June 3, 2009

Pauline Boldt
Communications
pboldt [at] us [dot] mcc [dot] org

Greetings Pauline:

Twelve years ago, in February 1997, I was informed in passing conversation with then MCC Canada Canadian Programs Director, that the Victim Offender Ministries office of which I was Director out of the MCC British Columbia office in Abbotsford BC, would be moved to Winnipeg by September 1, 1997. This move was part of a wider restructuring initiative. Dave Worth, former VOM Director, and then Director of MCC Ontario, immediately became my advocate in challenging the injustice of this decision on several levels. Two mediation sessions in Winnipeg later, that Dave Worth also (by his insistence) attended as my advocate, the second of which he acted more as union negotiator, concessions were wrested (no other word) from MCCC that kept me on full-time out of the MCCBC office until the end of December, 1997, and half-time until the end of June, 1998. I left MCCC in March, 1998. There was never an apology given by then Canadian Programs Director, then MCCC Director, then Board Chair of MCCC, and then MCC Bi-national Director. On the contrary, I was met with a phalanx of unjust and disrespectful treatment, and at times shoddy justifications. There were however consequences of Dave Worth’s hard-nosed negotiations, in that several staff similarly unjustly treated by MCCC were variously and correspondingly financially compensated. MCCC’s restructuring decisions cost the agency thousands of dollars.

A year later MCCC’s current Victims of Violence Director, during a conference on Restorative Justice I attended in Kingston Ontario, affirmed two things for me on behalf of staff in Canadian Programs:
1. I had been “shafted” by MCCC in every respect: relationally; process-wise; communications-wise; leadership-wise and all otherwise.
2. I had responded with grace throughout.

At the time, I lost all respect for MCCC leadership at all levels, including the Board and bi-national, as I appealed for justice to a stonewalling leadership.

There was ultimately an exquisite irony when recently the current Director of this very portfolio obtained permission to relocate the Restorative Justice office to the MCCBC office. Thankfully, this irony was not lost on the current Director of Canadian Programs, who contacted me to be sure all was well. (I have remained since in the MCCC orbit through giving leadership to a BC-based Restorative Justice program.) All was well, I assured her, with no thanks whatsoever to MCCC.

I extract from this story a few lessons I pass on during this current MCC restructuring process:
1. MCC is about people and relationships first. The African concept of ubuntu is anthropological counterpart to the formal doctrine of God the Trinity, in whose image we are made. A person is a person through other persons. MCCC at their last restructuring did not put people first.
2. MCC is about communication first in context of relationship. “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word communicated” (paraphrased) is theological model for the utter indispensability of MCC leadership at all levels to communicate with integrity. In a major study in which my wife and I participated on what makes marriage relationships work, communication topped the list.
3. The central quality of communication is integrity. This in turn has at least two central components: open truthtelling and complete transparency. The Canadian Programs Director was not communicating MCCC leadership decisions to me in any open communication way. The Bi-national Director cited 9-year service term policy after the fact that I had never heard of before, and that was contradicted repeatedly in staffing realities then and since.
4. The essential model of communication is incarnation that means leadership in solidarity with, not through power over. Jesus is key by example in his Incarnation; by picking up basin and towel (John 13:5ff) in his ministry; and by word in this statement:
Luke 22:25-27
Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
5. To be alive is to be in conflict, and to be alive and in conflict is to stand in need of grace. We go through life giving and receiving harm. We should therefore proceed through life giving and receiving forgiveness. Matthew’s Gospel is structured around one word, ecclesia, whose one-time use is in Matthew 18; and around one essential element of ecclesiology, peacemaking. Ecclesia as alternative polity to imperial Rome has peacemaking (what the two or three gathered are “presenced” to do by Christ) as alternative strategy to imperial politics. Peacemaking is first principle of biblical ecclesiology according to this passage. Fail to practise peace, fail to do church.
6. Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is not structured to take conflict into account, rather to bracket it out. In light of Point 5, this should say something to MCC’s use of this methodology. I ask bluntly: What and who is/are demonstrating/doing conflict resolution/peacemaking in MCC right now?

Well, that’s my distilled wisdom from my tragic MCCC experience a dozen years ago. Many others at the time felt similarly “shafted” by MCCC.

My hope and prayer is, current leadership at all levels will do their best to forestall similar tragedy now. MCC’s product is mercy; its strength is people.

Sincerely

Wayne Northey
P.S. I'll gladly send this with formatting in a Word document, if requested