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Dance lessons
04100
February 23, 2004

Dance lessons

Multicultural conference will give folks a chance to shake a leg

by Evan Silverstein

LOUISVILLE - The fellowship and joy of being an inclusive church will be the
focus of the fifth annual Presbyterian Church (USA) Multicultural Church
Conference in Irving, TX, which is scheduled to begin on April 22.

The official theme for the four-day meeting is Living the Vision: Dancing to
a New Song.

The conference sponsor is the Office of Evangelism, Racial and Cultural
Diversity (ERCD) in the National Ministries Division (NMD). Grace Presbytery
and the Synod of the Sun also were involved in the planning.

Members and pastors of multicultural churches, representatives of middle
governing bodies and others in the PC(USA) who are interested in ministries
to people from a variety of races and cultures will gather to network, listen
to sermons and speeches and take part in workshops.

The conference will be an occasion for celebrating multicultural ministry,
worshipping in community, acquiring new skills and sharing resources and
experiences, said the Rev. Raafat Girgis, associate for ERCD, part of the
Evangelism and Church Development Program Area.

"This year in particular, we're utilizing the tools of cultural proficiency
to build an equitable and just community of faith," Girgis said. "With this
year's conference, we're going much more deeper in evaluating our
relationships and asking, 'How can we be culturally proficient as a church?'"

Evangelism officials estimate that the PC(USA) has about 350 "multicultural"
congregations - those that incorporate elements of the cultural traditions of
more than one ethnic or racial group. Several hundred others in the
denomination are attuned to a single ethnic or racial culture.

Girgis said the event's dance-related theme, inspired by the Old Testament
Book of Psalms, was chosen because dance is a Biblical symbol of joy, praise
and thanksgiving, and is associated with all cultures.

"Each time we learn a new dance, we must begin by practicing the basic
steps," said the Rev. Marv Root, a member of the Multicultural Design Team
and pastor of a multicultural Presbyterian congregation in Yonkers, NY. "For
many congregations, building a multicultural community will require learning
new steps."

Organizers are expecting at least 400 people, which would be a record
turnout. About 275 attended last year's event, up from about 170 in 2002.

Learning to confront and break through such obstacles as stereotyping,
discrimination and racism will be the focus of three multicultural
community-building sessions to be led by the Rev. Kikanza Nuri Robins, a
writer and consultant who helps groups as they wrestle with and reconcile
conflicts.

Girgis described those workshops as an opportunity to "stimulate all of us to
go deeper into the practice of active listening and authentic
self-disclosure." He said they were scheduled because planners believe that a
multicultural church must confront racism, classism, and xenophobia if it is
to build "a joyful and healed community that is culturally and spiritually
proficient."

The keynote speaker will be the Rev. Helen Locklear, associate director of
the PC(USA)'s Racial Ethnic Ministries program area, who works with Asian,
black, Hispanic, Korean, Middle Eastern, Native American and immigrant
congregations and also works in the PC(USA)'s anti-racism program.

Two Presbyterian ministers will serve as worship leaders - Steve Yamaguchi,
executive presbyter for the Presbytery of Los Ranchos and the Rev. Clifton
Kirkpatrick, the stated clerk of the PC(USA)'s General Assembly.

There will be about 20 workshops, including "Multicultural Partnership with
Fellowships" and "We Hope You'll Dance: Life in a Multicultural Parish."

A youth track has been added to this year's conference for participants
between the ages of 12 and 18.

The deadline for the standard-rate registration ends on March 31.

For more information, contact Dana Dages, administrative assistant for ERCD,
by phone (toll-free) at (888) 728-7228, ext. 5252; by mail at 100 Witherspoon
Street, Room M040A, Louisville, KY 40202; or by email at
ddages@ctr.pcusa.org.

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