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By Amanda Bachus*
1:00 A.M. EDT August 31, 2011 | EL PASO, Texas (UMNS)
Bishop Minerva Carcaño says she sees a resurgence in racism in the United States.
UMNS photos by Mike DuBose.
View in Photo Gallery
In a blunt, yet compassionate, speech filled with tough words,
Phoenix Area Bishop Minerva Carcaño told the 40th anniversary meeting of
MARCHA that “true healing in the spirit of our Christian faith” will
not be possible until racism is “done with, eradicated, eliminated, dead
and buried.”
The bishop’s words were not limited to external forces in society.
“The life of our churches, the life of The United Methodist Church,
and the life of our communities depends on our overcoming our
internalized racism alongside overcoming the ongoing institutional
racism in the church and in the world.
“All across this country United Methodists are advocating for the
human rights of the immigrant through compassionate care and through
efforts to gain comprehensive immigration reform,” she said.
Noting that the numbers involved in advocating for the rights of the
more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States are
small, the bishop took to task church members who do not support the
effort. She was speaking to about 200 members of Methodists Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic-Americans, the denomination’s Hispanic/Latino caucus. The group met Aug. 11-14 at the Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso.
“To make matters worse, too many of our Hispanic/Latino church
members have joined the ranks of those who say ‘boot these immigrants
out of here and build a higher wall so they don’t come back,’” she said.
“I have no way of understanding this United Methodist Hispanic/Latino
sentiment without seeing internalized racism.”
Need for holy conferencing
The bishop said she has been questioned by many whether her
priorities fall on the side of defending and supporting Hispanic/Latinos
instead of supporting all United Methodists.
“When I have spoken out in defense of immigrants, I have been accused
by United Methodists from my area and from throughout the connection of
only doing so because, as you can see from my face, I am one of them,”
she said.
Bishop Elías Galván (left) and Raúl
Alegría address the 2011 MARCHA
meeting at the Lydia Patterson
Institute.
View in Photo Gallery
Tense disagreements between her and certain white church leaders are
not treated as moments of holy conferencing or a means of grace, she
added. Instead, she said, “I am accused of endangering the whole church
and have been told that I bring shame to the episcopal office and should
be removed.
“Perhaps our white brothers and sisters are right; these are not
moments of holy conferencing but rather moments when we see just how
alive our institutional racism is,” the bishop said.
Carcaño, who was elected a bishop by the Western Jurisdiction in
2004, acknowledged the step forward that the election of President
Barack Obama represented.
“While the election of a person of color to the highest position in
this country is a great marker on the way to overcoming racism, it is
only a marker. No sooner had President Obama assumed the office of
president when racism reared its ugly head. Was he truly an American?
Was he Christian?” she said.
“There are today many more Hispanic/Latino leaders in the church and
in the world because of those who have called themselves MARCHA,”
Carcaño said. “But, there is yet much work to be done, sacred work that I
know will bless us and bless others if we will but be faithful to the
one we claim as Lord and Savior. There are tasks to be done and new
challenges to face.”
Need to be self-sufficient
Carcaño told MARCHA attendees that she fears “we have become dependent on others to fund and maintain our ministries.”
The approach to ministry and mission has been affected by the time
and energy given to getting a piece of the United Methodist pie, she
said, and there is merit in challenging the institutional church to use
its resources in ways that demonstrate the values of inclusivity,
diversity and justice. But, she asked the audience to look within.
“While much good work has been done over the last 40 years, we have
of late become, in my opinion, too inwardly focused,” the bishop said.
Discussing how the group should approach racism, she added, “We do
not have to wait for the day when racism is banished, though that day
will come by God’s grace.”
She told the conference it is time to break out of the box and fully
be the people of God. “It is time for us as Latino/Hispanic United
Methodists who have been a part of this church for a lifetime to become
self-supporting and self-directing, for while we have eaten our portion
of the connectional pie, our Hispanic/Latino communities languish,
hungry for the manna of God’s gracious hand, manna that we should be
sharing with the world.”
The Rev. Emilio Muller, director of Hispanic ministries at the California-Pacific Annual (regional) Conference,
said the bishop’s words spoke not only to the work that has been
completed but also to the work that is still to become a reality.
“This is indicative of the continued blindness and institutional
racism that permeates our society, and it continues to be manifested
today as it’s currently demonstrated in the attitude about immigration,
in the planting of new congregations and in making it difficult for
local leaders to answer their call to ordained ministry within our
denomination,” Muller added.
The mariachi band from the Lydia Patterson Institute performs during the MARCHA banquet.
View in Photo Gallery
“It is well established our denomination is in need of trained clergy
leaders to serve those who in 10 years will be more than a third of the
population in the United States of America,” he said.
Bishop Elías Galván, executive secretary of MARCHA, noted the
organization’s 40 years have been marked by struggles, negotiations and
the endorsement of significant legislation.
He told the caucus that how it responds, challenges assumptions,
participates in and contributes to the processes taking place today will
either hinder or assist in the mission “to make disciples for Jesus
Christ for the transformation of the world.”
The theme of this year’s conference was “Renewing our Commitment: New
Spaces for Renewed People.” Sessions were in the Patterson Institute,
the only United Methodist preparatory school historically serving
Hispanic students in the southwestern part of the country. The
participants were from several countries, including El Salvador, Cuba,
Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Haiti, the
United States and Mexico.
For more information about the United Methodist Church and immigration, visit www.umc.org/immigration.
*Bachus is director of Spanish resources and editor of el Intérprete magazine at United Methodist Communications.
News media contact: Amanda Bachus, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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