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SYNOD OF THE SUN
Stated Meeting – April 27-29, 2006
Highland Park Presbyterian Church – Dallas, Texas
Appendix K
REPORT TO THE SYNOD OF THE SUN ASSEMBLY
MULTICULTURAL MINISTRIES DIVISION .
APRIL 29TH 2006
The
Multicultural Ministries Division began its meeting on April 27th,
2006 with the expressed wisdom that if we do the same old
things that we have always done as we have always done them,
then we can expect to the get the same results we’ve always
gotten. Our task is to make something different, something new,
something innovative within a Christian context and within the
limits of the mandate that is given to us as members of the
Church.
The meeting
began with call to order by the acting Chairperson, Charles
Hunter and adopted an agenda designed to cover the business of
the Multicultural Ministries Division. One of the actions was
to share the information from one Ethnic Council to each of the
other Ethnic Councils so that all members of the Councils will
be informed of multicultural/multiracial actions and activies
throughout the Synod. We are cognizant of the of the financial
crunch in the Synod which compels us to spend money carefully
and with restraint until there is indication that more money
will be coming in.
For your
information:
1.
The Division acted to ask
Synod to urge the institutions and agencies of this synod to be
diverse in developing their membership and leadership.
2.
Synod is asked to establish
criteria for entitites wishing to be recognized as institutions
within the body.
3.
The division approved the
reduction of committee size from 12 to 9 for Self Development of
People Committee to promote efficiency in operations.
For Action:
1.
Border Issues Resolution.
a)
Motion was approved to
recommend the Border Issues Resolution to Synod Assembly for
Action.
b)
Motion was approved to
recommend Synod Assembly, that an Ad Hoc committee be
established to implement this resolution.
Resolution to:
Synod of the Sun, PCUSA
Synod of the Southwest, PCUSA
Synod of Southern California &
Hawaii, PCUSA
El Sínodo del
Noroeste, National Presbyterian Church of Mexico
El Sínodo de
Israel, National Presbyterian Church of Mexico
Date:
November, 2005
We believe that the Gospel of Jesus
Christ requires us to speak out when injustice is pervasive and
human rights are threatened. Scripture reminds us that we are
always to care for the least in society (Matthew 25: 31-46).
All children of God have the right to be loved the same way that
God loves- freely and openly. Both the Old Testament (Exodus 23:
9, Psalm 72: 1-4, Psalm 82: 3-4 and New Testament (Romans 12:
13-21, Hebrews 13: 1-3) speak of the importance of the welcoming
of the stranger, the traveler, and responding to the needs of
all God’s people.
As Presbyterians who live our lives
in many communities along the border of the United States and
Mexico, and in communities affected by that border, we are
becoming increasingly concerned about border issues and feel the
need to speak out to these issues of grave concern:
1.
The murders and disappearance of
large numbers of women in the Juárez area
2.
The increasing violence in Nuevo
Laredo
3.
The deaths of more than 70
undocumented workers in the Arizona desert in the first half of
2005
4.
The creation of the Minutemen and
the rise in vigilantism that has resulted from the Minuteman
movement
5.
The environmental degradation
caused by industries along the border
6.
The increasing drug trade and the
crime associated with it
7.
The immigration policies of the US
government
8.
The poverty and economic
development of Mexico
Be it resolved that we call upon
Presbyterians on both sides of the border:
1.
To call for a convocation of the
five synods on the border to analyze the border situation and
design
common strategies and actions. This should include:
a.
A process to assist presbyteries,
congregations and individuals to enter into conversations to
help them understand and experience the realities of life on the
border.
b.
Encouragement to experience border
realities through organizations such as Borderlinks and the
Presbyterian Border Ministry organizations.
c.
Discovery and/or creation of
opportunities for persons of the Reformed tradition to speak to
the issues outlined above and to share the good news that our
faith has to speak to these situations.
d.
Discernment of ways that the five
synods along the border can jointly witness to the changing
power of the gospel and its ability to address these issues.
e.
Partnership with other faith
traditions, where possible, to jointly speak to these issues and
hopefully bring about positive change.
f.
A design to advocate with local and
national governments for humane and fair treatment of immigrants
as well as those persons who are staying in their own country.
From:
José Luis Casal, General Missioner, Tres Rios Presbytery
Richard Schempp,
EP, Palo Duro Presbytery
Shannon Webster, Executive
Presbyter, Sierra Blanca Presbytery
Others to be added…..
2.
Project Vida Proposal-
Motion was
approved to recommend that Synod empower the Moderator or the
Synod Executive to appoint a task force to study and examine the
request of Project Vida, as endorsed by the Presbytery of Tres
Rios, to enter into covenant relationship with Synod of the Sun,
and report to the Fall meeting.
3.
Criteria for entering into covenantal relatioship with Synod of
the Sun
Motion was
approved to request that Executive Committee develop Criteria
and Procedures responding to organizations within the Synod,
requesting to enter into Covenant Relationship with Synod of the
Sun.
4. “Voting
Rights for African Americans.”
Motion
approved to be passed on to Synod Assembly for Action.
Recommendation
to support the right to vote of every American, regardless of
race, color, religion or ethnic background. We need to rally
ourselves to put immediate pressure on Congress to extend the
“extraordinary remedies” provision. This provision is currently
set to expire in 2007, at which time it maybe extended again by
an act of Congress. These “extraordinary remedies” are the only
portion of the Voting Rights Act that is at risk of not
continuing to be the law of the land.
5.
Resolution of Multicultural/Multiracial Involvement in Agencies
and Institutions of the Synod of the Sun.
Resolution
Approved to be passed on to Synod Assembly for Action.
Resolution of
Multicultural/Multiracial Involvement in Agencies and
Institutions of the Synod of the Sun.
WHEREAS:
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has promoted activities which
encourage multicultural/multiracial involvement within all
church structures and functions.
WHEREAS:
The major training source for ministries in the Synod of the Sun
is the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, which has been
a vital part of that involvement in the Southwest and throughout
the nation by co-sponsoring our multicultural conferences as
well as providing leadership for them.
WHEREAS:
We believe diversity is what God desires and is important that
we maintain that spirit in all our activities in the Synod.
WHEREAS:
We acknowledge the fact that APTS participates in and supports
multicultural ministries, we note that at this time there are
certain Ethnic/Racial groups that maybe underrepresented in a
significant leadership role at the school.
THEREFORE BE
IT RESOLVED:
That the Synod
of the Sun encourage Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
and all entities in the Synod to demonstrate the will to be
ethnically diverse in all segments of the operations and enter
an approach to develop a sensitivity to this matter as quickly
as feasible.
6.
GA Overture from New York
City Presbytery.
Motion was
approved to recommend to Synod Assembly to endorse this
overture.
On Advocacy and Welcome for All
Immigrants—From the Presbytery of New York City.
The Presbytery of New York City
overtures the 217th General Assembly (2006) to do the following:
1. Reaffirm the 216th General
Assembly (2004)’s “Resolution Calling for a Comprehensive
Legalization Program for Immigrants Living and Working in the
U.S.”
2. Affirm that our denomination¾mindful
of the current realities and threats to our belief system¾not
sway from our solidarity with, and pledge of service to, all of
our brothers and sisters regardless of their race, creed, color,
nationality, or residency status.
3.
Affirm those Presbyterian congregations and presbyteries that
are already standing alongside immigrants and are actively
engaged in acts of compassion, empowerment, and advocacy.
4. Challenge each Presbyterian
congregation and presbytery to embrace a comprehensive approach
to “advocacy and welcome” for immigrants that includes, at the
very minimum
a. compassionate responses
to immediate human needs;
b.
creative empowerment of immigrants and courageous advocacy for
effective and systemic policy changes, such as a plan for
undocumented migrants to achieve legal status;
c. a guest worker program
with a path to permanent residency;
d. transparent access to
visas to unify families;
e. a call for increased
wages for workers of United States-owned companies in other
countries;
f. a
call for greater economic development in poor countries to
decrease the economic desperation, which forces the division of
families and migration.
5.
Affirm the right of each congregation, presbytery, and our
denomination as a whole, to speak out clearly and constantly to
the media and others regarding the PC(USA)’s call to
serve all those in need and to stand with the oppressed, our
refusal to be deferred from this mandate, and our willingness to
break laws that forbid us to live out our responsibilities to
God and to our brothers and sisters who do not have U.S.
residency documents.
6. Encourage
Presbyterian legislators serving in the House and Senate to
actively work across party lines to defeat this proposed
legislation while actively working across party lines to achieve
more amicable legislation that resolves the conflicts
surrounding “immigration policy issues.
7. Affirm the PC(USA)’s
commitment to providing sanctuary to anyone in need of safe
space, food, or shelter.
8. Advocate these positions
through the Washington Office of the PC(USA) and the Office of
the Stated Clerk, including amicus curiae briefs, if necessary.
9. Direct the General Assembly
Council, through its National Ministries Division, to create and
facilitate a network of “immigrant welcome” churches that agree
with the affirmations of this overture.
10. Reaffirm that we must find ways
to ensure that “marginalized persons” in our society¾citizen
or not¾are
not pitted against each other.
11. Reaffirm that the words
“justice for all” within our country’s Pledge of Allegiance do
not represent an either/or proposition.
12.
Reaffirm that we Presbyterians take the positions stated within
this overture because it is right in God’s eyes, we can trace
our denomination’s faith heritage back to its roots in another
land and, for the vast majority of us, we can also trace our
family heritage back to roots in another land, making all of us
immigrants in one form or another.
Rationale
It is our long-standing church
belief that “God sends the church in the power of the Holy
Spirit to share with Christ in establishing God’s just,
peaceable, and loving rule in the world. ... Justice is the
order God sets in human life for fair and honest dealing and for
giving rights to those who have no power to claim rights for
themselves” (Book of Order, W-7.4001-.4002).
This long-standing belief is
supported by the biblical vision of “doing justice” which calls
for “supporting people who seek the dignity, freedom, and
respect they have been denied, working for fair laws and just
administration of the law” (Book
of Order, W-7.4002c-d).
This long-standing belief is
additionally supported by the biblical vision of “welcoming the
stranger in the land, seeking to overcome the disparity between
rich and poor, bearing witness against political oppression and
exploitation, redressing wrongs against individuals, groups, and
peoples ... in this nation and in the whole world” (Book
of Order, W-7.4002e.-h.).
The church is called “to engage
those structures and systems which create or foster brokenness
and distortion. Christians respond to these calls through acts
of advocacy and compassion, through service in common ministries
of the church, and through cooperation with agencies and
organizations committed to these ends” (Book of Order,
W-7.3003).
The law and the prophets repeatedly
call us to care for those in need and to welcome the “stranger
in our land.”
The children of Israel were
strangers in the land of Egypt and were commanded by God to
remember each year that “once you were strangers in the land of
Egypt.”
Jesus and his family
resided in Egypt as “strangers in the land.”
Jesus taught of the inherent value of all peoples, whether or
not they are native to our shores, particularly through the
parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).
Jesus calls us to respond to God’s love by loving and serving
all the people of God’s world.
There are an estimated 11.5 million
to 12 million undocumented persons living in the margins of our
society (many of whom had no choice but to leave their home
countries where they could no longer support themselves or their
families).
The United States House of
Representatives has sent to the Senate legislation that, among
its many measures, would make it a felony to offer humanitarian
assistance to undocumented persons as well as erect walls on our
borders to prevent access to our country. |
