wfn.org | NCCCUSA November News Briefs

[CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org (CAROL FOUKE)]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the 
U.S.A.
Contact: Carol Fouke, NCC, 212-870-2252
Internet: news@ncccusa.org
Website: www.ncccusa.org

NCC11/26/97    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

****************************************************
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES NEWS BRIEFS:
  Press President Clinton to Sign Landmines Ban 
Treaty, CWS Urges
  Food, Medicine Continue to be Needed in North 
Korea, CWS Says
  February Conference to Examine Eugene Carson 
Blake's Legacy
  NCC to Send Ecumenical Delegation to Cuba Dec. 6-9
  NCC Web Site Features New Section on Religious 
Persecution
  NCC to Participate in April 1998 "Pilgrimage to 
Memphis"
  CWS Partner in Hungary Hopes for Release of 
Kidnapped Aid Workers
  Study: Relations Among Established Residents, New 
Immigrants in Churches
  Teach English in China: CWS Seeks Applications for 
the Amity Program
  New Resources Available from the NCC
  NCC Announces Special Programs to Air on ABC-TV 
Stations in December
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Press President Clinton to Sign Landmines Ban 
Treaty, CWS Hotline Urges

 NEW YORK, Nov. 26 ---- Church World Service is 
urging people to keep pressuring President Clinton 
to sign the Ottawa landmines ban treaty, which 
already has widespread international support.

 That plea follows the unanimous renewal by the 
National Council of Churches' General Assembly Nov. 
13 of the NCC's call for a complete ban on anti-
personnel landmines.  Nobel Peace Laureate Jody 
Williams addressed the Assembly.  She thanked the 
NCC and CWS, the Council's humanitarian response 
arm, for being part of the team effort that has 
brought about the ban treaty, to be signed in early 
December.

 People are further asked to contact their 
members of Congress (202-224-3121) to urge them to 
support legislation that would permanently halt U.S. 
use of anti-personnel landmines by the year 2000.

 Church World Service has provided nearly $2 
million in support for mine awareness and demining 
programs in Cambodia and elsewhere, and has 
established a special Fund to Eradicate Landmines 
Worldwide.  To make a credit card contribution to 
this effort, call 1-800-762-0968.

Food, Medicine Continue to be Needed in North Korea, 
CWS Says

 NEW YORK, Nov. 26 ---- Church World Service is 
urging the United States government to support 
continued food aid to North Korea.  CWS, the 
humanitarian response ministry of the National 
Council of Churches, has itself provided more than 
$2.2 million worth of food, blankets, clothing and 
medicine to help alleviate the famine-related 
suffering in North Korea.  Most recently, a CWS 
shipment of 1,200 metric tons of corn arrived in 
October, and clothing and antibiotics are on the 
way.

 CWS is asking people to urge their members of 
Congress to support continuing U.S. food aid for 
North Korea and to release ocean freight monies to 
help humanitarian agencies like CWS transport 
humanitarian assistance.

"In addition, you can help by asking that the 
State Department and USAID earmark some of their 
already budgeted 'child survival' funds for the 
needs of children in North Korea," CWS says.  The 
money is there.  It just needs to be redirected."

 CWS participated in an Interfaith Hunger Appeal 
delegation visit to North Korea Nov. 4-8, and 
reported that "food and medicine given by 
governments and non-governmental agencies have 
helped many North Koreans fight sickness and 
hunger."

 Commented delegation member Victor Hsu, 
Director of the CWS East Asia and Pacific Program, 
"There is no question that without international 
humanitarian assistance, conditions would be far, 
far worse.  But I think that one must continually 
underline that this is short-term.  Humanitarian 
assistance is providing an absolutely bare minimum 
of food subsistence – probably only enough to last 
through the winter."

 The delegation said it came away from North 
Korea "convinced that this is a nation desperately 
in need of continued and increased aid, including 
partnerships to address the development challenges 
that will outlast droughts and floods."

February Conference to Examine Eugene Carson Blake's 
Legacy

 PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 26 ---- The legacy Eugene 
Carson Blake, of one of this country's foremost 
ecumenists, will be commemorated at a leadership 
conference for pastors at Princeton Theological 
Seminary Feb. 8-10, 1998.  

The Rev. Blake, a Presbyterian, led both his 
denomination and the world church as a pastor, a 
Christian witness on issues being discussed in the 
public arena, and an ecumenical voice for the unity 
of the Christian church worldwide.  The conference 
will reflect on his legacy as it points toward the 
kind of leadership required for the church in the 
next century.

The conference is jointly sponsored by the 
World and National Councils of Churches and by 
Princeton Theological Seminary.  For more 
information or to register, contact the Rev. John 
Lindner at the NCC/WCC: toll-free 1-888-212-2920.

NCC to Send Ecumenical Delegation to Cuba Dec. 6-9

 NEW YORK, Nov. 26 ---- The Rev. Dr. Joan B. 
Campbell, General Secretary of the National Council 
of Churches, will lead an ecumenical pastoral 
delegation to member churches of the Cuban Council 
of Churches Dec. 6-9.

 The high-level delegation is timed 
intentionally for the weeks prior to Pope John Paul 
II's planned visit in late January 1998 to Cuba, 
said the Rev. Oscar Bolioli, Director of the NCC's 
Latin America and Caribbean Office.  

 "It is expected that the religious visibility 
in Cuba will be preoccupied by the Pope's visit for 
some time," he said.  "We feel that on this occasion 
it is very important to give visibility to the 
ministry of the Anglican and Protestant Churches 
that are part of the faith community in Cuba.

 "In this sense, we have insisted on the 
importance of a courtesy visit to the Roman Catholic 
Episcopal Conference as part of the delegation's 
program," Mr. Bolioli emphasized.

 The visit will be used to reaffirm the Cuba 
Humanitarian Aid Program and provide an opportunity 
to dialogue with the churches and government of Cuba 
about "new ways in which we can reaffirm our wish to 
lift the U.S. embargo on Cuba," he said.

 Delegation members will include a 
representative of the Caribbean Conference of 
Churches (CCC).  The CCC includes the Roman Catholic 
Church as an official member.

 Besides Dr. Campbell, Mr. Bolioli and the CCC 
representative, the delegation will include: the 
Rev. Dr. Randolph Nugent, General Secretary, General 
Board of Global Ministries, and the Rev. Michael 
Rivas, Deputy General Secretary for Planning and 
Research, both of the United Methodist Church; the 
Rev. Dr. Marian McClure, Director, Worldwide 
Ministries Division, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); 
the Rev. Dr. Bennett W. Smith, Sr., President, and 
the Rev. Tyrone Pitts, General Secretary, both of 
the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.; 
the Rev. Dr. Albert M. Pennybacker, NCC Associate 
General Secretary for Public Policy and Director of 
the Washington Office, and Ms. Cheryl Morden, 
Associate Director, Office on Development Policy, 
Church World Service/Lutheran World Relief.

NCC Web Site Features New Section on Religious 
Persecution

 NEW YORK, Nov. 26 ---- A new section with 
resources on religious freedom and religious 
persecution abroad is among features on the National 
Council of Churches' web site, www.ncccusa.org.  
^From that home page, readers may also access the web 
pages of Church World Service, the NCC's 
humanitarian response ministry; and updated 
information about the Council's work to rebuild 
burned churches and foster racial reconciliation, 
along with a growing body of NCC news and 
documentation.

NCC to Participate in April 1998 "Pilgrimage to 
Memphis"

 NEW YORK, Nov. 26 ---- The National Council of 
Churches (NCC) will participate in the April 3-5, 
1998, "Pilgrimage to Memphis," which will reflect on 
the life and accomplishments of the Rev. Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr., and on his effect during the 30 
years since his murder, on April 4, 1968.

 The pilgrimage is being organized by a 
ministerial committee called the Commemorative 
Commission Connecting Community, led by the Rev 
Samuel Billy Kyles, Dr. King's friend and witness to 
the assassination.  Members include the NCC's 
General Secretary, the Rev. Dr. Joan B. Campbell.  

 The weekend agenda will include a service at 
Mason Temple, the site of Dr. King's last speech, 
"I've Been to the Mountain Top"; tours of the six-
year-old National Civil Rights Museum; adult, youth 
and ministerial forums, and march along the path of 
Dr. King's memorial march on April 8, 1968.

 On Saturday, April 4, ministerial and civil 
rights leaders with gather for a candlelight vigil 
at the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. King was 
assassinated.  The motel now houses the National 
Civil Rights Museum.  

 The pilgrimage especially seeks to reach the 
generations who have only a textbook perspective of 
Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement.  For those 
who were involved, it will be a time of remembrance.  
For more information, contact Renee Casto at Conaway 
Brown, 901-527-6163 or by e-mail at 
renee@conbro.com.  Register by writing the CCCC at 
P.O. Box 3050, Memphis, TN 38173-3050.  Fees are $30 
for adults, $15 for college students, $10 for ages 
13-18 and free to children 12 and under.

CWS Partner in Hungary Hopes for Release of 
Kidnapped Aid Workers

 NEW YORK, Nov. 26 ---- The head of Hungary's 
largest ecumenical organization says he remains 
guardedly optimistic that two kidnapped Hungarian 
relief workers in Chechnya will eventually be 
released.

But the Rev. Laszlo Lehel, general secretary of 
Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA), a Church World 
Service partner, said in a Nov. 20 interview that 
waiting out the situation "will take time." The 
relief workers, Gabor Dunaijsky and Istvan Olah, 
were kidnapped October 23, a month after a similar 
kidnapping of Russian two relief workers who had 
been working for International Orthodox Christian 
Charities (IOCC).

The four abducted aid workers were engaged in 
the distribution of emergency relief supplies among 
vulnerable people in the war-torn region. Both HIA 
and IOCC suspended their operations as a result of 
the kidnappings, which have been blamed on criminal 
elements within Chechnya. HIA had been working in 
Chechnya since 1995, distributing assistance to 
vulnerable groups, including refugees.

"We've had to ask ourselves how we can work in 
a situation like this," Mr. Lehel said of the 
decision to suspend operations in Chechnya. "We may 
have to organize and mobilize with other agencies 
and discuss what can be done in the future."

Nothing has been heard from the kidnapped men 
or their ten masked abductors. The kidnappers also 
stole $40,000 from the HIA compound in Grozny.

Mr. Lehel said the kidnappings had marred an 
otherwise successful six years of operation for HIA, 
which was formed in 1991 by Protestant and Orthodox 
churches within Hungary. With a $1 million annual 
budget, HIA has assisted individuals and communities 
affected by war, natural disasters and adverse 
social conditions. HIA operates soup kitchens, 
homeless shelters and various social service 
programs within Hungary.

HIA also has programs in Bosna-Herzegovna, the 
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, areas of the Russian 
Federation, Poland, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic. 
It has also worked in conjunction with Action by 
Churches Together (ACT), the worldwide network of 
churches and their related agencies, of which the 
(U.S.) National Council of Churches -- including 
Church World Service, the NCC's humanitarian 
response ministry – is a member

Domestically, the biggest challenge facing the 
agency is assisting those affected by the emergence 
of a market-based economy. Hungary has a 10-percent 
unemployment rate, and in some villages in eastern 
Hungary, the rate is 100 percent. "We understand 
that the church has to be on the frontline of this 
problem," said Mr. Lehel, a Lutheran pastor.

Study: Relations Among Established Residents, New 
Immigrants in Churches

 NEW YORK, Nov. 26 ---- Churches in which new 
immigrants participate through separate services and 
activities are more likely to report tensions among 
newcomers and established residents, concludes a 
study conducted for Church World Service's 
Immigration and Refugee Program.  But work together 
on common projects – anything from rummage sales to 
youth ministries – go a long way to help new 
immigrants and established residents get to know 
each other, researcher Katherine Schuchman points 
out.

 Ms. Schuchman, a doctoral student at Adelphi 
University's School o Social Work, surveyed churches 
in three communities—New York, Chicago and 
Portland.  Most of the tensions that she identified 
stemmed from differences in language and in cultural 
values, while cooperation was based on common faith 
and religious convictions.  

 Ms. Schuchman conducted a second study that 
found that refugees of color are less likely to 
identify with America than are white refugees.  
While for white refugees, having jobs was an 
important factor in identification, refugees of 
color were more likely to identify with the U.S. 
when they have interaction with groups other than 
their own.  She suggested that churches have an 
important role to play in providing social networks 
for refugees to have this interaction.  For more 
information about her findings, contact CWS/IRP: 
212-870-3153.

Teach English in China: CWS Seeks Applications for 
the Amity Program

 NEW YORK, Nov. 26 ---- Church World Service and 
its member communions are offering opportunities for 
American Christians to teach English as a foreign 
(second) language in the People's Republic of China 
under the auspices of the Amity Foundation, a CWS 
partner organization.

 Participants teach for two years in a post-
secondary institution.  For more information, 
including required qualifications, contact: David J. 
Herrell, Manager of Overseas Program Administration, 
Church World Service, Room 616, 475 Riverside Drive, 
New York, NY 10115.  Phone: 212-870-2630; Fax: 212-
870-3523; E-mail: daveh@ncccusa.org.

New Resources Available from the NCC

 NEW YORK, Nov. 26 ---- Here are some of the new 
resources available from the National Council of 
Churches.  For a catalog of other "Resources for 
Congregations," please contact the NCC Communication 
Department, 212-870-2227.

  Landmines: Overcoming a Lethal Legacy, a nine-
minute new video from Church World Service.  Every 
20 minutes, another person is killed or injured by 
a landmine.  The video offers information about 
this deadly problem, along with ways to help.  To 
order a free copy, call 1-800-297-1516.
  Building the Beloved Community: A Study/Action 
Book of Days, offers a whole year's worth of ideas 
for the 1998 celebration of the 50th Anniversary 
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  
Contact: NCC Office for International Justice and 
Human Rights, Room 670, 475 Riverside Drive, New 
York, NY 10015.  Phone: 212-870-2424; Fax: 212-
870-2055; E-mail: pwjw@ncccusa.org.  Cost: $3 plus 
postage.
  Social Trends Affecting Families is a compilation 
of recent research on such topics as household 
spending, satisfaction with married life, domestic 
violence, what it costs to raise a child, 
volunteer hours and trends in fathering.  Contact: 
Joe Leonard, Family Ministries and Human 
Sexuality, National Council of Churches, Room 848, 
475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115.  Phone: 
212-870-2673; Fax: 212-870-2030; E-mail: 
joel@ncccusa.org.

NCC Announces Special Programs to Air on ABC-TV 
Stations in December

 NEW YORK, Nov. 26 ---- Two National Council of 
Churches' television specials are set to air on ABC-
TV affiliate stations in December.  Contact your 
local affiliate or check your local listing for 
exact scheduling in your area.  Both one hour, they 
are:

  Dec. 24: "Welcome to the Child," a special 
Christmas Eve worship program produced by the 
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for the NCC 
and featuring three Detroit area congregations 
representing different cultures and perspectives. 
  Dec. 28: "Finding God in Our Time, a one-hour 
documentary on changing congregations in the 
United States and Canada.  The program is hosted 
by John Stamos, star of TV's "Full House."
 
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