"Christ, Color, and Context: Reconciliation in the Body of Christ"
Galatians 3:27-29

We also need volunteers for worship assistance, host/hostesses, communion servers, and ushers to name a few.  Call or e-mail DeAnn at the council office or me, Catherine, at 410-298-7733/mary.kathe@verizon.net         if you want to volunteer your service.

“YOU MAY find it strange that I, an African American, do not believe in interracial marriage. I do not believe in interracial dating or even in having friends of other races. I do not espouse trying to understand racial differences or promoting awareness of other races. I can say all of this unabashedly because I do not believe in race!”  So wrote Rodney Sadler in a bible study for The Christian Century (June 12, 2007) titled, “Living by the word: unqualified Christians.”
     Much in demand at ecumenical gatherings, the Rev. Dr. Rodney S. Sadler, Jr. will be the bible study leader at the ICCC Annual Conference in St. Louis this summer (July 19-22).  Dr. Sadler is Associate Professor of Bible at Union Theological Seminary-PSCE, the Charlotte campus.  I first heard Dr. Sadler along with other members of the ICCC delegation to the plenary of Churches Uniting in Christ in St. Louis in January of 2008.  Since then I’ve heard him (this time with the ICCC NCC delegation) in Denver at the General Assembly of the National Council of Churches and at the Annual Meeting United States Conference of the World Council of Churches in Washington, DC. 
     You will discover for yourself why Dr. Sadler is so much in demand at gatherings of Christians who have a special interest in ecumenical matters and in the witness of the church in these post-Modern times when the center is shifting and the old monolithic order is being replaced by a pluralism that cannot be ignored in either church or society.  Dr. Sadler is especially excited to address the theme of our conference; in fact I consulted with him in the development of  the theme.  Rev. Catherine Luckett of the Douglas Memorial Community Church was present at the CUIC plenary and heard Dr. Sadler and was only too glad to join in the invitation to Dr. Sadler to bring his unique interpretive skills to our conference.
     Rodney Sadler earned his undergraduate degree at Howard University and his M. Div at the Divinity School at Howard as well.  His Ph. D is from Duke University.  Sadler’s teaching experience “includes courses in biblical languages, Old and New Testament interpretation, wisdom literature in the Bible, the history and religion of ancient Israel, and African American biblical interpretation.”   His first book, Can A Cushite Change His Skin? An Examination of Race, Ethnicity, and Othering in the Hebrew Bible, was published in 2005. He frequently lectures within the church and community on Race in the Bible, African American Biblical Interpretation, the Image of Jesus, Biblical Archaeology, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Sadler was the managing editor of the African American Devotional Bible.
     Prior to joining the faculty at Union, Dr. Sadler served as a visiting lecturer and interim co-director of the Office of Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School in Durham, NC, and was an associate minister in Durham, NC.  For the May Term in 2008, Sadler lead a Middle East Travel Seminar, “Land of Faiths and History.”
     Dr. Sadler’s lectures are a melding of biblical scholarship and keen cultural criticism presented in an easily accessible interactive format.  You will not want to miss another in an impressive sequence of bible study presentations at conference.  If you haven’t already made your plans to attend our conference in St. Louis this summer—what are you waiting for!?

Conference Workshops

Race and Reconciliation—Michael Livingston: This workshop will feature interactive exercises, dialogue and excerpts from films one or two powerful and informative films—as time permits; The Color of Fear, by Lee Mun Wah and/or Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North by Katrina Browne

Human Trafficking: Tragedy and Hope – Virginia Nesmith: Despite the 13^th amendment abolishing slavery in the US, there are thousands of people held in bondage here, enslaved in the sex industry, in our nation’s agricultural fields, and other areas. Some are children. In this workshop we will look at the scope of this tragedy, some of its causes, and ways in which congregations and individuals can help to stop it.

Immigration: Crisis or Opportunity- Virginia Nesmith: If you ate breakfast, lunch or dinner today, you most likely benefited from the work of an immigrant.  There are millions of immigrants in the US, harvesting and processing our food, and working in numerous other industries. Some are here with legal papers; some are not.  In this workshop we will look at the causes and consequences of immigration and ways in which we can respond on a legislative, community and individual basis. 

Caring for the Forgotten: South African Children’s Mission – Rev. Dr. Marilyn Rossner

This workshop will focus on the needs of the children in three South African programs annually visited by volunteers in the IIIHS, an ICCC member organization in Montreal Canada.  ICCC members interested in joining the team of volunteers for the 2009 Mission to South Africa are welcome, along with all others, to attend this session.

Special Events

The Good Time Gospel Group
Sunday 7:00pm

                 Film Festival - Featuring full length and some slightly edited viewings of:

Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North by Katrina Browne.  “When Katrina Browne Learned that her distinguished New England family had been the largest slave-trading dynasty in U.S. history, she was shocked, but resolved to face her troubling heritage squarely.  In this film, she and nine family members retrace the infamous Triangle Trade…In the course of her journey, Browne discovers that the North, not just the South, was massively complicit in slavery—slave labor was the foundation of the entire nation’s economy.”

Race: the power of an illusion Episode 3—The House We Live In.  Race may be a bilolgical myth, but racism gives different groups vastly different life chances.  Forty years after the Civil Rights Movement, the playing field is still not level and “colorblind” policies only perpetuate inequality.  This episode looks at, among many other issues,  the post World War II housing policies that created suburbs “…made possible by government money, but blacks other nonwhites were locked out.  Today, the typical white family has eight times the wealth of the average black family.”

The Color of Fear, Lee Mun Wah’s powerful awarding winning film of an interracial men’s retreat centered on the issue of race and racism.  You won’t want to miss this one if you haven’t seen it already.

Monday Evening Forum - Interreligious Cooperation: Imperative and Challenges, Including the Arab-Israeli Conflict led by Ron Young.  Ron Young is the Consultant for the National Interreligious Initiative for Peace (NILI).  Ron works with leaders of 25 U.S. Jewish, Christian and Muslim national religious organizations to develop united advocacy positions and mobilize public support for active, fair and firm U.S. leadership for Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace.  Building on the work of the U.S. Interreligious Committee for Peace organized by Ron in 1987, the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative was organized in 2003.  In 2004-05 Ron held meetings with local religious leaders in 40 cities.  In June 2004 Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders met Secretary of State Colin Powell and in January 2006 with Karen Hughes, Under Secretary of State. In January 2007 NILI leaders met with Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and then met regularly with her Deputy.  The religious leaders believe the Annapolis Peace Conference, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the current emphasis on negotiations among the parties make interreligious efforts for peace important and timely in the coming months.  NILI leaders believe the new President must make Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace an urgent priority of U.S. policy.  Following Ron’s presentation respondents from Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities in St. Louis will share their views on the topic. 

Mission Lunch - Our Mission Luncheon speaker will be Rev. Gary Cook, Director of Church Relations for Bread for the World, a collective Christian voice urging our nation's decision-makers to end hunger at home and abroad.  In this capacity, he leads a staff focused on developing and strengthening relations with a diverse group of over forty denominations and Christian relief and development organizations and 2500 congregations. 

Koinonia Lunch - Our Koinonia Luncheon guest speaker will be Esther Nelson, who describes herself as a middle-class, middle aged, main stream Christian, American mom.  For 3 months, she served as an Ecumenical Accompanier in Palestine Israel through the World Council of Churches and later for one month as a home re-builder with Israeli Committee against House Demolition.  She is humbled and honored to speak for people who have no voice in the U.S. - the vast majority of Palestinians and Israelis/Jews committed to justice, human rights, and international law.  Esther Nelson is also leading a workshop exploring the Palestinian Israeli conflict just prior to this luncheon. 

   YOUTH PROGRAM DIRECTOR:  Rev.Bonnie Prizio

Rev. Bonnie Prizio currently serves as the Administrator of the Masters in Counseling program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She is also a licensed mental health counselor and sees clients both at a community mental health center and in private practice. Presently she is working toward her Doctor of Ministry--spiritual formation emphasis. She has been blessed to serve with Jeff Newhall and the youth at Greendale People's Church in Worcester, MA. and looks forward to advising the youth at this year's ICCC conference.

ICCC Volunteer Opportunity - St. Louis Foodbank

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

9:00 to Noon

 We hope you consider volunteering at the St. Louis Area Foodbank during our Annual Conference this summer on Wednesday morning between 9:00a.m. and noon.  The bus will leave the hotel at 8:30a.m.

 The Foodbank receives a variety of products from community food drives, local and national food manufacturers, and the United States Dept.Of Agriculture (USDA). This food then gets distributed by our 500+ partner agencies with soup kitchens, pantries, shelters, etc. throughout 14 counties in MO and 12 counties in IL.

 Volunteer projects worked on here will usually vary as needed:

            1.)     Inspecting, sorting, and repackaging of donated food and non-food items.

2.)     Labeling and repackaging bulk food donations/or unlabeled food donations.

3.)  Building “assembly-line” style government food boxes for primarily low-income elderly people.

No Walk-Ins – All visits must be scheduled.     Sign up by contacting DeAnn in the Council office.

Heeding God’s Call: A Gathering on Peace

Those words titled a conference I attended last week (Jan 13-17) as a representative of the ICCC.  The conference touched on many dimensions of peace, reflecting as it did the fullness of the scriptural vision of peace.  The conference was organized by the 3 ‘historic peace churches’, Mennonite, Brethren, and Friends.  It was an ecumenical gathering (23 tradition represented), with interfaith participant observers (Jewish and Muslim).  What follows here are some reflections and excerpts from materials shared.  Hopefully they will give a sense of the spread of the conference.

Each morning we were provided ‘queries’ to provoke our reflection.  Among them “What situations or conditions in the world most cause me to want to cry out in anguish?”  “How can ‘the church’ recover its historic mission of speaking and acting for justice and peace in the world?” “When have I seen, experienced or known faith to overcome fear?”  “When have I felt the warm and reviving sense of hope?”

For more of Rev. John Woodcock's (Church of the Loving Shepherd) article, click here.  You can also find it in the March 2009 edition of the Christian Community.