Consultation receives report from Intercultural Study Committee.

Revelation 7:9 is “a revelation of the true intended nature of God’s church in the here and now,” not just a description of God’s church at the end of time, said chair Asha Solanky as the Intercultural Study Committee presented its work to the Cross-Cultural Consultation and Celebration. The committee’s report will be a major item of business when the 2007 Annual Conference meets in Cleveland on June 30-July 4.

Committee members reviewed their recommendations for the denomination, and explained their study of the situation of the church, outlined the findings of their work, and talked about how they came to agreement on recommendations. They highlighted as a major recommendation the suggestion that the Church of the Brethren adopt Revelation 7:9 as the denominational vision for the remainder of the 21st century.

When the floor was opened for questions, participants asked about the feasibility of cross-cultural requirements for church committees, the advice to congregations to become acquainted with their communities, the nature of mentoring that the church may offer to new leaders from ethnic and minority backgrounds, the need for a directory of church leaders with experience working interculturally, recognition of different cultures among Anglos, and the requirements for a new Congregational Life Teams position that is being advocated by the committee.

Solanky’s response to several questions was to reiterate that although the recommendations may seem difficult, they are necessary to accomplish the goal of becoming an intercultural church. “If we’re serious about this, we have to start somewhere. Yes, it will be hard,” she said.

“It’s not like our church can’t do it,” added committee member Nadine Monn. “We can do it. We are able.”

Asked if the committee considered homosexuality as a culture to be included in the concerns of its report, committee members said that this had not been addressed. They cited the two queries that led to the formation of the study, which dealt with the inclusion of racial and ethnic groups, as setting the parameters for the study.

The committee received expressions of encouragement and support, as it brings the report to Annual Conference. “We need to pray about this (report), that something is going to happen,” said Gene Yeazell of Arden, N.C.

“I know how difficult it has been for you to work on this,” said Ruben DeOleo of Maranatha Multicultural Fellowship in Lancaster, Pa. “What they (the committee) have been doing is for us,” DeOleo then said to the gathering. “We need to go to Cleveland to Annual Conference to support what they’re going to say there. That’s our report to the church. What they’ve been finding is our life in the Church of the Brethren.”

Committee members are chair Asha Solanky, recorder Nadine L. Monn, Darla Kay Bowman Deardorff, Thomas Dowdy, Neemita Pandya, Gilbert Romero, and ex-officio member Glenn Hatfield of the American Baptist Churches USA. Find the full report and recommendations at www.brethren.org/ac.

Source: 4/25/2006 Newsline