wfn.org | ANABAPTIST LEADERS MEET TO DISCUSS ALTERNATIVE SERVICE

[COBNews@aol.com]

Date: Dec. 12, 2005
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100  F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: _CoBNews@AOL.Com_ (mailto:CoBNews@AOL.Com)

ANABAPTIST LEADERS MEET TO DISCUSS ALTERNATIVE SERVICE

Dec. 12, 2005 -- The Council of Moderators and General Secretaries (COMS)  of
Anabaptist denominations kicked off a 2005 annual meeting at Washington City
Church of the Brethren on Thursday, Dec. 1.

 Washington was selected for the meeting Dec. 1-3 to facilitate and  continue
discussions with members of Congress and the Selective Service. The  meeting
follows a consultation on alternative service sponsored by COMS in March  at
the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill.

 Anabaptist churches that are members of the council include the  Church of
the Brethren, the Mennonite Church USA, the Brethren in Christ Church,	the
Conservative Mennonite Conference, and the Mennonite Brethren USA. Staff  from
Mennonite Central Committee US were invited to attend the meeting. Staff
of  the
Church of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office and the Washington Office
of the Mennonite Central Committee coordinated the meeting.

 A portion of the meeting focused on the issues of alternative service	and
the potential of a military draft. In other meetings, the group met with
leaders of the Faith-Based Initiative for the White House, the National
Association of Evangelicals, and the National Campaign for a Peace Tax	Fund.

 The council also visited with staff of Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) in  his
Capitol Hill office. Rangel, who did not vote for the use of force in
Iraq, 
proposed a draft bill in January 2003 that was voted on and almost unanimously
defeated. This past year, Rangel introduced the draft bill again, this time
with  changes to the conscientious objector language.

 Richard Flahavan and Cassandra Costley from the Selective Service  System
met with the group. âWhen you read the signs, you can see thereâs really	no
secret plan to fire up the draft. You can all be confident itâs
not going to
happen,â Flahavan said. However, Costley said that she has had numerous meetings
 with various religious groups to work out guidelines for alternative service
if  a draft is implemented. âWe welcome any assistance from religious
organizations  in finding suitable employment for these conscientious objectors,â she
 said.

 Not everyone is as certain that a draft will not occur. âI think we  have
all the elements of a perfect storm, and all we need is a butterfly  flutter,â
said J.E. McNeil, executive director of the Center on Conscience and  War.
McNeil said that she believes President Bush might implement a draft if he
thought it would pass through Congress. ââWe have no choice,â thatâs the phrase  he
âs going to have to use to sell it,â she said.

 Theo Sitther, lobbyist for the center, added, âNo one in the  administration
is talking about a draft, but people in the Pentagon are.â That
is one
reason why McNeil believes it is important to continue to educate and  provide
alternatives for people faced with the possibility of a draft.

 In the meeting at Rep. Rangelâs office, Emile Milne, Rangelâs foreign
policy legislative director, commented on the draft bill. âIt was based on the
issue of fairness,â Milne said. âIf some people have to be in the war, then we
should all have to share in that responsibility.â Milne said that another
reason	for Rangelâs bill was to make the draft a non-issue, as it obviously was
going  to be overwhelmingly defeated.

 Immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq is something that Rangel would  also
support, Milne said. âRangel believes the Iraq war is weakening
the  military to
the point where the United States may not be able to defend itself  if
attacked,â he said.

 The COMS meeting included discussion of development of a contingency  plan
for a military draft, led by Mennonite Central Committee US staff Rolando
Santiago and Titus Peachey. A report of issues, questions, and recommendations
were presented to COMS for consideration, developed by Del Hershberger, director
 of Christian Service for Mennonite Mission Network; Dan McFadden, director
of  Brethren Volunteer Service; and Peachey, director of Peace Education for
Mennonite Central Committee US.

 Some of the issues raised were alternative service placements under  church
agencies and non-church agencies, support for registrants, staying in
relationship with soldiers, relationship of the churches to the government and
Selective Service, and collaboration with other historic peace churches
and the
Center on Conscience and War. Santiago said the report is a work in progress
designed to provide guidelines for denominations and organizations. Each
representative at the COMS meeting will discuss the plan with his respective
denomination and report back in the spring.

 âIâm personally very encouraged by the degree of this discussion,â
Santiago said.
COMS also met with Richard Cizik, vice-president for  governmental affairs
for the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), who  reviewed a publication
outlining seven principles for Christian political  engagement.

 Marian Franz, executive director for the National Campaign for a  Peace Tax
Fund, spoke with the group about her work lobbying on the peace tax  issue.

 In the meeting on the Faith-Based Initiative, Jim Towey, director of  the
Faith-Based Initiative for the White House, explained President Bushâs
Faith-Based and Community Initiative Plan. The meeting in Toweyâs office ended  with
prayer, as did the meeting in Rep. Rangelâs office.

 Many in the COMS group later reported that prayer in the presence of
political officials and their staff was very meaningful, as it brought to
a new
light the cooperation between individuals and government who work together for
change on many of the worldâs social justice concerns.

 Participants at the COMS annual meeting included Ronald Beachley,  moderator
of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference; Chuck Buller,	executive
director of the Mennonite-Brethren Church; J. Daryl Byler, director of	the
Mennonite Central Committee Washington Office; Warren Hoffman, moderator
of  the
Brethren in Christ Church; Phil Jones, director of the Church of the  Brethrenâs
Brethren Witness/Washington Office; Titus Peachey, director of Peace
Education for Mennonite Central Committee US; Rolando L. Santiago,
director of
Mennonite Central Committee US; Jim Schrag, executive director of the Mennonite
Church USA; Ben Shirk, moderator of the Conservative Mennonite Conference; Steve
 Swartz, general secretary of the Conservative Mennonite Conference; and Roy
Williams, moderator of the Mennonite Church USA.

# # #

For more information contact the communications office of one of the
denominations or organizations named above.

 For the Church of the Brethren contact Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford,  Church of
the Brethren General Board, 800-323-8039 ext. 260,
_cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org_ (mailto:cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org) .

 For the Mennonite Central Committee US contact Marla Pierson Lester,
717-859-1151 ext. 280, _mpl@mcc.org_ (mailto:mpl@mcc.org) .

 For the Mennonite Church USA contact Marathana Prothro, 316-283-5100,
_marathanap@mennoniteusa.org_ (mailto:marathanap@mennoniteusa.org) .

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