New Methodist resource to boost racial awareness training

The Methodist Church is publishing a new resource aimed atracial awareness training facilitators. The new book, Workersfor the Harvest, is the first published under a new trainingstrategy by the Committee for Racial Justice.

Naboth Muchopa, Methodist Church Secretary for Racial Justice,says that Workers for the Harvest is intended tocomplement and build on existing church anti-racism trainingdocuments. "Three years ago we produced the racial justice trainingmanual Strangers No More," he says, "which continues tosell very well. But in 2003 The Methodist Church changed its racialawareness training strategy to enable districts and circuits toconduct this training themselves. Workers for the Harvestis designed to allow facilitators to train those who will takeracial awareness training into the churches and circuits, usingresources such as Strangers No More or Race Into TheFuture."

Naboth says that Workers is the first of severaldocuments that will be produced to reflect the new strategy. Thestrategy itself was detailed in the publication Building aRacially Inclusive Methodist Church.

"Although the Methodist Church has been addressing racism andracial justice for many years," says Naboth, "there is still a needfor training, and the new strategy will allow districts andcircuits to fit this to their local needs. There are similarresources for the secular market, but we need resources thatreflect church life. As people of faith, we have a unique way ofpresenting this, which stems from our belief that God created usall equal."