wfn.org | COCU letter stresses need to fight racism

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Jan. 26, 2001 News media contact: Linda Bloom·(212) 870-3803·New York
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By United Methodist News Service

Member churches of the Consultation on Church Union (COCU) are reminding
their congregations of the need to eradicate racism as the nine communions
enter a new relationship in 2002.

The COCU letter that will be sent to pastors of local congregations notes
the denominations "have been divided by confessional differences and these
are important; but surely our deepest and most painful separations have
stemmed from the experience of slavery and racism."

Bishop Melvin Talbert, ecumenical officer for the United Methodist Council
of Bishops and a signer of the letter, said its intent is to inform pastors
about the need to focus on racism as the nine communions seek greater unity
as "Churches Uniting in Christ." The new relationship, to be formalized in
January 2002, provides for each denomination to maintain its own identity
but calls for marks of unity, including mutual recognition of baptism and
ordained ministry.  

Unity doesn't mean much, Talbert pointed out in a Jan. 17 telephone
interview, if the churches don't address the issue of racism in a
significant way.

As a mark of unity, according to the letter, the churches will make an
"intentional commitment to promote unity with wholeness and to oppose all
marginalization and exclusion in church society based upon such things as
race. ..."

"We who sign this letter believe that racism is a sin, an offence against
God," the letter states. "Those of us from predominantly white churches ask
forgiveness for the ways that we and our churches have participated in this
evil. We ask God to heal us and to strengthen our witness to the gospel of
God's inclusive love through Churches Uniting in Christ."

As noted in a report from COCU's 18th plenary meeting in St. Louis in
January 1999, African Americans, Hispanics and other ethnic groups will have
difficulty being convinced of the call for unity if their European-American
counterparts "are not willing to struggle to dismantle the obstacles to
social, political and economic equality presented by white privilege." Nor
can there be "unquestioning acceptance of unjust gains granted by an unjust
system."

Struggling against the evil of racism "will manifest our unity in a way that
will compel the world around us to notice, to hear the gospel more clearly,
and to take the witness and mission of the church more seriously," the
letter declared.

The Rev. Michael K. Kinnamon, COCU's chief executive, told United Methodist
News Service that while the organization may offer some suggestions about
dealing with racism, "what I'm interested in is coordinating our witness." 

As part of creating a new unifying relationship - to be publicly celebrated
Jan. 20, 2002, in Memphis, Tenn. - COCU's member communions must learn to
live together in a different way, he noted. "Really, what we're talking
about is changing attitudes," he said.

Besides the United Methodist Church, member communions are the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ), United Church of Christ, Presbyterian Church
(USA), Episcopal Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church, African
Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ)
Church and the International Council of Community Churches. 

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United Methodist News Service
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