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A new resource that examines cultural diversity in the Episcopal Church's ordination process has been produced by the Office for Ministry Development, in conjunction with the Episcopal Church Foundation, the Pastoral Leadership Search Effort and the Office of Ethnic Congregational Development. "Meeting on New Ground: A Resource on Cultural Diversity in the Ordination Process," is a DVD and study guide composed of several years of research and extensive conversations with a diversity of clergy and laity involved in the Church's process of discernment, recruitment and ordination. It was produced by the Rev. Jerry Drino, executive director of Province VIII's Office of InterCultural Ministry Development and priest-in-charge of Sudanese Ministry at Trinity Cathedral in San Jose, California. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, in her introductory letter which prefaces the guide, said that "Meeting on New Ground" invites bishops, dioceses, congregations, and schools of formation for leaders "onto new ground where cultural and ethnic diversity will be the common element." "I believe these resources will strengthen the mutuality of the church in mission and ministry," she explained. "Theses resources are meant to be a vehicle to raise the level of, and focus the strategies for, mission in diverse cultural settings." Interviewees on the DVD include: the Rev. Dr. Michael Battle, provost of the Cathedral Center of St. Paul/Congregation of St. Athanasius in Los Angeles, and canon theologian to L.A. Bishop J. Jon Bruno; the Rev. Dr. Winifred B. Vergara, national missioner for Asian American Ministries and director of Ethnic Congregational Development; Arianne Davison of the Diocese of Olympia and the Rev. Altagracia Perez of the Diocese of Los Angeles. Two copies of "Meeting on New Ground" have been sent to members of the Standing Commission on Ministry Development, diocesan bishops and chairs on Ministry Development. "It is my hope that these resources may truly be a gift to us all in our common life and in our journeys of community building, discernment, vocation, mission, and ministry and in the myriad ways in which we seek to meet on new ground," said Melford Holland, coordinator of the Office for Ministry Development. To find out more about "Meeting on New Ground" call Holland at 800-334-7626 ext. 5246. The following are excerpts from the DVD: "The bible tells us in the book of Ephesians that you are no longer strangers and exiles but fellow members and citizens in the household of God. From the stand point of Asian Americans, many of us are immigrants. We follow a journey that in some ways is faster and easier to become an American citizen than to be a citizen in the church. We need to reverse that process so that the stranger can immediately become welcome in the household of God." – Vergara "The process to train and form future priests is one that still needs a lot of work. To be fair to those who have really tried to form young priest, there have been some creative changes that have occurred but a lot of work still needs to be done. I think one thing is that societies have always had rites of passage for holy people and basically we are still living in those types of processes. And it's really a matter of trying to find what those rites of passages are; how a person can know how to leave what was considered a secular career for a sacred career. I think that's what we really have to figure out. A sacred career is not necessarily being ordained a priest. A sacred career is really learning how your vocation is being offered to God." – Battle "I am someone who is mixed race in ethnicity. Lots of different types of culture are reflected in my family and just like family units, I think of the church as a family. Parishes are family and I would like to see a church where people can be who they are and be a family and be loving of one another despite culture difference and ethnic difference." – Davison "It's important for people to see somebody that looks like them has similar hopes and frustrations with the church and how ministry is rewarding and exciting for me. I think the fact that I do find ministry exciting, and it's not something that's like pie in the sky but that I experience God in a very concrete way through the people that I serve everyday, it encourages them that they could be a priest too and it doesn't mean that they have to automatically fit into some mold of what that looks like. They can bring their gifts, and their excitement and their energy and that the church will find a place for them to work." – Perez |
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