wfn.org | ABCUSA: Service Will Remember 9/11 Victims, Call for Peace

["SCHRAMM, Richard" <Richard.Schramm@abc-usa.org>]

American Baptist News Service (9/6/02)--As churches, government
organizations and others prepare to remember through services and
commemorations the horrific events last September that claimed more than
3,000 lives in New York City, Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania,
American Baptist staff at the Mission Center here will hold a "Service of
Remembrance" on Sept. 11.

The service, to be led by General Secretary A. Roy Medley, will lift up
peace, justice, and reconciliation, as well as honor the profound compassion
expressed by countless people "at home and around the world" following the
tragedies.  The service will begin at 11:30 a.m. and is open to the public.

In a letter sent last month to all American Baptist churches, Medley and
other National Executive Council (NEC) members noted the plans for
commemorating the tragedies.  The letter urged congregations and individuals
to utilize the anniversary as a time for pursuing ministries of
reconciliation and cited resources available for "honoring those who were
casualties and in reaching out to those in special need."  NEC members
joining Medley in the communication to the churches were the Rev. Dr. Sumner
M. Grant, executive director, The Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board;
the Rev. Daniel J. Rawleigh, acting executive director, Educational
Ministries; the Rev. Dr. John A. Sundquist, executive director,
International Ministries; and the Rev. Dr. Aidsand F. Wright-Riggins III,
executive director, National Ministries.

The letter, in part, notes:

"...As American Baptists we worship and serve a God who is working in the
world to redeem personal and global tragedies.  We are called to participate
in God's redemptive work and actively live out our faith through witness and
service in the name of Jesus Christ.  

"Even as we hold worship services here at the Mission Center in Valley Forge
on September 11 to remember the victims, we also pledge ourselves to the
ministry of reconciliation to which our Savior has called us.  And while we
thank all American Baptists who contributed so generously in financial
support and through volunteer work in the wake of those horrific events, we
know that our task is a larger--and ongoing--one.

"Many fellow Christians and the denominations to which they belong have
dedicated September 11, 2002 and the months that follow to a time of
peacemaking, bridgebuilding and service.  In acknowledging that a year ago
the world indeed was changed forever, we see an unprecedented opportunity
for healing in the aftermath of tragedy....  Your participation in
ministries and service projects can lift up the American Baptist vision of
reconciliation that is based on justice, community and an openness to God's
leading."

Included with Medley's letter was "Shalom Response: Remembering 9-11," a
list of suggested ways for churches to work for peace and reconciliation.
For a downloadable copy of the letter and the Shalom Response sheet visit
www.abc-usa.org.
 
Among the American Baptist resources suggested is "A Prayer for Peace in the
Middle East," a four-minute video produced by International Ministries and
National Ministries. To order the free video, call 800-ABC-3USA, ext. 2464.

The response of American Baptists to the victims of Sept. 11 far surpassed
that of any previous single national disaster.  A total of more than
$1,150,000 had been received in designated One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS)
gifts through July.  

The American Baptist Churches of Metro New York region initiated a grief
counseling and pastoral care program and dealt on a case-by-case basis with
requests for assistance from persons affected by the disaster.  The Rev.
James Stallings, executive minister of that region, is co-convenor of the
New York Interfaith Disaster Recovery Organization, which has responded to
the city's varied needs in the aftermath of the disaster.  National
Ministries' Office of National Disaster Relief, in conjunction with the
American Baptist Office of World Relief, has released over $355,000 to the
region.

In a June report to the World Relief Committee of American Baptist Churches
USA, the Rev. Susan Lockwood, disaster response coordinator for American
Baptist Churches of Metro New York, said "We thank American Baptists for
sending disaster relief funds to us, enabling us to develop partnerships
that will bear fruit into the future as we provide continuing ministry to
the wounded of New York City."

An additional $50,000 was sent to the American Baptist Churches of New
Jersey region for support of the New Jersey Interfaith Partnership for
Disaster Recovery, which is working to provide interfaith healing, advocacy,
resources and assistance for victims.

Another $106,000 was sent to Church World Services' Emergency Response
Program, which has focused on pastoral and grief counseling efforts. Church
World Service is a longstanding partner of American Baptist Churches USA in
relief and crisis ministries.

In a special outpouring of compassion, the American Baptist Youth of Greater
Indianapolis and Indiana/Kentucky raised $1,705.27 for Camp Discovery, a
ministry conducted for the residents of Ground Zero by the Tribeca Spiritual
Center (an American Baptist new church near the World Trade Center site).

In addition to financial support, many American Baptists have participated
in volunteer efforts to address needs following the tragedies.  Among those
efforts, ABMen Disaster Relief undertook a four-week clean-up operation in
Lower Manhattan beginning last Oct. 21.  Relief crews and trailers from a
number of American Baptist regions participated in the operation, which
focused on cleaning apartments that filled with dust and ash following the
Sept. 11 attack. 
 
 02ABN127

American Baptist News Service: Office of Communication, American Baptist
Churches USA, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851; (610)768-2077; fax:
(610)768-2320; www.abc-usa.org; richard.schramm@abc-usa.org