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June 9, 2009

Pitching a Big Tent in our multicultural neighborhood

How, not if, is multicultural ministry question, conference planners say

by Erin S. Cox-Holmes
Special to Presbyterian News Service

YATESBORO, PA — “When we say multicultural, we are talking about all of us,” says the Rev. Rafaat Girgis, Associate for PC(USA)’s Office of Multicultural Ministries and a central organizer of the National Multicultural Church Conference that is part of the first-ever Big Tent event, June 11-13 in Atlanta.

“The word multicultural is absolutely inclusive of all. Black, White, Yellow. Poor. Rich. We mean that God’s word is taking flesh for all and to all. We are talking about a welcome that is as big as the heart of God.”

The multicultural conference has grown from fewer than 100 participants in 2000 to around 500 people in 2008. Pre-registration numbers for this year’s conference make it one of the largest of the ten Big Tent events.

The event kicks off June 10 with pre-conference sessions — co-sponsored by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program — on Anti-Racism Training, Multicultural Worship Training, and Presbytery/Church Team Training on Becoming a Multicultural Church. These three events are offered in partnership with the PC(USA) Peacemaking Program.

The Multicultural Conference itself begins on June 11 with two featured plenary speakers, two panel discussions and nearly 20 workshops offered over the span of the three day conference.

The first of the the plenary sessions, on Friday, June 12, features Carlos Cardoza-Orlandi, professor of world Christianity at Columbia Theological Seminary speaking on “Amazed and Perplexed: The Blessings and Challenges of Resistance and Acceptance in our Cross-cultural Communities.” An ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Cardoza-Orlandi is an active participant in inter-cultural and inter-religious activities in the Atlanta area, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

The second plenary session, “What time is it?”  will be on June 13 with the  Rev. Brenda Salter McNeil, president and founder of Salter McNeil & Associates, a Christian company that partners with organizations to transform them into reconciling communities.

The two sessions on “Models for Multicultural Ministry” — Friday evening and Saturday afternoon — will feature five models presented by thriving multicultural ministries in the Atlanta area and an interactive session led by churches and presbyteries from across the nation with established regional multicultural networks. 

“The question is not whether to be multicultural. The question is how to be. These presentations, which are open to anybody attending the Big Tent, will provide practical, first hand stories,” said Girgis.

Workshop subjects include evangelism, the biblical roots of multicultural ministry, developing presbytery teams, multicultural worship, diversity training, as well as a number of workshops on new immigrant ministry and anti-racism training, sponsored collaboratively with other partner conferences. The full list, with over 20 available workshops may be viewed here.

For more information and registration materials, visit the Big Tent Web site. Hotel registration is separate.

Erin Cox-Holmes is associate general presbyter for Kiskiminetas Presbytery and a frequent contributor to Presbyterian News Service. She will be covering the National Multicultural Church Conference at the Big Tent event for PNS.