wfn.org | NCC Officials visit burned church Greeleyville, SC

[George Conklin <gconklin@igc.apc.org>]

Contact:  NCC Communications Department, 212-870-2252 or Roy Lloyd 870-2312

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES OFFICIALS EN ROUTE TO GREELEYVILLE, S.C.;
NCC WILL PROVIDE "NATIONAL ECUMENICAL PRESENCE" DURING CLINTON VISIT

 NEW YORK, June 11 ---- National Council of Churches General Secretary the
Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell and NCC Associate General Secretary for Racial
Justice the Rev. Dr. Mac Charles Jones are on their way today to
Greeleyville, S.C., where they will represent the Council and its 33
Protestant and Orthodox member denominations during President Clinton's
visit there Wednesday.

 The President will be visiting the Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal
Church in Greeleyville, which is one of at least 75 Black and multiracial
churches in 12 Southern states burned since January 1990, according to an
NCC-led coalition working to investigate and stop the burnings, rebuild
burned churches and bring the perpetrators to justice. 

 The congregation's pastor, the Rev. Terrance Mackey, was among more than
40 pastors of burned churches who went to Washington, D.C., June 9-10 under
the NCC's auspices to meet with President Clinton, Justice Department
Secretary Janet Reno, Treasury Department Secretary Robert Rubin, members
of Congress and others about the burnings.

 There, the pastors and the NCC-led coalition (which includes the
Atlanta-based Center for Democratic Renewal and New York-based Center for
Constitutional Rights) shared evidence collected in site visits since March
that the attacks on their churches were racially motivated and, in many
cases, carried out by white supremacists.  They expressed their concern
about the many law enforcement investigations that have targetted burned
churches' pastors and members for interrogation rather than focusing on
white supremacist movements active across the South, and asked government
take more responsibility for protecting Black churches and their pastors
(many of whom have received hate mail and threatening phone calls).  They
also called on government to work with them to address the climate of
racism in the United States that spawns such racist acts.

 The Rev. Dr. Campbell and the Rev. Mackey, along with the Rev. Alvin
Anderson of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, Columbia, Tenn., also
were in the Oval Office with President Clinton when he spoke about the
church burnings in his radio broadcast June 8.

 Pastor Mackey asked the NCC to help plan the interfaith "Ecumenical
Service of Hope and Commitment" that will take place at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday
in his rebuilt sanctuary, which is to be dedicated this Saturday.  The
South Carolina Christian Action Council, based in Columbia, S.C. (the Rev.
Wayne Bryan is executive director), is a partner in hosting the President.

 "The National Council of Churches has said from the beginning that our
task is to bring the nation's attention to the epidemic of attacks on
churches," commented the Rev. Dr. Campbell.  "The presence of the President
on the site of one of the burned churches does exactly that.  The
ecumenical service Wednesday morning will show the outpouring of local and
national support for the Greeleyville and other targetted congregations."

 The NCC, through its humanitarian response arm, Church World Service, has
established a Burned Churches Fund to support rebuilding efforts along with
work to stop the burnings.  Contributions may be sent to Burned Churches
Fund, c/o NCC General Secretary Joan Campbell, Room 850, 475 Riverside
Drive, New York, NY 10115.  For credit card gifts, phone 1-800-762-0968.

 While in Greeleyville, the Rev. Dr. Campbell will present a check from the
NCC/CWS for $20,000 to Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church to use toward paying off the
$100,000 loan it took out to rebuild the church.

                                                -end-