September Special Offering: Reconciliation Ministry

One year ago, an article in this newsletter highlighted Reconciliation Ministry, an initiative of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) formed in 1996 to identify racial disparities and create and promote anti-racism programs and efforts within and beyond The Church.

April Johnston, Minister of Reconciliation for the Disciples, pointed to the death of George Floyd, violence against Asian and Pacific Islands people, and the inequities evidenced during the Coronavirus pandemic as illustrations of individual and systemic racial injustices.

Those examples from our country’s recent history have only been joined by new acts of racial violence (the Buffalo supermarket shooting) and profiling. (An Alabama pastor yesterday announced plans to sue Childersburg law enforcement for discrimination following his May 22 arrest after someone called police to investigate as he was watering his neighbor’s flowers.)

When conceived, Reconciliation Ministry’s initiative was based on a vision for the church as a place “where brothers and sisters of all races, languages, and cultures will grow towards God’s glorious realm, where all have a place at the table and none shall be turned away.” It is RM’s understanding that:

• Racism is a spiritual and theological dilemma as well as a social evil;
• Racist practice exists throughout the life of the church and needs to be addressed, with the Church needing to get its own “house” in order even as it looks toward being a transformational agent in the larger world;
• Racism is a systemic problem with historical root causes;
• Racism can be defined in many ways. This initiative…understands racism to be a combination of racial prejudice and institutional and/or economic power.

Reconciliation Ministry was formed to call the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to practice faithfulness with regard to the elimination of racism (which exists in all manifestations of the church), discern the presence and nature of racism as sin, develop strategies to eradicate it, and work toward racial reconciliation. This work is aimed at the Church so we can better represent anti-racism ideals while we work to influence the society around us.

Visit ReconciliationMinistry.org to see how far we’ve come–and to consider the work still needed. Your gift to Reconciliation Ministry during September will help continue these important efforts. Thank you for examining your own assumptions and attitudes and also for giving generously!