wfn.org | CONTRIBUTIONS TO NCCCUSA BURNED CHURCHES FUND $7.7 MILLION TO DATE

[CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
Contact: Carol J. Fouke, NCC, 212-870-2252
Internet: carol_fouke.parti@ecunet.org

NCC7/17/96                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NCC ANNOUNCES CONTRIBUTIONS TO BURNED CHURCHES FUND
TOTALING MORE THAN $7.7 MILLION TO DATE

 NEW YORK, July 17 ---- The National Council of
Churches (NCC) has collected more than $7.7 million
in cash and in kind gifts and pledges for its Burned
Churches Fund, which will help congregations rebuild
their arsoned or desecrated houses of worship and
work to address the racism underlying the burnings.

 As of July 11, the total committed for the fund
was $7,727,250.  Of the total, $1.55 million has
been received from 10 foundations: the Andreas,
Phillip & Henrietta Adler, Annenberg, Chase
Manhattan, Edouard, General Mills, Helping Hands,
Irwin-Sweeney-Miller, John D. & Catherine T.
MacArthur, and Prospect Hill foundations.  An
additional $1.5 million has been pledged from the
Ford, W.K. Kellogg, Charles S. Mott and Rockefeller
foundations and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Denominations and churches have also undertaken
major efforts to raise money for the fund.  $208,840
has been received from NCC member denominations,
partner religious communities and independent
churches and $163,410 has been received from
individuals through public and church appeals.  An
additional $755,000 has been pledged from NCC member
denominations and other religious communities with
$200,000 received in additional individual pledges.

Estimated non-cash pledges to date amount to
$3.4 million, including $2 million in pre-
construction loans along with technical assistance
in construction oversight and financial planning
from the Enterprise Foundation, wood products for
the entire NCC program to rebuild churches burned to
date from the International Paper Company, and
modular units for use as temporary offices or
worship centers from GE Capital.  There also has
been an outpourng of a wide array of other gift
offers of undetermined value, including as Bibles,
hymnals, chairs, robes and building materials.

The NCC’s General Secretary, the Rev. Dr. Joan
Brown Campbell, has estimated that the restoration
of burned and desecrated African American churches
and other houses of worship will take approximately
$12 million.  Most of the funds will go to building
and restoration.  The rest will focus on the
underlying racism and bigotry by investigating the
attacks, bringing legal action against perpetrators
and promoting community dialogue about racism.
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