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Date: May 26, 2005
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN	NEWSLINE
May 26, 2005

COMMITTEE SEEKS INFORMATION ON BARRIERS TO  INTERCULTURAL MINISTRIES

May 26, 2005 (Elgin, IL) -- The Intercultural  Study Committee of
the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference has met twice  this
spring: in Richmond, Ind., April 21-24 during the  Cross-Cultural
Consultation and Celebration, and via conference call May  9.

The April meeting provided a time to learn about  cross-cultural
efforts being made on an independent basis throughout  the
denomination and to discuss barriers that prevent the Church of  the
Brethren from being more successful in achieving John's vision of
the  church found in Revelation 7:9. Discussion centered on
recommendations in  Annual Conference statements and their
implementation, current and previous  denominational staff and
offices that supported ethnic and intercultural  ministries, a
review of conversations with denominational and district staff	and
church members, and a denominational resources list.

In a  listening session with the Cross-Cultural Consultation, the
committee  received information on the barriers participants have
found in moving  forward with intercultural ministries. "The
committee heard painful stories  on the lack of action at all levels
of the denomination, the continuing  presence of prejudice and
racism within the church, and poor perception and  preparation for
evangelism and church leadership," reported the  committee's
recorder, Nadine L. Monn. The committee also listened to  discussion
between participants in the consultation and Bethany  Theological
Seminary on multicultural preparation in seminary education,  and
spent time with members of the Cross-Cultural Steering	Committee.

To continue gathering information from across the denomination	on
the barriers to an intercultural church and actions to overcome
them,  the committee has developed a questionnaire be sent to
districts for  dissemination to all congregations. Work is being
done to translate the  questionnaire into Spanish, Haitian, and
Korean. The questionnaire will be  posted at
www.brethren.org/ac/multiethnic.htm. The website will  feature
updated contact information for committee members as well.  

Committee members also will contact the following ethnic groups
with  no representation on the committee, in the course of
faithfully completing  the work charged to them by the 2004 Annual
Conference: Korean, Native  American, Haitian, and Arab.

In the conference call, the committee made  plans for a listening
session on Saturday, July 2, at the 2005 Annual  Conference in
Peoria, Ill. The committee will ask the Conference for	an
additional year to complete its work.

Committee members are Darla  Kay Bowman Deardorff of Peace Covenant
Fellowship in Durham, N.C.; Ruben  DeOleo of Maranatha Multicultural
Fellowship in Lancaster, Pa.; Thomas Dowdy  of Imperial Heights
Church of the Brethren in Los Angeles, Calif.; Nadine L.  Monn of
Germantown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren; Neemita Pandya  of
Naperville (Ill.) Church of the Brethren; Gilbert Romero of Bella
Vista  Church of the Brethren in Los Angeles, Calif.; chair Asha
Solanky of West  Richmond (Va.) Church of the Brethren; and Glenn
Hatfield, ex officio  representative from the American Baptist
Churches USA. Hatfield pastored a  New Jersey congregation with
members from 23 nations, during the period when  the congregation
began an intentional effort to be more	multicultural.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination	committed to
continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to  living
out its faith in community. The denomination is based in  the
Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the  three
Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its 300th anniversary  in
2008. It counts about 130,000 members across the United States	and
Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Brazil,  the
Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nigeria.

# # #

For more  information contact:

Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
Director of News  Services
Church of the Brethren General Board
1451 Dundee Ave.
Elgin,	IL 60120
847-742-5100 ext.  260
cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org

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The  Church of the Brethren Newsline is produced by Cheryl
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