F rom July 21-25Orlando, Florida

was the scene of the1200-people strongI n t e r n a t i o n a lConference of GraceC o m m u n i o nInternational (GCI).GCI is the sponsoringbody for Reconcileand the Of f i ce o fR e c o n c i l i a t i o n

Ministries (ORM). ORM was well-represented with an ORM resource table,

standing-room-only workshops, and a devotional stressing theall-important subject of reconciliation for GCI delegates whohailed from Haiti to Hawaii and Birmingham to Bangladesh. “Ireceived several requests for visits and presentations from bothU.S and international church leaders and lay members,” com-mented Curtis May of ORM.

On September 3-5 ORM ally, Connecting and Bonding, aninternational gathering of ministers’ wives, met in Ontario,California, for their 11th annual time of fellowship and instruc-tion. Jean Jackson, an NFL player’s wife for 19 years, describedliving in her “glass house” and urged attendees to “blow thewhistle and take time out for yourself.” Mary Sutherland, awomen’s ministry speaker, covered “Seven Habits of HighlySuccessful Ministers’ Wives.” In response to three moving per-sonal testimonies, Kathleen Hart, former wives chaplain at FullerSeminary, sent the ladies home with the injunction to “choosewhat we are going to surrenderto.”

The “Friendship Teams”formed at Connecting andBonding conferences reacharound the nation and indeedaround the globe. These fur-ther the implementation ofreconciliation worldwide.

— reported by Curtis May and Trish Clauson

Volume 12 /Number 2 —More than a Decade of Help and Hope — Fall 2010

TM

The Office of Reconciliation Ministries (ORM) is an Outreach Ministry of Grace

Communion International.

International MeetingsCement Unity

Sarah Yetman

Gen Next Signs Up

Twenty-two-year-old SarahYetman from Carbonear,

NL, Canada, felt the call tocommunity service as a volun-teer in high school. Now witha Bachelor of Social Workdegree, Sarah sets out to helpfamilies and provide a voicefor vulnerable children. Thiscommitment to serving is typ-ical of her generation. Hergreatest joy? "Building rela-tionships with families andconnecting them to communi-ty resources." Her greatestf r u s t r a t i o n ? " L a c k o fresources," she replies with aglint in her eye. She is alreadya leader. Her example hasinspired her peers to take upthe cause of helping others.

GCI International Conference

Yen for Diversity: Ladies gathered at

Connecting and Bonding meetings

exemplify coming together.

Reconcile Fall 2010:Reconcile Fall 2010 11/1/10 6:39 PM Page 1

FROM CURTIS MAY...

Politics, Race & Religion

For the last decade or two ournation seems to have escalated

divisiveness, disrespect and hate!In my brief time on this earth I'venever known it to be so extreme.In a country where the Golden Ruleand Christian values are supposedto be highly acclaimed, one won-ders how it got so bad. We hear

insults hurled from the left and the right. Then there arethe extremists on both sides.

As Christians and reconcilers, what is our responsibil-ity before our Creator? Do we have a voice? Does Heinstruct us on this topic? I Timothy 2:1-4 is a place tostart: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, inter-cession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – forkings and all those in authority, that we may live peacefuland quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good,and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to besaved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” Thisapplies no matter which political party is in power.

Prayer not only helps us to be humble and toapproach issues with a better frame of mind, but it canalso help change what is wrong. As the old gospel songtells us, “Prayer changes things.” Romans 13:1-2 says,“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authori-ties, for there is no authority except that which God hasestablished. The authorities that exist have been estab-lished by God. Consequently, he who rebels against theauthority is rebelling against what God has instituted...”

Again, if Scripture is our guide, we will think twicebefore hurling insults, epithets and downright mean barbsat our leaders or leadership candidates, regardless of howmuch we may disagree with them. Attacks hardly everresolve conflicts. They only make them worse. We knowthis because ORM spends much of its time resolving con-flict. Romans 13:8 tells us, “Let no debt remain outstand-ing, except the continuing debt to love one another, forhe who loves his fellowman has ful-filled the law.” We all indeed owe Godand each other the debt of love.

So the next time you becomeangry at political leaders or authori-ties, try to ask yourself what it meansto pay the debt of love. Honor andrespect are biblical mandates ORMtries to inculcate (1 Peter 2:17).

Our ORM flagship book MendingBroken Relationships outlines the “howto” of reconciliation. To order, visit ourwebsite: www.ATimeToReconcile.org

Our Readers Respond

Dear Reconcile,One of the greatest sins of this nationand all nations is indifference. May our

hearts be rekindled with compassion in thesetroubled times. Curtis, I pray that things arewell with you and those in the work with you.

Bob StringerLompoc, CA

Hello to the Mission:The work you are doing is of utmostimportance. “For we walk by faith, not by

sight.”Leon Rabouine, Sr.

Bronx, NY

Dear Curtis,Thank you for your tireless work of rec-onciliation. Thank you for sending me

your newsletter. May God bless your ministry!Kimiyo Anceney

Women’s Federation for World PeaceSouth Pasadena, CA

Dear Mr. May,Our prayers and support are with you.Thank you for doing the WORK of

Reconciliation in Christ.Much love,

Los Angeles CongregationGrace Communion International

Curtis May, publisher

2 RECONCILE Fall 2010

How to ContactUs:

Office of Reconciliation MinistriesP.O. Box 5005, Glendora, CA 91740

Telephone 626.650.2390Office hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mon.–Fri. PST/DST

www.ATimeToReconcile.orgFax: 626.650.2395

E-mail: curtis.may@gci.org

Publisher ........................................ Curtis MayEditor .............................................. Neil EarleProofreader ........................... Michael MorrisonConsulting Editor ..................... Roger LipprossEditorial Assistant ........................ Susan EarleArt Direction/Production ............. Michael Riley

RECONCILE is a publication of the Office of ReconciliationMinistries (ORM) of Grace Communion International,

Glendora, CA 91740. ©2010 Grace Communion Inter.

Reconcile Fall 2010:Reconcile Fall 2010 11/1/10 6:39 PM Page 2

Richard Mouw: The Case for Civility

In the run-up to theNovember elections in the

United States one couldhear all manner of debatepouring out of the “viralmedia” – the blogs, cable tv,talk shows, the usual sus-pects.

Nowadays one can tunethe radio dial and hear thatPresident Obama is a secretterrorist, twirl again to learnthat former Vice President Richard Cheneyhelped plan the terror attacks on September 11,2001.

In such an atmosphere Richard Mouw,President of Fuller Theological Seminary inPasadena, California, revised and reissued his1992 essay Uncommon Decency: Christian Civilityin an Uncivil World. “Civility,” writes Mouw, “ispublic politeness. It means that we display tact,moderation, refinement and good mannerstoward people who are different from us.” Hecould have added that the word is related to “civ-ilize” or “civics,” not to mention “civilization”itself. One trigger for incivility is the crusadingspirit, says Mouw. “Crusaders are people whothink the cause they are fighting for is so impor-tant that they must use all means at their dis-posal to win.” He adds: “Some Christians seemto be unmoved by a plea for honest understand-ing. They don't appear to care whether they arefair in characterizing the view of their oppo-nents.”

Biblical RealismMouw allows there is something in human

nature that has a bent toward the negative. Butthis is where real Christianity should shine. Mouwcites Titus 3:2 saying “to speak evil of no one, toavoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show cour-tesy to everyone,” to honor everyone (1 Peter2:17). The author documents how the churchhas often been a citadel of incivility. He doesoppose “convictionless civility.” All Christianswill have convictions, Mouw admits, but evenwhen speaking directly about them, biblical stan-dards of “gentleness and reverence” must apply(1 Peter 3:15-16).

Uncommon Decency cites cases. The author

reports on one lady who was anoutspoken anti-abortion advocateuntil her own daughter was preg-nant as the result of a brutal rape.“Her all-or-nothing rhetoric hadbeen a substitute for an honestwrestling with the issues.” Nor isMouw warm to the idea of super-patriotism. Patriotism is one thing,

but “no country should ever be encouraged toactually think of itself in Best Nation terms.Nationalism and super-patriotism are forms ofidolatry.”

This is a hard-hitting little book. Readers ofReconcile will resonate with its core ideas.“Reverence toward others is not an attitude thathas been highly prized in the Christian commu-nity,” adds Mouw, a respected voice for Christianfaith. The case for civility badly needs restating in2010.

— Neil Earle

Do you ever wonder ifShakespeare got it

wrong? Perhaps it is notthe evil that men do thatlives after them (fromJulius Caesar) but thegood. Consider JusticeT h u r g o o d M a r s h a l l(1908-1993), for exam-ple.

Thurgood Marshallwas the young legal advo-cate in one of the mostmomentous court cases

of our time – the 1954 “Brown versus the Boardof Education” ruling that became key to endingracial segregation in the United States. Veteranactor Lawrence Fishburne sold out theatresacross the United States this year with his one-man portrayal of the canny, straight-talking,down-home judge who was known to sit downwith local sheriffs. After cards and whiskey he’ddisarm them with, “Now what we gonna do aboutthis?”

Marshall went on to become the first African-American to wear the robes of a Supreme Courtjustice and whose legacy reminds us that thingscan always change for the better.

A Play For Our Time

Thurgood Marshall

Richard Mouw

Fall 2010 RECONCILE 3

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The summer of 2010 proved busy for theOffice of Reconciliation Ministries (ORM).

On May 20-21 ORM Director Curtis May cast thevision before some 40 pastors and leaders atShepherd Community Church in South Holland,Illinois. A big-screen presentation entitled “Africaand the Bible” detailed when and how the gospelof Jesus Christ was delivered to the African con-tinent – not to a slave culture in America but toAfricans in their homeland. Archaeologists showevidence of worshippers of the Triune God fromartifacts uncovered across Africa. These predatethe slave trade.

Chapter Leaders Sam Butler and Willard Highpresented on “Ally Building” and a unifiedapproach to overcoming “Internalized Racism”(the kind you don't know you have). Those inattendance included Eugene Dumas, ExecutiveDirector for the Center for Multicultural

Ministries.The friendlys e t t i n ga l l o w e dattendeesto expresstheir feel-ings with-out fear ofaccusation,retaliationor misun-de rs tand -

ing. “This can be attributed to the focus the localchurch places on reconciliation and the fact thatChicago was one of the first areas to host anORM gathering back in 1997,” Willard High sum-marized.

“Choices and Perceptions”On August 7-8 the scene shifted to the Omni

Dallas Hotel Park West in Texas. Pastors TomPickett, Arnold Clauson, and Bob Persky joinedCurtis May to host 150 attendees for an ener-getic, eye-opening, encouraging seminar on rec-onciliation. The most common response was,“Wow, this is more than I thought.”

“There were times during the planning phasewhen we encountered a stumbling block, butGod encouraged us with a new blessing everytime,” said Chapter Leader Tom Pickett at theopening. “We think he must have something spe-cial planned for this conference.”

And did God deliver! Each day's activitieswere begun with lively praise and worship led byBarry and Tammy Ford and special music by theUnity of Faith fellowship choir on Saturday. Mr.John Connors, a successful CEO from the

ORM Workshops Draw HundredsNortheast, got down to business with his mes-sage, “Reconciliation: The Barriers We Face.”Employers must keep a balance between theshareholder, the employee and the customer – adifficult task, he reminded us. Correct metricsneed to be used and meaningful standardsapplied. Positive business practices can reversethe corporate misbehavior all too prevalenttoday.

The afternoons were devoted to workshopson topics such as Community in Conflict (PoliceChief Steve Myers); Preserving Families ThroughReconciliation (Linda Frederickson, LicensedProfessional Counselor); Racism in our Society(Cherry Steinwender, Co-Executive Director forthe Center for the Healing of Racism); Church,Community and Education (Pastor Sultan Cole); TheChurch and Racial Segregation (Pastors Cliff Parksand Tony Pierce). Pastors Parks and Pierceoffered real-life examples of how diverse congre-gations had put aside their differences to servetheir community.

Sunday, August 8, participants were dazzledby Evelyne O'Callaghan Burkhard from Cork,Ireland. She explained that the choices we makeflow from basic needs, external control or ourtotal behavior. We must make new choices, setgoals, and then go on to make better choices.Curtis May explained biblical reconciliation:“After making a choice, leadership must come.”This involves sincere intentionality, sensitivityand sacrifice and balancing empowerment withinterdependence. John Conners concluded byreminding us how much labels and expectationsaffect our decisions.

The last morning session was highlighted withPastor Bob Persky’s installation as a new ORMchapter leader. This makes 27 around the world,all forging ahead in Christ’s ministry of reconcili-ation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

— reporting by Willard High and

Craig and Joyce Cameron

Curtis May with Sam Butler & Willard High

Pastor Bob Persky’s installation as a new ORM chapter leader.

Photo

by R

yan D

ute

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