posted on June 11, 2020 by
Leave a Comment

MARCHA CALLS THE GLOBAL CHURCH TO ERADICATE RACISM

MARCHA stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in protest around the globe of the vicious ways how black persons have been treated, injured and killed by members of the police, and the apparent immunity police officers receive after such brutal attacks.  It is with great alarm and a righteous anger that we have seen the response of President Trump and his administration to the legitimate and peaceful protests of those who are seeking justice for George Floyd,  Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the long list of victims of police violence and abuse of power. The Black Lives Matter protests are calling for a true reform of a system that reveals practices that are racist and support white supremacy.

The Church cannot remain silent or indifferent in the face of such injustices. To do so is to condone further violence against black people and the continued erosion of our democratic form of government.  Therefore, we call on the global church to affirm and proclaim the sacredness of human life in all its diversity; commit itself to work for the eradication of the sins of racism as it is expressed through colonialism, white privilege and white supremacy; and embody our baptismal vows “to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves”.

CALL TO ACTION:

We call the Council of Bishops to join our ecumenical and interfaith partners to denounce the sin of systemic racism in the United States and its expressions in other parts of the world. (UMC Book of Resolutions #3377  “Opposition to Racial Profiling in the United States”) We invite the Central Conference bishops to share their wisdom derived from their own struggle against injustices in similar situations. 

We call the United Methodist Pastors and Congregations to denounce racism as antithetical to the gospel, lead their congregation in prayerful reflection of the dire effects of racism and white privilege, use the resources addressing these issues produced by the General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR), the General Board of Church & Society (GBCS) and the other general agencies; and organize constructive dialogues of communities of color with political leaders, police departments and grassroot organizations in their communities. (UMC Book of Resolution #3374 “Annual Conferences’ Districts’ and Local Congregations’ Responsibilities for Eradication of Racism”)

We call our Central Conference siblings to pray for the United States as it struggles with the effects of racism and white privilege and to denounce any practices of systemic  oppressions that are enforced upon them. 

We call the General Conference Delegates to respond to the present crisis with pastoral actions and programs that will bring reconciliation, support equity, and work together to dismantle racism and white privilege in our denomination and society. To that end, we urge the General Conference to support the important work of the Racial Ethnic Plans, GCORR and GBCS in their programming and advocacy for racial ethnic ministries.

MARCHA supports the statements made by racial ethnic caucuses, general agencies and the Council of Bishops in regards to denouncing racism. We encourage all people of faith to be in solidarity with those who seek peace and justice.  As an act of witness, light a candle every evening and pray for peace with justice in the United States and the world. True peace cannot be achieved without True Justice. “And justice will produce lasting peace and security.” (Isaiah 32 CEV)

Filed Under: Noticias Tagged With: , ,
posted on March 25, 2020 by
8 Comments

IESDG STATEMENT ON COVID-19 VIRUS AND XENOPHOBIA

A Statement from the Inter-Ethnic Strategic Development Group (IESDG), a coalition represented by the five racial ethnic caucuses of the United Methodist Church.

IESDG unequivocally denounce the disturbing and continual use of the term “China or Chinese Virus”, correctly known as the COVID-19 virus.  The term “China/Chinese Virus” is racially loaded and inaccurately depicts the global nature of the disease’s threat and the misuse of terms in effect targets and scapegoats several ethnic groups. We urge President Donald J. Trump and other public officials to discontinue the use of the term “China/Chinese Virus” so that misinformation and animosity will be replaced with a love that respects the dignity and sacred worth of every person and community.

The misinformation and the mislabeling of the COVID-19 continue to fuel anxiety, which in turn, escalates racists acts of xenophobia specifically against Asians, Asian-Americans and their communities. The COVID-19 virus and other pathogens do not discriminate between hosts based on gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, immigration status or others.  The origin of any virus could have occurred in any country regardless of race or ethnicity.

The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus of the United States Congress stated in February 26, 2020, “The best way to stop the spread of coronavirus is to wash your hands, not perpetuate racist stereotypes. We ask for your help in spreading this message, to help stem both the public health crisis and the deeply disturbing racism targeting the Asian American community.”

On Tuesday March 17th, 2020, Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stated that it was “absolutely wrong” for the Administration to label the 2019 novel coronavirus as the “China Virus.”  The World Health Organization named the disease COVID-19 to deter associating the virus with a geographical location or select group of people, ultimately lead to their public stigmatization. 

Since its inception in 1992, IESDG have endeavored to remain true to the charge, “to strategize toward the renewal of The United Methodist Church in recognition of the gifts of racial/ethnic minority persons and to advocate for justice ministries within the Church and the world,” among other things.

IESDG represents the five (5) national racial ethnic caucuses of The United Methodist Church:

  • Black Methodist for Church Renewal (BMCR)
  • Methodist Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic/Latino American (MARCHA)
  • National Federation of Asian American United Methodists (NFAAUM)
  • Native American International Caucus (NAIC)
  • Pacific Islander National Caucus of United Methodists (PINCUM)
Filed Under: Noticias Tagged With: , , ,
posted on August 5, 2019 by
3 Comments

MARCHA Laments Violent Deaths in Texas and Ohio

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

MARCHA, Methodist Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic Americans, laments the loss of precious lives to hate and violence over the past 24 hours in El Paso Texas and Dayton Ohio. We pray for peace and comfort for the families and communities mourning these senseless murders.

We are alarmed by how the evils of white supremacy, racism and xenophobia continue to rapidly spread through all levels of our nation and society, and the lack of leadership of those in positions of power and influence to address them effectively.

Rooted in our core values and commitment to the gospel,

We call all United Methodist and other people of faith and good will to pray for all impacted by these horrific acts of violence and demand our elected leaders to address these issues with urgency.

We call the General Conference of The United Methodist Church to unequivocally denounce the evil of White Supremacy and declare it incompatible with Christian teachings.

And, we call the US Congress and the President to enact federal legislation that set stronger gun controls policies including comprehensive background checks and mental health assessments.

MARCHA’s prayer

For those lost to hate and violence and the communities mourning in Texas and Ohio, Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For the first responders and caregivers, Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For the people of the USA, resurrect our instincts to honor our common humanity and our compassion to the suffering of our neighbor, beyond empty words. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For those in positions of power and influence, grant them the will and courage to protect life over “freedom” to kill. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Person: Bishop Elias Galvan, Galvan222@msn.com 7

Filed Under: Noticias Tagged With: , , , , ,
posted on August 15, 2017 by
3 Comments

MARCHA Statement on Acts of Violence and Hate in Charlottesville, VA

08/15/2017 – MARCHA, Methodist Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic Americans, condemns the senseless violence displayed in recent days in Charlottesville VA and that is erupting in other locations throughout the US. We mourn the death of a young woman and two police officers in VA, stands in solidarity with their families, and pray for the many injured in this despicable act of hate.

As Christians, we denounce all acts of violence, discrimination and hate. As Hispanic/Latinx we are alarmed and concerned by the increase of white supremacist, neo-Nazis and alt-right groups that promote hate and violence against people of color and other social and religious minorities in the US. Racism, whether it manifests through hateful words or violent acts, is a sin and a destructive force in society.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Noticias Tagged With: , , ,
posted on July 27, 2015 by
2 Comments

¿Dónde esta la voz latina-cristiana en asuntos raciales?

Racial-Justice-5-17-2013Por Teresita Matos-Post | En los últimos meses hemos sido testigos de la complejidad del problema racial en los Estados Unidos. En medio de conversaciones difíciles acerca del racismo y sus ramificaciones, me di cuenta cuan silenciosas han sido las voces Latinas.  Tanto me perturbo ese pensamiento, que quise desmentirlo como un prejuicio mío, y mi falta de disciplina en leer más y mejores canales de información en el internet, más allá de Twitter y Facebook.

Así que, rápidamente le envié un mensaje por “Feisbuk” a uno de mis profesores del seminario, Dr. Elías Ortega-Aponte, quien es experto en estudios de religión y cultura Afro-Latina. Le pregunté si en sus investigaciones se había encontrado con artículos en páginas web latinas que trataran el caso de la jovencita afro-americana de quince años, quien fue detenida agresivamente por un policía en Texas; o el caso de Rachel Dolezal, una activista de derechos civiles de descendencia blanca, quien renunció como presidente de la Asociación Nacional para el Avance de la Gente de Color (NAACP, por sus siglas en inglés) cuando se descubrió que mintió diciendo que es una mujer birracial.  El profesor Ortega-Aponte compartió conmigo algunos artículos, no sin añadir que eran muy pocos y que hacen falta más voces. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Noticias Tagged With: , , , ,
posted on June 20, 2015 by
2 Comments

MARCHA’s statement regarding the deadly shooting in Charleston SC.

charleston-morris-brown-ame-prayer-morris-581x388MARCHA, Methodist Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic Americans, joins our sisters and brothers in grieving and mourning the tragic deaths of the pastor and members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston SC. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were wounded, the families of those killed in this senseless act of violence and hate and with all the members of this historic sister congregation.

We do not know what went through the mind of this young man that showed such wanton disregard for the sacredness of human life that led him to commit this heinous crime, what we know, because we (Latinos), have experienced it in our own communities, is the evil consequences of racism. The violence against our sisters an brothers in the Emanuel Church is not an isolated evil act, rather it is an expression of the sin of racism that continues to be nurtured in our society by those who proclaim hate and discrimination against others who are different. We have heard this kind of rhetoric in speeches of radio hosts and even in those from some civic leaders.

There is nothing that we can do to restore the lives of those who were murdered, but there much that our church and society can do to eradicate this pernicious and evil sin.

MARCHA commits itself to continue denouncing the expressions of racism, to work towards a society free of hate and violence, (to proclaim the gospel of reconciliation that God has given to us in Jesus) and call upon every person of good will to join together in building a world where justice and peace prevail.

Filed Under: Noticias Tagged With: , , , ,
Translate »