ELCA NEWS SERVICE

July 16, 2004

Lutherans Gather To Celebrate, Discuss Multicultural Ministries
04-134-MR

     ORLANDO, Fla. (ELCA) – More than 600 members of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) celebrated their diversity "in praise,
song and dance," and held a series of conversations on the future of
multicultural ministries in the church at the 2004 ELCA Multicultural
Gathering July 9-11 at the Sheraton World Resort here.
     Under the theme "Lift Every Voice: A Multicultural Gathering in
Praise, Song and Dance" Lutherans from across the church shared a variety
of ways congregations worship within a multicultural context; received a
retrospective on the 17-year work of the ELCA Commission for Multicultural
Ministries (CMM); and discussed future directions for multicultural
ministry in light of the ELCA's current process to restructure its
churchwide organization, budget and staff.  CMM hosted the gathering.
     Each day of the gathering featured worship led by African American
and Black, American Indian and Alaska Native, Arab and Middle Eastern,
Asian and Pacific Islanders, and Latino/Latina members of the church.
     Through workshops, an interactive exhibit area, an ecumenical
multicultural revival, a youth track and family night on July 10, the
gathering provided the ELCA "an opportunity to hear all of the unique and
special ethnic and cultural voices of its members," said Rosemary Dyson,
associate executive director, CMM.
     The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, preached at
the gathering's opening worship.  In his sermon, Hanson reflected on when
the church is "called to be a sent church and when we are called to be a
planted church, setting our feet on the ground."
     "I hear more and more voices, many of them yours, looking back to the
ELCA of 17 years ... saying we will become a church body increasingly
multicultural, we will be a church body intentionally anti-racist, [and]
we will be a church body clear in our resolve to work for racial justice
in the society and this church," he said.  "We planted ourselves in those
commitments in our constitution, in our churchwide organizational
structure and in our representational principles.  Now the question being
asked is, 'Have we as a church body shaken the dust off from our feet,
leaving those commitments behind, or, at best, words on page rather than
actions of a people?'"
     "Sisters and brothers in Christ, without in any way diminishing the
reality of the struggles you have endured or the challenges we face, my
prayer -- even my plea -- is that you continue to plant your feet in this
church and, with evangelical persistence and endurance and even
evangelical defiance, lead us.  Proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to us,
transform us by the power of the Holy Spirit through your presence, so
that together we might shake off from our feet the dust of racism,
injustice and indifference," Hanson said.
     Hanson asked participants "to continue to walk" with him as ideas
about future directions of multicultural ministries are put into "concrete
form for a proposal" to redesign the ELCA churchwide organization.  In
November Hanson will present the proposal to the ELCA Church Council, the
ELCA's board of directors and legislative authority of the church between
churchwide assemblies.
     "The commitments of the ELCA upon its founding -- to become
increasingly a multicultural church and intentionally a church that works
for racial justice -- need to be foundational commitments that continue to
shape the life and ministry of this church.  There's ample evidence in the
last 17 years that this church has not lived out those commitments beyond
writing them in documents," Hanson said in an interview.
     One of Hanson's "messages" over the course of the gathering was that
the commitments of the church to become increasingly multicultural "must
be foundational. How we live them out in terms of the structure of the
church and the way we organize the life and work of the church are always
open to creative ideas and the engagement of people from communities of
color.  I have come [to the gathering] principally to listen to that
wonderful spirit working with creative ideas."

Leaders of Associations and Churchwide Office Meet
     Throughout the gathering Hanson and participants, particularly
members and leaders of five ELCA associations -- African American Lutheran
Association, Association of Hispanic/Latino Ministries, Association of
Lutherans of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage, Association of Asians and
Pacific Islanders, and American Indian and Alaska Native Lutheran
Association -- held conversations about the ELCA's redesign and how the
church plans to organize its multicultural ministries.
     Along with the Rev. Charles S. Miller, executive for administration
and assistant to the ELCA Presiding Bishop, and the Rev. Frederick E.N.
Rajan, CMM executive director, Hanson met with members of each association
individually for about one hour for personal introductions, to talk about
the work of associations and hear about the various ethnic-specific
ministries taking place across the church, and to exchange ideas and field
questions about the ELCA's redesign.
     Five members from each ethnic association and community and others
met with Hanson July 10 for a special three-hour meeting.  Miller, the
Rev. Richard A. Magnus, executive director, ELCA Division for Outreach,
and Janet Thompson, Eagan, Minn., a member of the Church Council, also
attended the meeting.  "Ground rules" were set at the beginning of the
meeting, which included "respect for confidentiality."
     "We want to share our vision for a multicultural church," said Stacy
Kitahata, Seattle, who moderated the group's discussion.  "We are
committed to all voices, and all voices have respect," she told the group.
     The Rev. M. Wyvetta Bullock, executive director, ELCA Division for
Congregational Ministries, delivered a three-part report about the meeting
to the overall gathering on July 11.  She shared some "common
understandings" in developing a vision for a multicultural church,
identified "areas of input" for the church's redesign, and articulated a
process for follow-up.
     "No consensus was necessary in presenting a vision for a
multicultural church," Bullock told the gathering.  "In fact, a consensus
was not found.  There are differences between our communities, and we
decided that was all right," she said.
     The church must "embrace unity in the midst of our diversity," said
Bullock.  "We were not looking for a one-size-fits-all model" for a
specific churchwide unit.  "We value the voices of all people," she said.
"We're interested in justice, not just diversity," and "mutual
accountability in the church and among ourselves."
     Many values, or principles, such as the concept of accountability and
advocacy, hospitality and wellness, and functions -- areas of ministry or
activities -- were also identified by the group, Bullock said.  Some
functions include the need for racial justice, anti-racism training,
ethnic-specific ministries, attention to youth and young adults, and the
need for developing and sustaining effective communication in the church,
she said.
     Bullock also cited the need for "relational understanding," which
involves identifying how decision-making entities in the church relate to
one another and the need to facilitate "compliance" among all members of
the church as necessary functions in the new church structure.  "Signs and
symbols, indicators that illustrate how we are living out our commitment
to be a multicultural church," are also vital, she said.
     As conversation and input continue on the restructuring process,
Bullock added, that information "will be made available to all
associations and participants of the gathering."  A conference call
between Hanson and representatives -- five from each ethnic association
and communities -- will take place in the coming weeks, she said.

A Retrospective on the ELCA Commission for Multicultural Ministries
     Another feature of the gathering included a "retrospective" on the
work of CMM.  Led by the commission's director, Rajan characterized the
work of the commission as "a symbol of the church's commitment to become
an anti-racist, multicultural church."
     "The very concept of a commission is a statement to the world that
the whole churchwide organization has programmatic responsibility for our
church becoming a multicultural church," Rajan told participants.  "We are
here as a safe place for those who want a listening ear, a place where
[Lutherans] could let down their guard."
     "Seventeen years ago we set a worthy goal that, within 10 years, we
would have at least 10 percent people of color" in ELCA membership, said
Rajan.  "Our hopes were high," and "we put our money and staff time behind
developing a ministry strategy to achieve that goal."
     Rajan highlighted the Multicultural Mission Strategy adopted by the
church in 1991, and the various ethnic-specific ministry strategies
adopted in the life of the commission.  Although "we have developed
strategies and policies and adopted them at [ELCA Churchwide Assemblies],
we are nowhere near our goal," he said.
     "As a commission, we don't work alone," Rajan said.  "We recognize"
that the United States and the ELCA "are in bondage to the idolatry of
racism.  Without dismantling racism, our church will continue to hurt and
wound people of color who seek refuge in our church.  We recognize racism
is a disease which permeates not only our church but the whole nation.  In
order to dismantle racism we need allies -- allies among people of good
will," he said.
     Rajan ended the retrospection by expressing gratitude and "joy" to
all people who have "walked" with staff of the commission, members of the
associations and others "in the past 17 years."
     Esther Prabhakar, vice president of the ELCA Northern Illinois Synod,
Rockford, Ill., reflected on the gathering's theme, "Lift Every Voice," in
her keynote presentation.
     "'Lift Every Voice' will not only lift ourselves to God's presence,
but it will also shed light on how we can lift others to God's presence
like incense," she told participants.  "We worship a God who is interested
in all that we do daily and has the power to guide and instruct in the way
we should go."

Youth Track and Family Night
     In conjunction with the gathering, about 28 children and youth
participated in a "youth track" hosted by ELCA Outdoor Ministries.
Children and youth were involved in select portions of the overall
gathering and were engaged in games, activities and Bible story time
unique to them.  Vance Robbins, director of youth ministries at Immanuel
Lutheran Church and American Lutheran Church, both in Burbank, Calif., and
Sue Mendenhall, director of youth and young adult ministry, ELCA
Florida-Bahamas Synod, Tampa, Fla., led the youth track.
     Youth designed a mural, made up of newspaper clippings and other
images depicting people "who need to be prayed for or who need to receive
our attention," said a young Lutheran from Ohio.  The mural was displayed
at the gathering and presented to the Resurrection House in Dade City,
Fla.
     Resurrection House "is a place for children to let them know they are
special and that they belong to the Kingdom of God," said Margarita Romo,
director of Resurrection House and Farmworker's Self Help, an organization
that serves migrant farm workers in Dade City.  Romo received the mural on
behalf of the children at Resurrection House.
     Mark D. Burkhardt, director for outdoor ministries, ELCA Division for
Congregational Ministries, told participants that the outdoor ministries
program of the church have "recommitted" itself "to be more multicultural
and [active] in supporting your congregations."  It is not optional for
this church to be inclusive or multicultural, he said.
     Staff of outdoor ministries "raffled" four $500 scholarships to an
ELCA congregation for use at any one of the ELCA's 145 camps located in
the United States and Caribbean.
     Youth and adult participants celebrated "Family Night" on July 10.
The evening consisted of a banquet, music, dance and a special visit from
"Davey and Goliath," a classic stop-motion animated television series
starring Davey Hansen and his talking dog, Goliath.  Aired on commercial
television in the 1960s and 1970s, Davey and Goliath is a property of the
ELCA.

ELCA Associations Elect Officers
           The ELCA's five ethnic associations held assemblies to elect
officers and conduct business sessions July 6-8.  Elected presidents were
Annette Sample, Philadelphia, African American Lutheran Association;
Joseph Husary, San Leandro, Calif., Association of Lutherans of Arab and
Middle Eastern Heritage; the Rev. Francisco L. Sosa, Guaynabo, Puerto
Rico, Association of Hispanic/Latino Lutheran Ministries; the Rev. James
Y. K. Moy, Grapeview, Wash., Association of Asians and Pacific Islanders;
and Larry Thiele, Tokio, N.D., American Indian and Alaska Native Lutheran
Association.
     The commission provides advice, counsel and services to ELCA
churchwide units and congregations across the country that wish to become
more culturally diverse.  It works to achieve full partnership and
participation of all people in the life of the church and society.  It
develops resources, training and workshops to help members of the ELCA
dismantle racism.
_ _ _
     The Commission for Multicultural Ministries has a home page at
http://www.elca.org/cmm/ on the ELCA Web site.  The site includes
information about "Lift Every Voice:  A Multicultural Gathering."

     A "picture scrapbook" of Lift Every Voice is available at
www.fbsynod.org/Web/Events/Events2004/0407Jul/CMMLiftPics04Day2pg2.htm on
the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news