Title: AALA Assembly Looks at Restructuring
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
July 18, 2001
AALA ASSEMBLY LOOKS AT RESTRUCTURING
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PHILADELPHIA (ELCA) -- With more than 50,000 African American,
African and Caribbean people in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA), only 119 people, 44 of whom were youth, attended the
African American Lutheran Association (AALA) eighth biennial assembly
here June 21-24, at the Wyndham Franklin Hotel.
"We are not really sure why our numbers were so low at the
assembly," said Dr. Addie J. Butler, ELCA Vice President.
"We did not have the attendance we would have hoped for, but those
who came participated fully and seemed committed," said Annette Sample,
newly elected AALA president.
The low registration caused additional financial issues for the
organization when the number of people anticipated to attend did not
show. "We came in with an idea that maybe after the assembly we would
make connections with other members of the African community and find
out why some of the people we thought would be here were not here," said
Butler.
"It is evident that the organization is not fully representative
of people from across the board. I think that prompts a need to do
something different, and I think we are attempting to do that with a
call for reorganization," said the Rev. Eric Campbell, director, African
American Ministries, ELCA Commission for Multicultural Ministries (CMM).
"I do not want to undermine the importance of having 100 or 200
folks out of 50,000 because at least that's a representation, in a
microcosmic way, of some of the views and feelings that are expressed
across the board. It is not the number of people who came that would
signal whether [the assembly] was effective or ineffective. What really
matters is the discussion that occurred with the number of people who
were there. It is not the numbers, it is the quality of people who were
there," said Campbell.
A call for reorganization of the association was passed which
states: "Whereas, AALA has experienced a major disruption within its
leadership in recent years, and participation and interest in AALA among
Black members of the ELCA is uncertain; Whereas, the current structure
of AALA raises questions of its effectiveness for its future impact
within the ELCA; Therefore, be it resolved that AALA in assembly
authorize a task force of at least nine persons to examine and review
the current structure and make recommendations for the future of the
organization to the AALA governing board by the Spring 2002 meeting."
"I think it is obvious that if we were really effective with our
structure there would have been many more members at the assembly and
within chapters," said Butler. "We are working on changing the
structure and looking for what works," she said.
"I think the call for reorganization is long overdue," said
Campbell. "The resolution is a right resolution, because we have been
holding our own for 10 years and it is time for the organization to look
introspectively and really look at how we can make this association more
relevant and more important and more responsive to the needs of 50,000
people and not just a selected few within the Black community," he said.
In addition to the organizational structure resolution, four other
resolutions were passed, one for support of the "Stand With Africa"
campaign, a three-year campaign of the ELCA World Hunger Program,
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod World Relief and Lutheran World Relief,
to support communities and churches in Africa dealing with HIV/AIDS,
hunger and peace issues, was passed.
"I think it is important that we do stand with Africa,
particularly in light of the high HIV/AIDS rates. However, at the same
time my word of caution is that we not forget the struggle of Black
people here in this country. AIDS is also quite pervasive here in the
United States. It is a critical issue for us to find some common ground
to work together, to struggle together, to fight together," said
Campbell.
Another resolution called for a name change for the organization.
"People are sensitive because the name does not reflect all persons of
African descent," said Butler. This resolution was adopted because the
name, "African American Lutheran Association" excludes African and
Caribbean people who have recently immigrated to the United States.
"In light of the increasing numbers of immigrants that have come
into this country and indeed into the ELCA, and in light of the struggle
for African immigrants and decedents of Africa throughout the diaspora
seeking identity within this country, it is not right for us to impose
African American on Africans, it is not right for us to impose African
American on Caribbean people. They have a right to retain their own
sense of identity and who they are," said Campbell. "The name change is
really important to send a clear signal throughout the church and the
Black community that we stand together as Black people in this church,"
he said.
The resolution suggested that the name be changed to either "All
African Lutheran Association," or "Association of African Lutherans in
Action." Both names would enable to organization to keep the current
acronym "AALA."
In other business, officers were elected to serve four-year terms
with the organization. Elected were Annette Sample, Philadelphia,
president; John Henderson, Baltimore, vice president; the Rev. Linda
Boston, San Jose, Calif., corresponding secretary; and Cyndi Campbell-
Jones, Detroit, Mich., recording secretary.
A series of workshops were offered during the assembly: African
American Lutheran History; Caribbean Issues; Internalized Oppression;
and Global Issues (Africans in the Diaspora). Bible study was offered
each morning by local pastors, and a youth program kept the attention of
the younger people through storytelling, song, worship and other
activities, including a dance party at the conclusion of the assembly.
The 2003 AALA assembly will be held in New York. Plans to make
that assembly more productive are already under way. "We are planning
to conduct a survey of the ELCA African American, African and Caribbean
membership. We are also planning to survey ELCA Black rostered
leadership and clergy. The emphasis will be on how we connect with the
churchwide structure and ask what happened," said Butler.
"The survey will ask questions such as, 'Have you ever attended an
AALA assembly?' 'What did you like or not like about the assembly?' I am
working with a sociologist from a college to help construct the survey.
When it is completed, it will be reviewed by the chapter, the national
board and of course the ELCA Department for Research and Evaluation. We
want it as comprehensive as possible for the good of Lutheran persons of
African decent," she said.
In addition to the survey, Campbell feels it is his office's
responsibility to help the organization. "My office has to step up to
the plate. In terms of policy, the ethnic specific-directors are
prohibited from taking an active role in providing leadership to the
associations. Directors do not have any staff responsibility or
accountability, which I think is unfortunate because the organization
needs those kinds of resources to get back on its feet," said Campbell.
AALA and the other ethnic-specific organizations of the ELCA are run by
volunteers.
"I am going to have to step up to the plate and try to figure out
ways to write proposals that will raise some money to bring the whole
Black community together to discuss issues pertaining to the
organization," he said.
Sample is ready to take the challenge of the organization on head-
first. She said it will have to be a collaborative effort from her and
the entire AALA governing board to make the organization work.
"We have our work set aside for us. The governing board will face
some challenges. We have realized that we need a new direction if we
are to continue to exist," said Sample. We will develop some plans;,
what works we will continue with, what doesn't work we will need to do
some revamping of the whole system. But I think we are up to the
challenge. There may be some risk involved, but we are up to that. I
can not specify what the new direction will be; we will have to do that
together. It is forthcoming. We will continue to grow and make this
organization all that it should be and will be."
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*Michelle T. Mills is a senior at Bradley University, Peoria, Ill. This
summer she is an intern with ELCA News & Information.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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