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| Churches explore diversity through Human Mosaic By Melissa Lauber
UMCONNECTION STAFF  MELISSA LAUBER/UMCONNECTION | | The Rev. Isaac Mawokomatanda removes a 'flesh-colored' Band Aid in a play on diversity at the Human Mosaic Project. |
The world is rapidly changing, becoming more multicultural and diverse with each passing day. The church, too often, is not. But through the Human Mosaic Project, the Baltimore-Washington Conference is attempting to change that ? one church at a time. 'In respect to multiculturalism, we have a long way to go,' said Associate Council Director Sandra Ferguson. 'But at least we are committed to the struggle. Other people are not even in the conversation.' For the past three years, this conversation has been playing out in small-group settings, as teams from 30 churches have met for three full-day sessions to address challenges and concerns unfolding in their congregations. During the most recent session Nov. 13, the Revs. Nancy Lanman, a deacon at Chevy Chase UMC, and Isaac Mawokomatanda, pastor of Mt.Washington UMC in Baltimore, read a play by the Rev. Erik Law, whose book 'Sacred Acts, Holy Change,' has been a gbwc_superusering text for the Human Mosaic experience. In the play, Mawokomatanda's character injures his head and receives a 'flesh-colored' Band-Aid that does not match his black skin. The pair talks about each other's assumptions about race. Mawokomatanda's character concludes: 'All my effort of trying to make it in this country is like putting on a Band-Aid ? one at a time. You see when we get hurt in this world we put on a white Band-Aid. The next time we get hurt we put on anther one, and another one. Pretty soon we're covered in Band-Aids. Then one day you look in the mirror and suddenly you see how ridiculous you look. So I painfully peel all these old Band-Aids off revealing all the old wounds. They never healed. This interracial harmony conference, busing, affirmative action and my damn job are nothing but Band-Aids. But no thanks, I'd rather bleed.'  Park |
Stemming the bleeding and allowing for the transformation of people and institutions is the goal of the Human Mosaic Project, said the Rev. HiRho Park, who chairs the project's leadership team. 'The answers to this human dilemma are out there, right past where we disconnect,' said Lanman. 'The answer is to live the Gospel. Connecting is the answer. It's a risk, but it's such an interesting answer.'
To help people discover the answers for their congregations, the Human Mosaic training provides an eight-step process, said Park. It includes: seeking God's will; setting boundaries for change; collecting concerns; naming the issues; setting goals; creating an action plan; implementing steps that stress Bible study, a liturgical setting and respectful communication; and evaluating outcomes. The concerns these churches address do not have to be racial-ethnic, Park said. They can include all kinds of diversity like changing communities, age differences, how to revitalize children's ministries or including new members in planning and leadership. Epworth UMC in Gaithersburg, for example, is planning an event that will encourage new relationships among members of their congregation. Lexington Park UMC will be integrating spiritual practices into its ministry areas so leaders can more clearly discern God's will; and St. Matthews UMC in Baltimore intends to establish a council on youth ministry to encourage participation among young people. The eight-member Human Mosaic leadership team conducted the 2004 training on its own, after three years of on-site gbwc_superuserance by Erik Law, who created the model. During the next year, members will visit participating churches and evaluate the success of their efforts, Park said. Fruits of some past sessions have begun to bloom. 
Johnson |
At Christ UMC of the Deaf in Baltimore, for example, the church has started a number of efforts to attract deaf children and deaf people who live in state-subsidized group homes. They have encountered numerous obstacles, including their own members' reservations about how people should behave in church and how much money should be spent to nurture visitors. 'We have not won the battle, but thanks to the grace of God we're moving forward, said the Rev. Peggy Johnson. 'Wherever there is a margin, let's go after it,' Johnson said. 'Everything we tried didn't all work, but God is in the midst.' |
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