Members:
Reconciliation Mission appeals to Disciples to save anti-racism ministry (3/13/06)
By Heidi Bright Parales, DisciplesWorld contributing writer
INDIANAPOLIS(03/13/06) — Jessica Vazquez is on a mission to save Reconciliation Mission (RM).
Vazquez, who became transitional minister of Reconciliation Mission just two months ago, is in the midst of a 30-day fundraising campaign, along with other church leaders, to keep the 39-year-old anti-racism ministry afloat.
Reconciliation Mission seeks to dismantle systemic racism and other oppressive structures, through organizing, education, and advocacy.
In late January, Vazquez surprised many Administrative Committee members by recommending that her position with Reconciliation Mission be eliminated if RM fails to raise $87,000 by June 30, 2006. Currently there are only six months' worth of salary and benefits for the ministry.
“If we fail to raise the total amount, drastic changes will have to take place in order to ensure the ministry remains,” said Vazquez. The month-long fundraising campaign began Feb. 27.
Vazquez must secure the pledges by the end of March, when she is scheduled to meet with the denomination's Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee has set a timeline for addressing the ministry's immediate financial needs and also for determining its future.
Former Minister of Reconciliation Eugene Fisher had warned the General Board for three years about RM's increasingly dire financial situation. Fisher resigned in December 2005 to accept a position with the Pension Fund.
In October 2005, commissioners had affirmed three foci for RM, according to a January 2006 report by Vazquez:
— Articulating RM's mission and role in transforming the church to the broader community;
— Engaging in intentional relationship-building with church-wide partners; and
— Developing leadership to enable expansion of its ministry.
The 2005 Reconciliation Mission offering came not long after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. The offering brought in 25 percent less than the previous year, a loss of $156,000.
As long as the church relies on an offering to fund RM, this crisis will dominate the time and energy of all who lead RM, said Vazquez. “The current funding structure is simply inadequate, and when coupled with other issues impacting the offering, funding will continue to decline.”
At stake in raising the funds, said Vazquez, are 39 nine years of witness and commitment to the eradication of systemic racism and other structural sins that keep the body of Christ fragmented.
Also at stake, she said, is the pivotal role of Reconciliation Mission in the denominations' mission goal: 2020 Vision.
“Ten years ago, we said that we wanted to re-shape the table so that all people, regardless of their social location, would have a place, and none would be turned away,” she wrote.
“I am in this ministry because I believed that vision. I needed that vision. That vision made me hope for a day when I could sit as a whole person at the table and be affirmed as a full member of this community. It was this vision and the commitment to this ministry that reconnected me to my vocation and, quite frankly, to this church.”
Now, she wonders, “How can we claim to seek to witness to true community, to be driven by deep Christian spirituality and act in ways that reflect our passion for justice [tenets of the 2020 Vision], if we allow this ministry for reconciliation to perish simply because we disagree with its current direction?”
Reconciliation Mission's funding structure, based on agreements among Church-wide partners, prevents Vazquez or RM from directly appealing to congregations. Currently, RM is approaching individuals who are committed to its work.
“Those individuals are being asked to encourage others to give,” she said. Both online pledging and giving are available at
If the funds are raised, she will be able to continue moving forward in three areas.
First, RM can continue developing team leaders who can directly organize action and long-term strategies for change. Second, RM must evaluate its impact and select the best path to follow. Third, teams must be developed and strengthened. “I still believe that our most effective tool to reach congregations is Transformation Teams equipped to lead the way,” she said.
“Regardless of what happens on March 31, I will continue to work to make sure these three hopes come to fruition. I am committed to the mission of this ministry and that will not cease,” said the fourth generation Disciple.
Vazquez has been with RM since 1999, and until January 2006, was associate minister of RM. It is hard for her not to become discouraged by the funding situation.
“I love this church in spite of its flawed nature,” she said. “Although I believe our GMP (General Minister and President Sharon E. Watkins) when she says we are a people whose time has come, these months have made my belief waver,” Vazquez said.
“These days, I hear lots of 'have you done this,' but very little, 'here is what I did because I am committed to this ministry.' We keep seeking to fix with an appeal to a problem that, at its core, is structural and avoid the structural solutions that could eliminate the problem within hours,” she said.
“So, has it changed my love for this body or my commitment to its transformation? No. What has changed is my conviction that we are a people committed to a vision that seeks community, spirituality and justice. That, these days, I question,” said Vazquez.
