UBC Minority Report from the GFT2's Second Meeting

September 12, 2008

It is essential to the integrity of the Governance Follow-up Team process that the representation of COREM groups and historically underrepresented populations find place and honor on the proposed United Church Board. Conversations in the United Church of Christ over many years, particularly at the national setting, call the church to conversations and decision making that includes all voices.

The presence of constituency groups and COREM is a clear result of self determination grown and nurtured by the constituency groups and should be valued as the primary voice for those groups and ministries. To say, suggest or even hint that constituency groups and COREM don’t matter in the official conversations that happen nationally or that they are somehow not representative of the groups that bear their name is an insult and an affront. Through difficult and costly struggles, these groups have earned the right to speak for and on behalf of their constituencies. To filter and diminish the voice these groups bring, suggests that the culture of the United Church of Christ undervalues the constituency groups the UCC helped to bring into being and are now willing to jettison them, in part or wholly, in favor of persons or emerging groups that are more palatable to the dominate view.

The COREM and historically underrepresented groups have earned a seat at all ministry team tables. Their voices represent their communities. This right should be respected.

United Black Christians of the United Church of Christ cannot support a governance proposal that does not include 3 representatives on the United Church Board, i.e. one for each ministry team.

Carol A. Brown, UBC National President

Representative to the Governance Follow-up Team 2

(*MRSEJ, PAAM, and CHM have also endorsed the documents)