Office of Reconciliation Ministries

For the latest information about the Office of Reconciliation Ministries, see the ORM website at www.atimetoreconcile.org

Office of
Reconciliation
Ministries

The following is taken from an interview of Curtis May, director of the church's Office of Reconciliation Ministries (ORM), by Olivier Carion in London, Sept. 28.

Olivier Carion: Would you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do in the United States?

Curtis May: In ORM, we do workshops and conferences on reconciliation. I preach on this subject as we see walls that need to be torn down in the world and between Christians as well.

Curtis May: To reconcile means to bring together in harmony and friendship. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were separated from God and were kicked out of the garden, and since that time humans have been separated from God and from each other.

Curtis May: Yes, we go into congregations and talk about issues. We give sermons on the subject, we have conferences and interactive discussions where people can ask questions.

Olivier Carion: You're talking about reconciliation. This is the heart and core of the gospel, isn't it?

Curtis May: It sure is. God has given us not only the ministry of reconciliation, but the gospel of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-21). Christ said in John 12:32: If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto myself. Reconciliation is what Christ is doing with men and women as he brings them to himself.

Reconciliation forms a cross. You have vertical reconciliation between humans and God. Then you have horizontal reconciliation between humans and humans.

Curtis May: We use four steps in reconciling people to each other. One is confession or acknowledgment. People need to acknowledge that oppression has existed and that this has caused hurts.

Step two is repentance or turning away from this wrong action, to start to live in a loving way.

The third step is reconciliation itself, that is to reach out, and former enemies become friends.

The fourth step is restitution. Restitution is sometimes possible, sometimes it's not. But at least the desire should be to pay back things that were taken.

Olivier Carion: It seems that reconciliation touches almost every aspect of life.

Curtis May: And it is a way of life. Jesus Christ was the greatest reconciler, and he is to live in us.

Olivier Carion: What are some of the types of racism you have been able to identify?

Curtis May: Unaware racism is where the person says, I don't think there is a problem, and he or she keeps on doing things that hurt people and doesn't realize it. They do things that put down other people and they are unaware they are doing it.

Cultural racism is when we put down people of another culture: their dress, their speech, their tradition, what they eat. Stereotyping is seeing an ethnic group as all being alike.

Internalized racism is when an oppressed people start to internalize and act out the oppression that has come on them. We try to get them past that stage and to start to open up and to let go of those feelings and start to be free of the pain and the suffering.

Curtis May: We have our own section under Reconciliation on the WCG web site (www.wcg.org) and our own website (atimetoreconcile.org).

Chris Beam--Houston, Texas

In January 2000, Cherry Steinwender of the Center for the Healing of Racism and Chris Beam conducted a weekend workshop at St. Catherine's College near Louisville, Kentucky. In attendance were several civic and government leaders as well as many from the religious community. They focused on helping participants develop empathy toward different cultures.

At the end of March, they participated in a workshop in Cincinnati, Ohio. They endeavored to give understanding and freedom to share hurts involving racism.

Mr. Beam also works with a committee at a coalition ministry called Northwest Assistance Ministries in North Central Houston. They spent more than a year searching out anti-prejudice resources and developing a team of volunteers to go into the community with activities geared toward youths.

Last summer they conducted a weekly activity at a lower-income apartment community that centered on prejudice, respect for human rights and the oneness of humanity.

They plan to start an Overcoming Prejudice Project in one of the Houston Y's after-school programs. For more information on this program, call Mr. Beam at 1-281-353-6712 or send e-mail to him at chris_beam@wcg.org

Dan Bierer--New York City

A message given by Max Lucado in Atlanta, Georgia, turned Dan Bierer's heart toward the ministry of reconciliation as Mr. Lucado talked about the prayer of Jesus in John 17. Jesus had simply prayed that the disciples who would follow his disciples would all be one "so that the world may believe that you have sent me."

Mr. Bierer attended an annual prayer summit with 150 pastors sponsored by Concerts of Prayer International, which is devoted to prayer and bringing pastors together from all denominations and cultures. Concerts of Prayer Greater New York co-sponsored Jammin' Against the Darkness in Madison Square Garden. More than 12,000 youths attended the event and more than 800 made decisions for Christ.

Mr. Bierer has also worked with Pastor Ron Robinson and World Impact, which is dedicated to urban ministry and planting churches cross-culturally in the inner city.

Two racial reconciliation worship services have been conducted in the New York area.

Keith Brittain--North Carolina

Keith Brittain is district superintendent of the Mid-Atlantic district. In the mid-'90s he conducted an African-American cultural event in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

He later conducted cultural events or racial reconciliation workshops for the Winston-Salem and Greensboro, North Carolina, congregations; Columbia, South Carolina; Norfolk, Virginia; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Washington, D.C.

Mr. Brittain, motivated by ethnic sensitivity, has surveyed his churches so he can have the right balance of music, which includes black gospel music.

Steve Brown--Clearwater, Florida

Steve Brown has been involved with racial reconciliation since the St. Petersburg, Florida, race riots in 1996, when he called Mr. May for advice in helping to bring aid to the community. Since then he has followed his passion as a racial reconciliation facilitator in many arenas in the church and community.

For the past four years, Mr. Brown has served the City of Bradenton, Florida, as a racism awareness facilitator for the Police Department Drug-Free Community Partnership. He works with the National Conference for Community and Justice, which exposes prejudice. He has assisted in weekly Bible studies for a girls detention center, and at a girls and boys lock-up.

Carn Catherwood--Big Sandy, Texas

Carn Catherwood has sought to expose and reconcile walls of genderism, racism and culturalism.

Over the past five years Mr. Catherwood and his wife, Joyce, have traveled over much of the United States conducting workshops on reconciliation, speaking to women's groups and in general advancing the kingdom in these sensitive areas.

He is one of the original ORM Advisory Council members and district superintendent for the South Central district.

George Hart--Cincinnati, Ohio

George Hart has had a heavy burden for racial reconciliation since attending a Promise Keepers Clergy Conference in Atlanta in 1996. At the session on Breaking Down Racial Walls he was overwhelmed at the intense pain he witnessed in the men of color.

In 1997 he attended an event at the Center for the Healing of Racism in Houston, Texas, and became more aware of the pervasiveness of racism. The Cincinnati Central congregation has been host for a racial reconciliation workshop attended by Mr. Catherwood.

Mr. Hart is involved in reconciliation ministry in his community, which has been targeted by outside hate groups. Partnering with a ministerial organization, he was co-host for a racial reconciliation workshop for the community in the spring of 2000.

Willard High--Chicago, Illinois

Since organizing the Chicago, Illinois, reconciliation workshop, in Joliet, Illinois, in 1997, Willard High has been involved with various reconciliation efforts.

His congregation has established its mission statement, which includes reconciliation as part of its ministry thrust.

The congregation plans church social activities that encourage cross-cultural fellowship. As a member of the South Holland Ministerial Association, much of Mr. High's focus has been upon reconciliation. He was on a committee that recommended a plan to help ministers build allies across cultural lines through regular intentional fellowship.

Mr. High is enrolled in a workshop called Exploring Racism and Connecting Cultures, sponsored by Healing Racism Chicago Southland. Plans for congregational development include establishment of a Ministry of Reconciliation within the congregation.

Christina Kuo--Federal Way, Washington

In the next 10 years, one million people will move to the Seattle, Puget Sound region. Despite its natural beauty, high tech industries and thousands of dot.com millionaires there are still problems.

Like all urban centers, there has been a noticeable increase in gang activities, irrational killings, racial tension, crime and domestic abuse. All these issues have a complex history and are fueled by misunderstandings, miscommunication and misinformation.

Tina spends most of her time focusing on overseas issues concerning China and its churches. Sensitive U.S.-China relations and religious persecution of Chinese Christians are problems that have a complex history and are exacerbated by misinformation, social conditioning and miscommunication.

In China, Tina and her co-workers work at the government and grassroots level, listening to concerns and needs. They find common grounds of interest and build from there. Over the years, this approach has produced long-term results.

Be it in the East or West, the ministry of reconciliation (building bridges, re-education, developing mutual understanding and establishing trust) takes time.

Raul Ramos--Pasadena

Raul Ramos is a Hispanic American raised in New York City. He has experienced firsthand how people can allow racial differences to divide and demoralize them. He thinks it is especially sad when individuals believe they are of less value because they are different from others.

Mr. Ramos helps people first be reconciled to God. Too often, he says, people, including Christians, erroneously believe that God prefers some people to others because of their race, ethnicity, language, educational level or gender. But the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ came and tore down the walls that divide people so that all would be one before God.

Ron Robinson--Newark, New Jersey

Ron Robinson, chapter leader in Newark, died of a heart attack Nov. 27. At a memorial service Dec. 9, Sharpe James, Newark mayor, praised Mr. Robinson for his work in the community.

Fred Clark of the World Impact Christian School said they will name their computer room the Ron Robinson Computer Room.

Mr. Robinson used his black inventors exhibit to help break down the walls that separate cultures. He used the exhibit to show the many contributions and achievements that African-Americans have made to American industry and technology and to encourage young people to realize that they have the ability to make, invent, design, create and achieve their own ideas and dreams.

Leigh Sniffen--Pasadena

Leigh Sniffen's journey as a reconciler began when Mr. May invited her to attend training with the Center for the Healing of Racism in Houston, Texas, four years ago.

From there, God opened up other opportunities for her to continue participating in various areas of reconciliation. She received additional training as a facilitator of racial dialogue with the Los Angeles Human Relations Commission (HRC). Since then, she has facilitated racial dialogues each February during Black History Month, and throughout the year as needed.

In 1999 she participated in a city-wide study conducted by HRC to assess the state of race relations in Los Angeles going into 2000.

As a volunteer mediator with the Los Angeles city attorney's office, she mediated disputes throughout the community with the city's Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) program. Later, she completed a six-month training program, Leadership Development in Interethnic Relations (LDIR), which focuses on race relations. Occasionally, she conducts diversity appreciation workshops, does ethnic and cultural identity exercises, and participates on mediation teams.

Leigh is one of a number of city volunteers comprised of Christian, Jewish, professional and civic leaders recruited and trained to do racial dialogue throughout the Los Angeles area in the event of serious racial discord. On occasion, they meet with diplomats from other countries who come to study Los Angeles' model for resolving disputes among its citizenry.

Tom Pickett--Fort Worth, Texas

The ministry of reconciliation is picking up steam in the Fort Worth area of North Texas. Tom and Adrienne Pickett moved there from Pennsylvania in May 1999. Mr. Pickett had been involved in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with racial reconciliation, and he continued with that ministry in Fort Worth.

Mr. Pickett has been asked to give prayers on the topic of reconciliation in several citywide times of prayer. The main event was on the National Day of Prayer 2000 in downtown Fort Worth.

Last summer he went to Houston to receive more training at the Center for the Healing of Racism. Since then he has been involved with the Ministerial Alliance in Azle, Texas, as pastors came to see the need to support racial diversity and equality in this city west of Fort Worth.

On Sunday, Oct. 22, Mr. Pickett participated in the 100th anniversary service of the Wesley Chapel CME in Azle. This is the only black church in the city and it had its beginning after land was donated from the owner to runaway slaves. The church received attention when some teenagers painted a racial slur on it. Since then the Azle Ministerial Alliance has offered a great deal of support. The mayor and Mr. Pickett were two of the last speakers at this service.

Ron Washington--Livonia, Michigan

Since the Livonia, Michigan, congregation's racial reconciliation weekend in 1997, Mr. Washington has been involved in several reconciliation activities.

Mr. Washington spoke on racial reconciliation in Toronto, Ontario, for its African-Canadian celebration, twice in Columbus, Ohio, and in Toledo, Ohio. The responses from the various presentations have been positive, though also indicative of the difficulty of the topic.

The Livonia congregation has been involved in several areas of reconciliation. For the past three years they have been host for a worship fest, drawing worshipers from various denominations to present an evening of worship. This opened up the opportunity for the congregation to work with Clarenceville United Methodist Church in their homeless week for the past two years. For a week they house, feed and otherwise provide for 60 homeless from the area.

The congregation also shares the Lighthouse Ministry concept with other churches. God seems to be softening the hearts of his people as we seek to be the answer to Jesus' prayer in John 17:20-21. "I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you."