Christian Education With Ethnic Constituencies Explored
Episcopal News Service. November 22, 1978 [78341]
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Christian education leaders of the Episcopal Church have recently met "to raise and reflect upon the realities and issues of ethnic and racial constituencies in the Episcopal Church" as they relate to the education program.
Regional Religious Education Coordinators met in two area consultations -- Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. -- "to develop action plans" to help meet the needs of the various ethnic and racial groups in their own regions.
The 15 Regional Coordinators are extensions of the national religious education office and are employed on a part-time basis as consultants within their respective provinces. They are available to parishes and dioceses through diocesan offices to share Christian education resources and help develop local leadership.
Coordinators from Provinces 5-9 -- embracing dioceses in the midwest, southwest, and far west -- met in Los Angeles and the regional leaders from Provinces 1-4 -- representing dioceses in the east and southeast -- gathered in Washington.
Keynote speaker at both conferences was the Rev. William Mamoru Shinto, an American Baptist who is on the staff of the United Ministries in Higher Education. He spoke on the conference theme, "Ethnic Constituencies in the Church in a Theological Context." He is the author of a monograph, "Colorful Minorities and the White Majority: A Subjective Analysis."
In each city, national staff from the Episcopal Church Center participated in the conference. Representing the national ethnic staff of the Church in Society section in Los Angeles were Henry C. Redshirt, Indian Affairs Officer, and the Rev. Winston C. Ching, Staff Officer of the Asiamerican Ministries.
In Washington, the national staff was represented by the Rev. Frank Turner, Coordinator of Black Ministries, and the Rev. Samuel Pinzon, chairman of the Hispanic Ministries commission, on behalf of the Rev. Herbert Arrunategui, Hispanic Officer.
Present at both meetings were the national staff of the religious education office, the Rev. David W. Perry and the Rev. Frederick Howard.
At each of the consultations the coordinators visited local ethnic ministries to see education work firsthand. In Los Angeles some of the projects visited were: St. Mary's Multi-cultural program; the Indian Center; the Long Beach school district work; the Korean Center; Hispanic congregations, arranged by Executive Council member Mrs. Virginia Ram; and the Good Shepherd Center for Independent Living, an ecumenical program with handicapped persons.
Programs visited at the Washington conference included Gallaudet College for the deaf; an English as a second language school; Oyster Elementary School where English and Spanish are taught side by side; and St. Timothy Episcopal Church, a predominantly black congregation.
A theological paper on religious education among the ethnic constituencies of the Episcopal Church will now be drawn up and presented to the Regional Religious Education Coordinators when they meet next March. Each of the coordinators prepared a reflection paper following the two recent consultations.
Father Perry said that a result of the meetings was that "the coordinators have become more aware of people resources available in their work."
"All of the projects visited, " he said, "had clear educational components. It became clear to us that the action work of the Church is very much an educational work."
He said that the coordinators benefitted by the presence of national staff. "The coordinators became aware of the various networks of the staff and the value of religious education leaders linking with those networks."
In charge of local arrangements for the west coast session was Mrs. Betty Ann High of Los Angeles and for the east coast conference, the Rev. James Anderson of Washington.
Regional Religious Education Coordinators for this province are : ( Editors: fill in the name and address of the person/persons on the attached list.)