Disability Leaders
Meet with GCORR
By Rev. Leo Yates,
Jr.
Leaders of the DisAbility
Ministries Committee (DMC), which is temporarily under the Council of Bishops,
and from the caucus, the United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities
(UMAMD), met with the executive staff from the General Commission on
Religion and Race (GCORR) on November 18, 2019. The meeting took place at
the Bon Secours Retreat & Conference Center outside of Baltimore
MD. GCORR met with the organizations’ leaders, some of which are deaconesses
and deacons, to learn more about their distinctive work and to deepen the
relationship with the disability community.
At the heart of the
meeting was to plan for the DMC’s transition to GCORR, where the DMC will
partner with GCORR in the overall work of institutional equity, vital
conversations, and intercultural competency. The DMC’s primary focus continues
to be on disability ministries, and GCORR and the DMC find these pathways to be
integral to the work of both. The meeting provided a bridge for the DMC to
begin working with GCORR starting January 1, 2020.
Bishop Peggy Johnson,
the assigned bishop to the DMC from the Council of Bishops, began conversations
with Erin Hawkins, the General Secretary of GCORR, at the Special General Conference
this past February. Soon after, Rev. Giovanni Arroyo, GCORR’s Assistant
General Secretary, continued the conversations with the DMC’s
chairperson, Rev. Debbie Hills.
Everyone at the table
heard presentations from the GCORR, the DMC, and the UMAMD, in part, to
learn further about one another. This process helped to identify points of
intersectionality between all three entities. Rev. Jonathan Campbell and
Rev. Hank Jenkins are the co-chairpersons of the UMAMD.
Campbell shared that the caucus is developing education and resource
materials that focus on ableism. Also present, the Rev. Leo Yates, Jr., a
consultant for Global Ministries’ Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries Committee,
commended UMAMD for their work toward reducing ableism and said ableism is
at the center of deep-seeded biases against people with disabilities.
With General Conference 2020 being
around the corner, the leaders strategized to bring visibility to disability
concerns, lobby for disability-related legislation, and support the wider church.
Everyone agreed that a disability accessibility coordinator should be present
at General Conference 2020, as there was not a coordinator at the Special
General Conference in February. There was a consensus that having such a
position works to better ensure accessibility, provides support, and helps to
resolve barriers for persons with disabilities.
At the conclusion of
the meeting, Bishop Johnson led a brief Communion service, assisted by Rev.
Yates, a deacon, to remind those gathered that their work is holy work and glorifies
God. It was hoped that Bishop Johnson would continue to be assigned by the
Council of Bishops to the DMC at its new home with GCORR.
Back Row from left to right: Rev. Giovanni
Arroyo, Rev. Russell Ewell, Rev. Jackson Day, Rev. Jonathan Campbell, and Lynn
Swedberg.
Front row from left to right: Erin Hawkins, Bishop Peggy Johnson, Sharon McCart, Rev. Debbie Hills, Rev. Leo Yates, Jr., and Rev. Hank Jenkins.
Front row from left to right: Erin Hawkins, Bishop Peggy Johnson, Sharon McCart, Rev. Debbie Hills, Rev. Leo Yates, Jr., and Rev. Hank Jenkins.
General Secretary Erin Hawkins commenting
about the work of GCORR.
