Facing the big question
I struggled all summer with continuing to support CTA. Two years ago I attended the conference and found myself so frustrated. I am a member of a lay-led intentional eucharistic community. All the pain and questions involved in choosing this path are clearly a part of your agenda. But the big question - what if we took ourselves seriously, believed WE ARE THE CHURCH - doesn't get asked. I suspect the answer would be decisive, or maybe not. Among those suffering at the conference, is there a willingness to risk what they may see as the very path to salvation? How long will we tolerate injustice in the church? How long the continued subjugation of women? How long a refusal to acknowledge the incredible contribution of women and also our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters? The church no longer claims me or my community. (We have been called schismatic by the local ordinary.) I still name myself and my community Catholic. I have decided to continue my support because of a hope for change, that the church might truly represent the Kingdom of God.

Laurie Volk, Portland, Ore.

Laurie is associate pastor of the Journey community, which was profiled in October 1999 ChurchWatch.

 

 

Beyond white Christians
Yesterday Sarah, our five-year-old, declared, "I know what a Christian is. A Christian is white people." I was devastated. I tried to explain that the Church was inclusive of all people of all colors, but what she sees is another story. Our English-speaking Mass is predominantly white, Call To Action - a sea of white faces. If I want Steven and Sarah to see diversity in church, I have to take them to a Spanish-speaking or Vietnamese-speaking Mass, or to Lummi Indian Mission. We will need to keep trying to forge those relationships, but I confess that I don't find it easy and we have made an effort. I can understand why Latinos or Vietnamese or Lummis want to worship within the context of their own culture, language and people they are comfortable with -we as "white Christians" obviously do the same. The difference for me, though, is that white Christians dominate church leadership, and within our own comfort zone and cultural viewpoint, we continue the status quo. Any easy answers? I don't think so, but it does seem essential to at least talk about these concerns in the open, especially with non-white Christians, and work together to build a different kind of formation experience for adults and chldren alike.

Debi Covert-Bowlds, Ferndale, Wash.