Note #9192 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:
06157 March 13, 2006
Making church an inalienable rite
'06 Multicultural Conference aims to be family-friendly
by Evan Silverstein
LOUISVILLE - Making the church a multicultural family representing a full spectrum of races and cultures will be the focus of the seventh annual Multicultural Conference of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Orlando, FL.
The official theme of the four-day symposium, which starts on May 25, is Many Peoples - One Family, inspired by the Biblical books of Genesis and Acts.
"We're trying to focus on the fact that we may be different people, different cultures, different backgrounds, but in fact we are called to be together, to be one family, to worship together, to minister to each other," said the Rev. Raafat Girgis, a conference planner who is associate for the PC(USA)'s Office of Evangelism, Racial and Cultural Diversity (ERCD).
The conference will bring together members and pastors of multicultural churches, representatives of middle governing bodies and others interested in ministries to people from a variety of races and cultures.
It will be an occasion for celebrating multicultural ministry, worshipping in community, acquiring new skills and sharing resources and experiences. The group will network, listen to sermons and speeches and take part in workshops.
"We want to learn to be more inclusive and more welcoming and help develop multicultural congregations," Girgis said.
The conference is sponsored by the ERCD, part of the PC(USA)'s National Ministries Division (NMD). Also involved in the planning are the Presbyterian Multicultural Network, the Synod of the South Atlantic, and Florida's six presbyteries.
Girgis said the event's family-oriented theme also invites conference-goers to think seriously about the complexities of multicultural family life, especially intercultural marriages and cross-cultural adoption.
Organizers hope to attract more families this year by adding conference tracks for children, youth and young adults.
Among pre-conference offerings aimed at middle governing executives will be multicultural team training in multicultural church growth, and a two-day Cross Cultural Alliance of Ministries (CCAM) conference on how the predominantly white PC(USA) can become a church that ministers to a multicultural world.
Multicultural congregations are increasingly vital to the PC(USA). By 2056, sociologists say, the majority of the U.S. population will be non-European and non-white. Already, Asians, Africans and Hispanics make up one-fourth of the population.
Multicultural churches are those that incorporate the cultural traditions and dimensions of more than one ethnic or racial group.
"This is the church we project," Girgis said. "Many, many different people, but still one church, one family."
Girgis estimated that the PC(USA) is about 92 percent white, but said it has a growing number of multicultural churches. He said more than 1,900 congregations (out of 11,200) relate to at least one multicultural church model.
He said multicultural churches could account for up to 20 percent of PC(USA) congregations by 2010.
"When you put it in terms of percentage, you will see that there is a growth in this area, and people are becoming more and more interested in multicultural ministry," he said.
Among the many models: bi-lingual or bi-cultural congregations; congregations with one cultural majority and significant influence from other cultures; and congregations with no single cultural majority. Another is that of "nesting" churches, which provide homes for congregations of different cultures.
Organizers are expecting at least 500 people to attend the multicultural conference at the Hilton Hotel at the Walt Disney World Resort. About 1,000 turned out last year when the event was combined with the PC(USA)'s Churchwide Transformation Conference in New York City.
More than 500 people attended the multicultural conference in Irving, TX, in 2004 when it was last held on its own.
This year's opening address will be delivered by the Rev. Jin S. Kim, organizing pastor of the Church of All Nations, a Presbyterian congregation in Columbia Heights, MN. The Korean-born Kim is a former president of Presbyterians For Renewal and the current chair of CCAM's advisory board.
A five-member pastoral work team from Immanuel Presbyterian Church, a bilingual inner-city congregation in Los Angeles, CA, will address the conference about developing and facilitating leadership in a multicultural congregation.
Other conference speakers include the Rev. Mona Bagasao, chaplain and director for campus ministries at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL; and David Lawrence Wallace, dean of Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary in Atlanta, GA, who will lead worship and Communion.
Among the workshops:
Ten Truths of Bi-Racial Marriage will explore stereotypes and barriers to bi-racial relationships within families, society, and churches. The Rev. Craig Howard, director of recruitment and admissions at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL, and the Rev. Marilyn Gamm, a Presbyterian minister who has served various churches affiliated with the PC(USA) and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), will lead the workshop.
Multi-Generational Issues in Multicultural Ministry will explore issues of generational differences in ministering in a multicultural context. Leading the workshop will be the Rev. Inki Kim, pastor of Korean Presbyterian Church of Orlando, FL, which is home to a Korean-speaking congregation and an English-speaking congregation. He'll be joined by the Rev. David Kim, lead pastor of Harvest, the Korean church's English-speaking ministry.
Community Outreach will explore creative ways to build and sustain a diverse and inclusive congregation. Its leader will be the Rev. Robert Chesnut, pastor emeritus of East Liberty Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA, an urban congregation inclusive of various races, social classes and sexual identities.
For more information, contact Heeja Han, administrative assistant for ERCD, by phone (toll-free) at (888) 728-7228, ext. 5344, or by email at hhan@ctr.pcusa.org; or contact Debra Lanham, conference assistant, by phone (toll-free) at (888) 728-7228, ext. 5242 or by email at dlanham@ctr.pcusa.org. Or write to Lanham at 100 Witherspoon Street, room M069A, Louisville, KY 40202.
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Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 100 Witherspoon Street Louisville, KY 40202 (888) 728-7228