Announcement: Revelation 7:9 Art Contest

The Intercultural Study Committee invites you to participate in our Revelation 7:9 Art Contest! Entries are welcome from all ages groups, and congregations are urged to encourage participation from their membership.

Guidelines:
One entry per artist.
Entries should represent the artist's understanding of Revelation 7:9. (See below.)
All entries must be flat on an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper.
Any media may be used (i.e., crayons, markers, oils, graphics images, photography, etc.).
On the back of the entry, please clearly print (or firmly attach a sticker that includes):
1. Artist's name,
2. Congregation name and address, and
3. Age group, using these categories:
- Young child (8 and under)
- Older child (9 to 12)
- Teenager/youth (13 to 18, in high school)
- Adult (College-age and older)

Deadline: Entries must be received by Friday, April 6, 2007 to:
Asha Solanky
Attn: Art Contest
8209 Franconia Rd.
Richmond, VA 23227

Judges will award a prize to the winner of each age group. All of the artwork, including the winning entries, will be displayed in the Intercultural Study Committee's booth at the 2007 Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio (June 30 - July 4, 2007).

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white and held branches in their hands." ~Revelation 7:9

Finished: Final Report

We turned in our final report. It contains recommendations and accountability measures for national, district, and congregational leaders, as well as individual church members. We hope to have it available for posting on our part of the Annual Conference website soon.

We call on the Church of the Brethren to view the Revelation 7:9 vision as a denominational vision for the 21st century.

Short survey: What attracts you to our church?

Dear brothers, sisters and friends:

Please take a few moments to respond to this new, short survey. It will help us in writing our final report!

1) What drew you to the Church of the Brethren? What do you like most about the Church of the Brethren?

2) What action steps can we take to become more intercultural? How do you see Revelation 7:9 being fulfilled?

On a separate note, we have launched a Spanish version of this blog titled "COB Intercultural en Español."

Bible study and Sunday School items

Upon request, here are two Bible study materials featured on our Reading List that are available from Brethren Press. These can be used for bible study groups and Sunday School classes.

Uncovering Racism by Kathryn Goering Reid and Stephen Breck Reid. Part of the Covenant Bible Studies series. Contains 10 lessons, plus a section with suggestions for sharing, prayer and music to study this topic.

The Second Mile: The Road to Emmaus (Pathway C). Sponsored by the Church of the Brethren, Mennonite Church (USA), Mennonite Church Canada, and Mennonite Central Committee's U.S. and Canadian offices.

Many Cultures, One in Christ by Julie Garber.Study guide challenges readers to reflect on the diversity in the Body of Christ and to be reconciled to God and one another.

District thank-you's!

Thank you to the following nine districts for completing our Diversity Survey and/or the Annual Conference Recommendations Status Table!

Michigan
Missouri/Arkansas
Northern Indiana
South-Central Indiana
Western Plains
Atlantic Northeast
Pacific Southwest
Atlantic Southeast
Mid-Atlantic

For any districts that wish to help us take a fresh "pulse" of the denomination, please use the Intercultural Study Committee link in the right column to access our portion of the Annual Conference website. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select item #3 for the District Executive Diversity Survey.

Extension to AC 2007

Dear brothers, sisters and friends:

The Intercultural Study Committee requested and received an extension to give its final report with action recommendations at the 2007 Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio. We appreciate the support and understanding of this issue's complexity and seriousness by the delegate body, the congregations and districts they represent, and the church officers and staff.

Since our report must be filed by February 1, 2007, here is our plan to complete the final two of our five assigned tasks:

• Continue research on how other denominations and churches are addressing the topic.
• Continue evaluation of past recommendations to Annual Conference.
• Continue interviews and focus groups to elicit specific action steps.
• Collect and analyze results from current surveys being conducted within the denomination.
• Collect and analyze feedback and discussion through this web log.
  

Regular postings to this web log will appear through mid-January 2007. Additional information will be posted following the February 1 report deadline.


We ask Church of the Brethren members and friends to continue to:

1. Pray for the Intercultural Study Committee and its work.
2. Provide feedback about possible action recommendations.
3. Recommend additional reading and/or study guide materials.
4. Hold continued dialogue within the congregations and denomination about how God is guiding us to the Revelation 7:9 vision.
5. Engage in deliberate study of the history, culture, faith, etc., of ethnically and culturally diverse sisters and brothers by inviting them as guest speakers to lead study groups.
6. Include cultural minorities within our congregations, districts and at the denominational level in program planning for all events.
7. Initiate pulpit exchanges, exchange music and worship programs, visit one another's worship services.
8. Invite the Anti-Racism Team to train church members and leadership. (Contact Congregational Life Ministries for more information.)
9. Engage in deliberate dialogue with different cultural groups and include them in planning and hosting intercultural events.

Congregational Discussion Guide

The Intercultural Study Committee invites you to utilize these questions with your congregation to explore the Revelation 7:9 vision and what Jesus calls us to become.You are welcome to share your answers with the committee by commenting on this post.

1) How did Jesus minister inter-culturally? What did he do to reach out to those from other cultures? What specific examples can you find in the Gospels of Jesus’ ministry to those from other cultural backgrounds?

2) Discuss ways in which we can overcome ethnocentrism, which means thinking “our way” (whether US American or even Brethren) is the “right way.”

3) What are some barriers to building intercultural relationships? How can we begin to overcome those barriers, especially looking to Jesus’ life and ministry as an example?

4) What are some things we can do specifically to meet –and love- people from a different race or culture in the next few weeks?

5) What would/can we change in our church to welcome – and accommodate- people from different cultures? How can we begin to put others’ needs above our own?

6) What other scriptures shed light on God’s plan for us to be an intercultural body of Christ?

7) What are the benefits of being an intercultural body of Christ?

8) What can we do to be more involved in the lives of those from other cultures in our community? How can we share and celebrate God’s love together?

9) How can we more intentionally build true Christian community within our congregation, moving more toward living the Revelation 7:9 vision? What does true Christian community look like?

10) What do the two great commandments mean in context of our congregation? Of worship?

Additional questions drawn from “The Second Mile” curriculum, “The Road to Emmaus”:

A) How might “church family” be experienced differently in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic congregation?

B) How do we practice community when people of different cultures, ethnic and racial backgrounds view community differently?

C) How can our own church family become more diverse?

D) Is the majority of your congregation culturally, racially, or economically similar? If the answer is yes, have members of your group commit to worshipping at least one time this month in a church community where you will not feel as socially at home. Then discuss these experiences together and how God was revealed through these experiences.