wfn.org | CWS' McCullough urges honest talk about tough West Africa issues

["Lesley Crosson" <lcrosson@churchworldservice.org>]

>Chruch World Service
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>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CWS' McCullough urges honest talk about tough West Africa issues

MONROVIA, Liberia--As nations in West Africa continue attempts to
achieve lasting peace and prosperity after decades of conflict the
Reverend John L. McCullough has issued a call for honest talk about the
issues --poverty, hunger, corruption, conflict, dislocation -- that have
resulted in so many affronts to the dignity of people living in the
struggling region.

McCullough, executive director and CEO of humanitarian agency Church
World Service, spoke on June 15 in Monrovia, Liberia to West African
church leaders and government officials attending a week-long
conference, “Climate Change, Human Rights, Peace and Security."

He drew upon the biblical story of Ruth and Naomi, saying, "Their story
is of a people dispossessed-first because of the drought, followed by
poverty and finally famine.  It is a story with which most of the people
whom God has called you to love, and under your care, can identify.��

A significant contributor to the misery in the region is climate
change, which has caused extreme weather, failed crops, forced
relocation, and the resulting poverty.

McCullough described the man-made phenomenon as “the antithesis of
the creation story," and said it "presents a theological dilemma that
must place it at the top of the agenda for the faith community."

He interwove the scriptural message of faith in God’s grace, even  in
the face of immense hardship, with the West Africa's experience of wars,
devastation, dislocation, poverty--and the resulting assaults on human
dignity.

"West Africans know a lot about tough times and West Africans know what
it means to be hungry.  It can be a deeply personal, desperate and
dangerous feeling that can quickly erode one's self worth and pride in
his or her society.  People revolt because of their lack of access to
basic needs."

Over the last two decades Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and Cote
d'Ivoire all have experienced wars, and nearby countries in the region
have shared in the widespread devastation caused by the conflicts.

McCullough believes that values fostered by faith--compassion,
reconciliation and restoration--should play an important role in helping
people meet the challenges of living in a region where the actions of
one nation have a profound effect on the well-being of its neighbors.

"Boaz was inspired by the love and commitment that Ruth, a Moabite (an
outsider) showed toward Naomi, a woman from Judah.  How much more can
you lead your people to love and accept each other above and beyond
those things that would divide them--to help transform bitterness back
into joy?"

In McCullough's view, the way forward for West Africa lies in honestly
assessing and combating problems--bad governance, corruption, conflict,
dislocation, poverty--that continue to plague the region.  He implored
the assembled church leaders to advocate for “policies that  empower
people to reach their fullest potential…Most of all, help the  people to
achieve the kind and quality of vision that honors and values the
dignity of all.”

McCullough and other executives from ecumenical organizations also will
meet with Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who is attending the
conference.  Elected in 2006, Johnson-Sirleaf is the continent’s  first
female president and is the architect of its current effort to rebuild
after nearly two decades of civil war.

The conference, which runs through June 20, is co-sponsored by the All
Africa Conference of Churches and the Fellowship of Christian Councils
and Churches in West Africa (FECCIWA) in collaboration with the Liberian
Council of Churches.  FECCIWA member countries include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire,
Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra
Leone and Togo.

>Church World Service has, for y
>ears, worked with local community and
>faith partners across the continent in peace building, emergency relief,
>grassroots development, refugee assistance, and advocacy.

In collaboration with the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) and
with the World Council of Churches, CWS is partnering in the Eminent
Persons Ecumenical Program for Peace in Africa, launched in West Africa
in 2005.

In direct response to a call from churches in the region for help with
their peace-building efforts McCullough led a delegation to the West
African nations of Guinea, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

CWS also played a major role in efforts to focus the attention of the
United States and the world on threats to peace in Liberia and supported
emergency relief and rehabilitation and trauma recovery programs to
assist refugees and other victims of wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Media Contact

Lesley Crosson, 212.870.2676, media@churchworldservice.org