wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Self-Development of People head issues statement on

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ECUNET.ORG>]

Note #8632 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

05061
February 1, 2005

Self-Development of People head issues statement on life of James Forman

by Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE - Cynthia E. White, coordinator of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.)'s Self-Development of People program, has released a statement of
"celebration of the life of James Forman." Forman died Jan. 10 at age 76 

	The full text of White's statement: 

James Forman, 1928 - 2005

	"It would be true to say that the action of the 1970 General
Assembly, which established the National Committee on the Self-Development of
People, had its roots in the Christian gospel from its very beginning." -
John Coventry Smith, 1972.

	Smith continued: "Moreover, in the last century and a half,
Presbyterians, through their various judicatories and agencies, have
participated in such development.  Both in the USA and overseas, sometimes
intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, they have contributed to the
development of whole people 3/4 economically, politically, socially, and
spiritually.

	"But in the last two years the focus on this element of the Christian
mission has been sharpened and made more urgent by events in the USA and
overseas."

	Smith went on to describe the presentation of the Black Manifesto at
the 1969 Presbyterian Church General Assembly in San Antonio, TX. James
Forman of the Black Economic Development Conference and the leaders from La
Raza presented the Manifesto to the church.

	The Presbyterian Church listened "thoughtfully" to Forman, though the
message was uncomfortable.  In response to Foreman's presentation, the182nd
General Assembly (1970) of the United Presbyterian Church in the United
States of America gave final approval to the plan to raise funds for the
Self-Development of People program.

The first meeting of the National Committee on the Self-Development of People
was held September 29-30, 1970.  The Committee met with a mandate from the
Assembly to use funds in "depressed areas and among deprived people." 
Thirty-five years later the Presbyterian Church remains committed to that
mandate.

	Self-Development of People celebrates and honors Forman's life and
his dedication and commitment to the elimination of racial and economic
discrimination. A native of Chicago, Forman grew up in rural Marshall County,
MS. He was a principal organizer of the 1963 March on Washington and the
Freedom Rides in the South, as well as voter registration drives and sit-ins.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please send an email to
pcusanews-subscribe-request@halak.pcusa.org or
pcusanews-unsubscribe-request@halak.pcusa.org

To contact the owner of the list, please send an email to
pcusanews-request@halak.pcusa.org