wfn.org | Moderator and Stated Clerk issue pastoral letter

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Note #6832 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

11-September-2001
01315

Moderator and Stated Clerk issue pastoral letter

(Editor's note: General Assembly moderator Jack Rogers, stated clerk Clifton
Kirkpatrick and General Assembly Council executive director issued a
pastoral letter to the church Tuesday afternoon. Jerry Van Marter)

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

We write to you in the midst of the shock and pain of the unspeakable
tragedies that have unfolded in the United States on this day, September 11,
2001. At this writing, we do not know all of the details, although there is
confirmation of massive loss of life and terrible destruction of property in
Washington, DC, New York, and Pennsylvania. The three of us have been
brought to our knees in prayer to God for all who are victims of this day of
violence.

First of all, our hearts go out to all who have lost loved ones and friends.
We know that the deep shock and grief we feel on behalf of all who have
perished is multiplied many fold for those whose lives have been touched
directly. May the Spirit of God be present as you deal with the loss of
loved ones or struggle to find ways to comfort friends and colleagues who
have suffered such loss.

We also know that many of us grieve on behalf of our nation. We pray for our
national leaders who have faced horrendous decisions as the events of this
morning unfolded. As they seek to find effective and appropriate responses
to this terror, it is our prayer that these responses may be of the kind
that will contribute to a future of peace and not serve in any way to
escalate the cycle of violence and counter-violence to a higher level.
Further, we call our leaders and all people of good will to resist the
stereotyping of enemies that so often occurs in these types of situations.

Followers of Jesus Christ should not be surprised by evidence of the real,
calculating presence of evil in the world or the power that sin can have in
all our lives. Moreover, even on this day of weeping and anger, we are
commanded by our Lord to discover paths of forgiveness for those who
perpetrate evil against us. That may well include an effort on our part to
understand the pain, frustration and sense of powerlessness that has led
them to acts of violence and to ask God to change their hearts of hatred to
hearts of love.

Finally, as we all face the fragility of our lives, and seek healing for our
nation's grief, let us lift up the Church of Jesus Christ and the Gospel
that it is our privilege to proclaim. There is no earthly power, be it the
power of wealth, the power of the military, or the power of political will,
that can save us and undergird us in the face of the events of this day. It
is only in the power of the Triune God, made known in Jesus Christ our
Savior, and revealed in the power of the Holy Spirit, that we can find hope
for ourselves, our grieving nation, and our broken world.

Let us together join in prayer and action. We urge all Presbyterians to join
in prayers with us for our nation and our world. Also, the need for blood is
urgent and massive. We urge all Presbyterians who are able to donate blood
to your local blood bank and to organize a blood drive at your church.

Let us together bear witness to our confidence in God's redemptive power,
through the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us with renewed
energy offer to our nation and to the world that word of hope and peace that
we have received and boldly declare.

In the Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,

Rev. Jack Rogers, Moderator, 213th General Assembly
Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Elder John Detterick, Executive Director, General Assembly Council
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