural.html
New Hope Presbytery, Multicultural Committee
http://www.nhpresbytery.org/Pages/Divisions/Divisions.html
The Division for Outreach Ministries calls the presbytery to look beyond itself, and outwards to meet the varying needs of people in all kinds of settings and life situations. The division’s efforts are directed in the areas of hunger social justice/peacemaking, global missions, campus ministries and church development/redevelopment. The committee addresses Campus Ministry; Church Development and Evangelism (includes Latino and Korean congregations); Ministries of Mission (addresses ministries of peacemaking, social justice, and the alleviation of hunger in personal and corporate lives); and Self-Development of People (is designed to enter into partnerships with poor and oppressed people, who organize sufficiently to do things to help themselves).
www.charlottediocese.org
Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, Diocesan Statistics – bottom left of home page, click to get reports and figures of Western NC showing racial/ethnic distribution across the western half of the state by tract and by parish. Populations include African American, Asian, Latino/Hispanic and Native American.
Offices, Agencies and Ministries Directory
http://www.charlottediocese.org/ministries/aaam-ministry
African American Affairs Ministry’s mission, among other things, includes articulating the needs of the African American community to diocesan agencies, schools and organizations and assisting them in the planning, coordination and implementation of programs and activities that involve the African American community.
http://www.charlottediocese.org/ministries-a-departments/hispanic-ministry
The Diocese of Charlotte, Multicultural Ministry, Hispanic Ministry, resources for ministry in Spanish.
www.dioceseofraleigh.org/how/african/index.aspx
African Ancestry Ministry seeks to create an atmosphere in which individuals of African descent can maintain their identity, heighten their visibility, and enhance their lives as Catholics.
www.dioceseofraleigh.org/how/hispanic/index.aspx
Hispanic Ministry extends a warm invitation to women and men to walk their faith journey with us, for it is in the unity of faith and the diversity of culture that we form the Body of Christ. Our ministry not only reaches out to the Hispanic faithful but also strives to provide the Anglo community with an introduction to multi-cultural issues.
www.dioceseofraleigh.org/how/peace_justice/index.aspx
The Catholic Charities Office of Peace and Justice is a resource within the agency and for others in the Diocese of Raleigh, providing information, support, and motivation to act in the community and parishes on behalf of social justice for all in God’s family.
www.ucc.org/justice/racism
The United Church of Christ has a long history of working towards Racial Justice. The UCC have made a priority commitment to supporting policies and structures that make real our Christian commitment to racial justice. All Conferences and Associations and local churches of the UCC are encouraged to adopt anti-racism mandates, including policy that encourages anti-racism programs for all UCC staff and volunteers.
www.ucc.org/about-us/council-for-racial-and-ethnic.html
Council for Racial and Ethnic Ministries (COREM) includes the following councils:
www.ucc.org/about-us/council-for-hispanic.html
Council for Hispanic Ministries (CHM) seeks to promote its work among Hispanics/Latinos/Latinas in the United States of America, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and other nations of the Caribbean, Central and South America. Among other things, it assists in the spiritual, theological and worship experience that honors the context and culture of its members and congregations.
www.ucc.org/about-us/united-black-christians.html
The mission of the United Black Christians (UBC) includes seeking to provide voice for the African American members of the United Church of Christ; to strengthen Black churches in the UCC; to train and nurture leaders of our churches for Gospel; and to be active advocates for liberation and racial justice at home and abroad.
www.caimucc.org
Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM) maintains our Indian traditions by employing our Native values and cultures to witness in our communities through authentic and postcolonial Indian expressions of the Christian faith. We are a gathering “place” for all UCC Indian people who seek such a place. Act as a change agent within and outside of the United Church of Christ by giving voice to and for Indian people. The mission includes throwing off the tradition of colonialism and seeking to educate, support, and inspire our own people to participate in church life.
www.ucc.org/about-us/ministers-for-social-racial.html
Ministers for Social, Racial and Economic Justice (MRSEJ) – are an association of Christian ministers that actively pursues political resolution of Racial, Social and Economic Justice issues. It seeks to address racial justice, within the structure of the church and within the world, to focus on economic justice, noting that economic denial is one facet of racism, and to give voice and power to the many social issues where people are denied justice.
http://www.ucc.org/refugees/
The mission of the UCC Refugee & Immigration Ministries office is to involve, encourage, and accompany local churches and their members in the life transforming ministry of refugee resettlement as they journey toward an understanding of the plight of refugees and a compassionate response.
www.gcorr.org
The United Methodist Church, General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) guides and supports United Methodists at all levels of the church in their quest to achieve racial justice, inclusiveness and reconciliation. The GCORR was established in 1968 to challenge and help the denomination’s agencies, institutions, annual (regional) conferences and congregations to achieve full, equal participation of its racial and ethnic minority constituencies in the total life and mission of the Church. The Commission strives to accomplish this task through education and advocacy and by reviewing, monitoring and supporting The United Methodist Church’s efforts to ensure racial inclusiveness and foster racial justice and reconciliation.
http://nccumc.org/multicultural/
The Multicultural Office is an expression of the North Carolina Conference’s commitment to bear witness to a unity of faith and life in Christ that transcends cultural and ethnic, national and racial barriers. It involves taking seriously the Good News that Jesus Christ has made peace between people of every ethnicity, culture and class as we live together, love each other and respect one another.
www.wnccumc.org/eth/ethnicandjustice.htm
The mission of the Ethnic-Justice Ministries is to provide resources to empower, equip, and facilitate capacity building of ethnic congregations within the Western North Carolina Conference to reach out locally and globally to make disciples of Jesus Christ through leadership development, evangelistic witness and community outreach.
Facts and Reflection about Racism & Reconciliation
1. The US has a history of structural racism. The term structural racism refers to a system in which public policies and cultural norms work in various ways to perpetuate racial group inequity. It identifies dimensions of our history and culture that have allowed privileges associated with “whiteness” and disadvantages associated with “color” to endure and adapt over time. The lower end of the privilege scale, characterized by socioeconomic disadvantage and political isolation, has historically been associated with “blackness” or “color.” Meanwhile, the upper end of the scale that gives access to opportunity, benefits, and power has been associated with “whiteness.”
2. An example of the way in which structural racism has a legacy that carries through to today can be found in comparing average levels of wealth accumulation among groups. Blacks and whites who earn the same salaries today have significantly different wealth levels (capital assets, investments, savings, and so on). Whites earning between $50,001 and $75,000 have a wealth level that is two-and-one-half times as high as their black counterparts.
3. It is important for whites to acknowledge that they have structural power and privilege simply because they are white. According to Diane Flinn, a white woman and managing partner of Diversity Matters, “If we identify and own racial privilege and, as white people, have our own experiences of exclusion so we can authentically empathize, then we are ‘getting it.’ We ‘get it’ when we value equity, human rights and social justice.”
4. Scientific data shows that while there are some genetic variations between human populations, it is unclear if there enough of a difference to distinguish between races on a purely biological level. At the very least, the data shows that the genetic differences do not line up with commonly accepted racial categories. Racial differences are a social construct with more foundation in subjective outward appearance than objective genetic difference.
5. According to the Congregational Project on Multiracial Congregations in America, only about 8 percent of American congregations are multiracial. The definition of multiracial is that no one racial group comprises 80 percent or more of the congregation. The Project found that while about 15 percent of Catholic churches are multiracial, only about 5 percent of Protestant churches are multiracial. In addition, non-Christian congregations are more likely to be racially mixed than are Christian congregations. However, 35 percent of megachurches claimed to have 20 percent or more minorities. What’s more, 56 percent of megachurches said they were making an intentional effort to become multi-racial. Finally, the most common type of racially-mixed congregation is comprised of Anglos and Hispanics or Asians.
6. In 2000, a New York Times poll, 90 percent of whites said there were few or no blacks at their religious services and 73 percent of blacks said their congregations had few or no whites.
7. Only 7 percent of American churches are racially integrated, according to the Pew Center.
8. According to an ABC News/USA Today poll, only 11 percent of African-Americans believe racial equality has been achieved, while 44 percent of blacks doubt it will ever occur. Thirty-nine percent of whites said they believe America has racial equality.
Sources
- The Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change, “Structural Racism and Community Building,” http://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/aspeninst3.pdf
- Ibid., http://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/aspeninst3.pdf
- Teaching Tolerance, “White Anti-Racism: Living the Legacy” http://www.tolerance.org/activity/white-anti-racism-living-legacy
- Joseph L. Graves, Jr. “What We Know and What We Don’t: Human Genetic Variation and the Social Construction of Race,” June 7, 2006. on “Is Race ‘Real’” http://raceandgenomics.ssrc.org/Graves/
- Congregational Project on Multiracial Congregations, “Multiracial Congregations in America: Looking for “a more realistic picture of what the world looks like”,” http://hirr.hartsem.edu/cong/articles_multiracialcongs.html; “Fast Facts” http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/fastfacts/fast_facts.html
- Christian Century Today, “Divided by Faith, “ October 2, 2000, www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2000/october2/1.34.html
- ABC News, “Two Nations Under God: Segregated Churches the Norm,” Sept 10, 2008, http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/5050/story?id=6015620&page=1
- ABC News, “Two Nations Under God: Segregated Churches the Norm,” Sept 10, 2008, http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/5050/story?id=6015620&page=1
