wfn.org | Faith Communities Nationwide Join in Prayer, Assistance in Crisis

[Carol Fouke <carolf@ncccusa.org>]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
Contact: NCC News, 212-870-2252; news@ncccusa.org; www.ncccusa.org
NCC9/11/01 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 11, 2001, NEW YORK CITY - Concerned to avert the danger of 
retaliatory actions against innocent people in the aftermath of Tuesday's 
attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, state and local 
ecumenical and interfaith councils across the nation are pulling people of 
diverse faiths together for prayer and practical assistance.  A quick 
survey by the National Council of Churches Communication Department found 
these examples:

"Remembering the false rush to judgment after the bombing of the Federal 
Building in Oklahoma City," the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan 
Washington (www.interfaith-metrodc.org) is responding to the current 
national crisis with the message that all religions "teach the sanctity of 
human life" and "apply no veneer of respectability to slaughter carried out 
for personal vengeance or political purpose."

Embodying this message, the Conference is gathering leaders and members of 
diverse faith traditions to pray together at The Islamic Center (2551 
Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.) at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, 
September 13. The public is invited to join people from the Bahai'i, 
Hindu-Jain, Islamic, Jewish, Latter-day Saints, Protestant, Roman Catholic 
and Sikh faiths, the members of the InterFaith Conference.

Following the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, 
many Muslims in U.S. communities suffered threats, harassment and incidents 
of violence. In the aftermath of Tuesday's attacks, the InterFaith 
Conference is one of many interfaith and ecumenical organizations around 
the country working to help forestall retaliatory actions in their 
communities.  Other examples of this effort include:

Inter-Faith Ministries, Wichita, Kansas, whose executive director, the Rev. 
Sam Muyskens ( smuyskens@juno.com ) has called for calm and for prayer. 
Inter-Faith Ministries has welcomed persons of all faiths to a Tuesday 
prayer service at 7:00 p.m.  Originally planned to be held at City Hall, 
the service was moved to First United Methodist Church in the downtown 
area, due to security concerns.

At this critical moment, Inter-Faith Ministries is demonstrating the gifts 
that a united interfaith community can offer.  In addition to the service, 
the organization is fielding a trained interfaith Crisis Incident Stress 
Management team at the airport to offer support to the many people who had 
to land unexpectedly at Wichita.  And they are cooperating with the Red 
Cross to offer housing to stranded travelers in churches and in dorms used 
by voluntary agencies.

The InterReligious Council of Central New York (IRC) (IRCCNY@aol.com), 
whose diverse community includes Jews and Palestinian Arabs and Christians. 
IRC's executive director, the Rev. Robert Hanson, noted that the 
organization's statement urging "calm and respect for our fellow human 
beings" was drafted with the help of a Jew, a Presbyterian and a 
Palestinian Muslim.

Despite such successes, the Rev. Hanson says he fears that the nation "has 
not yet figured out that it is the most religiously diverse country in the 
world" and that intolerance still exists. In response to this and other 
diversity issues, IRC has sponsored a community-wide program of dialogue 
circles on diversity that has trained 1,000 persons. The Rev. Hanson says 
the program has been a gift to the Syracuse area and has helped to make 
community meetings more productive. "This will be the real test" of its 
effectiveness, he said, referring to Tuesday's attacks.

The West Virginia Council of Churches (www.wvcc.org) and its member bodies, 
which has called for interfaith prayer vigils to be held throughout the 
state on or before September 16, in response to Tuesday's attacks.  "We are 
encouraging all religious communities in the state to join together in 
prayer for all people," said the Rev. Nathan Wilson, the council's 
executive director.  "At the same time, our faith calls us to discourage 
any retaliatory actions in response to what would appear to be terrorist 
activities."

-end-

Note to reporters/editors: Contacts for other ecumenical/interfaith 
councils are available from the NCC Communication Department (212-870-2252 
or 2227) and in the 2001 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches.