wfn.org | American Baptists address Kosovo and debt relief issues

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@wfn.org>]

AMERICAN BAPTIST NEWS SERVICE
Office of Communication
American Baptist Churches USA
P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851
Phone: (610)768-2077 / Fax: (610)768-2320
Web: www.abc-usa.org
Richard W. Schramm, Director
  E-mail: richard.schramm@abc-usa.org

GENERAL BOARD/BIENNIAL MEETING UPDATE: June 25, 1999

NEWS FROM THE GENERAL BOARD/PROGRAM BOARDS
Des Moines, Ia. / June 18-21, 1999

AMERICAN BAPTIST GENERAL BOARD ADDRESSES KOSOVO AND DEBT
RELIEF
  DES MOINES, IA.--The American Baptist Churches USA
General Board issued statements addressing the crisis in
Kosovo and debt relief for the world's poorest countries.
  In the "Declaration on an Issue of Importance: Jubilee
2000 Debt Relief for the Poorest Nations," the Board voted
(128 yes, 0 no, 1 abstention) "for the one-time cancellation
by the year 2000 of the unpayable debt owed by the world's
poorest countries under a fair process."
  Reflecting the ecumenical concern to lift up the
biblical call to Jubilee, the Board urged American Baptists
to: "endorse the Jubilee 2000/USA Campaign; pray for justice
and reconciliation between the people of the world's
indebted and lending nations; urge their pastors to preach
on the Biblical principle of Jubilee and debt cancellation;
call, write or meet with their elected Congressional
representatives to urge them to support the cancellation of
debt owed to the G-7 countries...IMF, and the World Bank; and
encourage the IMF and the World Bank to act in cooperation
with the nations affected to recover misappropriated
resources."
  In the "Declaration on an Issue of Importance:
Kosovo," passed unanimously, the Board called on American
Baptists: "to continue to pray--for tolerance, security and
lasting peace to come to Kosovo and Serbia; for a peaceful
resolution to the question of ethnic Albanian autonomy; for
understanding and cooperation among all the nations
participating in the reconstruction of Kosovo and Serbia;
and for ministries of reconciliation and rehabilitation in
Yugoslavia; to continue to pray--for refugee relief,
repatriation and resettlement."