wfn.org | Task Force Helps Presbyterians Make Sense of Kosovo Violence

[PCUSA NEWS <pcusa.news@ecunet.org>]

25-May-1999 
99201 
 
    Task Force Helps Presbyterians Make Sense of Kosovo Violence 
 
    by Evan Silverstein 
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With bombs falling over Kosovo, a task force representing 
the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has been working hard to make the bloody 
conflict in Yugoslavia easier to understand for thousands of congregations. 
 
    The Kosovo Packet Task Force, as the committee is unofficially known, 
mailed packets to every PC(USA) congregations starting on Tuesday, May 25, 
each stuffed with maps and facts about the war-torn region. Every 
presbytery and synod will receive a parcel and the information will be 
translated from English and mailed to about 1,300 Spanish- and 
Korean-speaking congregations. 
 
    "I'm looking forward to (seeing) it," the Rev. Peter Vial, pastor of 
Beechmont Presbyterian Church in Louisville, told the Presbyterian News 
Service. "I was very hopeful it would be put together, because people in 
the pews are confused - as we all are - and needing information about what 
exactly is going on and why, and the history of (the conflict)." 
 
    The packets of easy-to-understand materials include a history of the 
troubled region, worship resources and answers to frequently asked 
questions about the conflict, which centers around Serbian oppression of 
ethnic Albanians. 
 
    Among other packet resources is a copy of a letter that the 
denomination's stated clerk, the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, sent in March to 
President Clinton, explaining the church's response to the crisis. 
Conversational exercises and a list of suggested resource materials also 
are included. 
 
    "We've been trying to find a way to respond to the need of the church 
to know about this crisis," said the Rev. Duncan Hanson, a Kosovo Packet 
Task Force member and the PC(USA)'s Coordinator for Europe, who visited 
Albania in March. "The packet will provide information about the crisis, 
and also help parents and Sunday School teachers and youth-group leaders in 
thinking through how they would like to respond to the crisis." 
 
    A "frequently asked questions" page provides information on how to help 
Kosovo refugees. Another section explains what forms the PC(USA)'s response 
has taken and lists the names of the church's partners in relief efforts. 
 
    According to Presbyterian Disaster officials, $980,000 from special 
offerings and designated funds have been used to provide emergency relief - 
food, drinking water, temporary shelter, blankets and medicine - to the 
refugees who have fled the violence and ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. 
 
    Diakonia Agapes, the relief ministry of the Albania Orthodox Church, is 
heading the response, according to the packet resources.  Information about 
how to get involved in the relief and refugee resettlement efforts is 
available at the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance web site 
(http://pda.pcusa.org) or by calling PresbyTel at 1-800-872-3283. 
 
    The task force, organized by the General Assembly Council, has been 
meeting since April 26, trying to anticipate what materials would best 
respond to needs for information about the situation in the Balkan region. 
The group's members include representatives of various PC(USA) ministry 
departments, such as Mission Interpretation and Promotion; the Peacemaking 
Program; Presbyterian Disaster Assistance; and the Advisory Committee on 
Social Witness Policy. 
 
    "We tried to ensure that the packet was usable in a variety of 
different ways and accessible to all sorts of people," said Bryan M. Reiff 
of the Europe office, a task force member. "We tried to produce materials 
that appealed to the (entire) spectrum of ages." 
 
    Virginia "Ginny" Robertson, interim general presbyter for the 
Presbytery of the Cascades in Portland, Ore., said she believes the 
information packet "is a good path.  I think congregations are concerned," 
she said.  "I think they want information, and many of them would use it in 
the adult classes. So I think it's a good thing for our denomination to 
do." 
 
    Church officials said the packet should complement information already 
posted on the Internet, as Presbyterians increasingly have turned to the 
denomination's web site as a primary means of tracking the conflict, 
identifying response outlets and monitoring church involvement. Vial, the 
Louisville pastor, said he has used Kosovo-related worship materials from 
the PC(USA)'s web site and has re-published letters from church leaders 
about Kosovo in the congregation's monthly newsletter. 
 
    "All resources in a situation like this one are very helpful," he said. 
 
    Hanson said he hopes at least one more packet will be produced. 
 
    "We'll do it on the basis of whatever seems like it's necessary, but 
not any more than what's necessary," he said. "We'll also try to find other 
ways to respond. It's going to help congregations deal better with this 
crisis." 

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