1. The November 2015 meeting of the National Black Evangelical Association Chicago Chapter (NBEA-Chicago) occurred, as usual, on the third weekend of the month e.g., Saturday, the 23rd at Garfield Park Community Worship Center-Rev. Stephen Roberts, Senior Pastor-from 9 AM to 11 AM.
2. Nine members where in attendance consisting of:
Dr. Ruth Bentley, Meeting Chair & NBEA Executive Administrator;
Revs. Stephen and Katheryn Roberts, Co-Hosts and Program and Communications Committee Chairs respectively;
Ms. Solomie Guinn and her Husband and ministry partner-Rev. Dr. Dwight Guinn, in town from their social service missionary field in Uganda;
Rev. Timothy Goosby, Committee Member;
Dr. Asabi Yakina, LCSW, Committee Member; and
Rev. Joel Washington (Khunanpu Sangoma), Reformation Church-Chicago's Tourism Justice Ministries and NBEA-Chicago Program, Communications, and Youth Committees.
3. Note: This report is not intended to serve as official Chapter meeting minutes. They do serve as a contribution to the meeting record however-as no official minutes where recorded and Dr. Bentley asked that I contribute my notes as a stop-gap instead.
4. High points of the meeting agenda follow:
4.1) Continental breakfast and fellowship gathering;
4.2) Call to Order and Opening prayer;
4.3) Minutes of Last Meeting;
4.4) Program Committee Report and Discussion;
4.5) Update on Convention 2016 and other Committee Reports;
4.6) Presentation by Dr. Ruth Bentley: "NBEA's Ministry through ICCARE (The International Christian Coalition for AIDS Reversal and Education)" and Discussion;
4.7) Offering;
4.8) Meeting Adjournment and Closing prayer.
5. Gathering and fellowship. Historically a key method of NBEA, this informal aspect of the November meeting was remarkable due to the unexpected attendance of the Guinns-who were in town from Uganda.
5.1) The conversation naturally segued into the status of their ministry re: their take of conditions on the ground in their mission field.
5.2) This writer mentioned a current PBS/POV documentary about a zealot and literalist Euro-American and Evangelical missionary intervention in Uganda that has taken the form of a self righteous and neo-colonial crusade against the Ugandan homosexual community as well as the Ugandan Muslim community resulting in violence against and the murder of members of the former group and creating tensions with the latter sector.
5.3) As I mentioned the above documentary being introduced to me by a close colleague on the African American cultural nationalist front (who is also a member of Chicago's Black documentary forces connected to both the national and nternational Black documentary video and film community), the conversation shifted to the sub-topic, programmatically speaking, of screening and producing NBEA sponsored documentaries to enhance the cultural and political education of our respective constituencies.
5.4) We also introduced this writer's passion for a faith-based initiative around tourism justice wherein the multi-billion dollar flow of tourism taxes (that now go almost exclusively to Loop economic development) be redirected, ever more equitably, toward the City's underserved Black, and other people of color, communities-in terms of contracts, jobs, tourism business, and general economic development.
6.) Dr. Bentley called the formal meeting to order that began with an opening prayer and a reading of the previous meeting minutes.
6.1) Committee Reports. Sister Katheryn briefly reported the status of the communications committee that included a listing of its volunteer members.
6.2) More, this writer was also reminded that he had volunteered membership on the NBEA Youth Committee whereupon he offered to organize a Rights-of-Passage program especially, but not exclusively, for the 2016 Convention.
6.3) Program Committee Report. The much anticipated Program report was delivered both orally and in writing (the latter temporarily exclusive to the PC) by Pastor Roberts, PC convener. The written report was well detailed and is currently under internal discussion by the PC organizing committee-becoming that now consists of Pastors Roberts, Washington (Sangoma), Hilliard, Frazier.
7) Dr. Bentley's Presentation: "NBEA's Ministry through ICCARE (International Christian Coalition For AIDS Reversal and Education)."
7.1) To shorten a rich presentation and discussion around ICCARE, a consensus was reached, based on this writer's suggestion, that NBEA construct a program for National Black HIV/AIDS Prevention Week- February 5-11, 2016-Black History Month I (General Focus).
7.2) More, that we engage the path breaking document, "A Covenant With Our Selves,"produced for the Los Angeles-based National Black HIV/AIDS Strategy Alliance by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Professor and Chair of Africana Studies at CAL State U-Long Beach and social ethicist.
7.3) Said engagement could take the form of a televised conference call with Dr. Karenga at GPCWC if not the actual appearance of Dr. Karenga.
7.4) More still, the occasion could be additionally marked by honoring the two prime movers of NBEA-led ICCARE that are Dr. Bentley and Dr. Tiye Amos-Mandela.
The meeting adjourned at about 11:30AM with a closing prayer by Sister Asabi.
Respectfully submitted:
Rev. Joel Washington (Khunanpu Sangoma) for Reformation Church-Chicago's Tourism Justice Ministries ("Young Barack Obama's community organizing sanctuary."), 12/17/15.
