These are the 2022 Stewardship Refocusing Our Vision Campaign totals so far.  

Estos son los totales de mayordomía de 2022 Reenfocando Nuestra Visión

Tithes 22 @ $99,430.00

Building Fund 13 @ $5,182.00

• Design and offer a pathway for individuals to move towards healing and reconciliation on elements that have fractured relationships in recent years
• Review previous reports on diversity and inclusion, making recommendations on further work to be done
• Conduct an in-depth review of MCC and its current state in relation to race equity
• Work with the Governing Board, Council of Elders, MCC staff, church leaders and local congregations to start the process of organizational and policy change, which will embed racial equity into all areas of the denomination
• Make recommendations for accountability mechanisms, so that the progress towards race equity, diversity and inclusion continues.

1. Organizational change within MCC 
2. Developing personal pathways to healing.

1. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice consultants from the Unitarian Universalist Association shared lessons learned from their process of developing a race equity culture and addressing organizational and structural inequity within their denomination.
2. The Washington Consulting Group led by Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington and Rev. Samuel Offer developed and performed a day-long training on anti-racism with MCC Staff, the Commissioners, and the Governing Board. A few of the outcomes from this training included:

• Developing an agreed way of working with one another that is respectful, open to listening and learning and owns our individual responses and journey 
• Developing a common lexicon to enable us to communicate well and with common understanding about the different issues that we are working on together, particularly around racism and white supremacy
• Begin to think about the dynamics of how to bring lasting cultural change to MCC.

• Sharing their story via email (7 persons participated – 2 of 7 emailed Cecilia and Roland individually)
• Sharing their story with a trained listener from around the world, with English, Spanish and Portuguese available. (5 persons participated)
• Responding to questions in a survey (73 people participated).

• Lack of Support: There seems to be a lack of support for clergy by denominational leadership. One person shared they were not offered any pastoral care nor collegial support after a major hurt and they needed to find their own way to make peace and move forward on their own. There were several questions raised regarding the ordination selection process and whether it benefits some over other qualified candidates. There is an “elite” class of people who are favored rather than treating all people equally. There needs to be a safe process for whistleblowers. 

• Mistrust in Leadership: Confidences have been broken and attempts to approach leadership were met with silence or silencing, indifference and/or resistance. Leaders have pitted Black people against one another. It appeared that leadership did not have the willingness or skillset to address racism and supremacy. The leadership seems to be threatened to address racism and power dynamics. There is a pattern of protecting the institution rather than the people who need support. There needs to be a clear understanding of what happens to someone when they violate the code of conduct.

• Disappointment with lack of follow-through: There seems to be no accountability or consequences for bad/negative behavior during the 2016 General Conference once it was brought to the attention of denominational leadership. Several hurtful social media posts have been made, but who enforces or monitors MCC’s policies? Some feel they no longer matter to MCC which they labeled as a form of spiritual abuse.

• Racism / White Supremacy: MCC has a white European culture and training is needed to see how this world view impacts others. There needs to be a mechanism to address racial incidents at the MCC staff level. MCC is seen as not being welcoming to clergy of color. One person’s Latin identity was erased, and they were mistaken to be an ally rather than a member of the community. This leads to exhaustion and not feeling seen or valued. Leaders must consider diversity in worship and theology. There appears to be more diversity among the laity whereas the clergy tends to be more monolithic. More attention needs to be paid to cultural differences around the world, and the ordination process needs to reflect this cultural diversity.

• Sexism: During the 2016 General Conference, some men were seen as disruptive because they did not get the outcome they wanted. We are a denomination that seeks to be inclusive, but it will actively harm women. There have been situations of bullying (primarily online) that included a theme of sexism with a group of men bullying a group of women. One person experienced a Black woman being silenced by white men at the local level when the issue of race and racism was addressed.

• Transphobia / Misgendering: One individual shared they are continually misgendered in public and private settings within MCC. Thus, they feel erased and silenced by MCC. It is important to allow individuals to self-identify, rather than making assumptions on external appearance.

• Ageism / Ableism: Those who are Gen X or Gen Y are often overlooked and ignored. Their contributions are not taken seriously. There needs to be greater awareness of multigenerational experiences. An older black woman in a wheelchair wanted to have her concerns acknowledged during the 2016 General Conference, but many felt annoyed by her and wanted her silenced. 

• Invisibility: The question of “who really matters” in MCC was a recurring theme. A common tactic to suppress others is through ignoring their voice, their complaint, their identity and/or their ideas. Public statements that do not acknowledge racism, sexism, etc. render people invisible.