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[CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org]

Volunteerism

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
Contact: Carol J. Fouke, NCC, 212-870-2252
Internet: carolf@ncccusa.org

Response to State of the Union 

for release February 4

`The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCCC) believes 
that the churches are receptive to President Clinton's challenge to volunteer 
and will provide active support," The Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, The 
Council's General Secretary stated in response to the President's State of the

Union message. "Volunteering has always been the religious way. Religious 
commitment has long brought both heart and soul to community service," 

Today Dr. Campbell announced that The National Council of Churches will 
work through its nationwide staff and related ecumenical networks to develop 
the church's response to the President's call. "I believe our offices across
the 
country can provide the clearinghouse for volunteering and for matching 
congregations with families needing assistance. Our purpose will continue to 
be to work at healing human hurt and opening doors of employment 
opportunities, educational development and health care. I want it to be a
large 
ecumenical response."

Specifically she cited the National Council's programs of urban and rural non-
sectarian volunteer services to low income people across the nation. "We 
estimate that in addition to the thousands of young adults now actively placed

as volunteers, there are at least 8,000 local settings which are potential
sites 
for additional volunteers and for new mentored job placement possibilities for

families currently or formerly receiving welfare support."

The Council's Ecumenical Program for Urban Service (EPRUS) is an example 
of a government-church partnership in which the federal government's 
AmeriCorps program provides $10.5 million in stipends, scholarship aid and 
administration. Hundreds of local church-sponsored community service sites 
provide $21.6 million. "The result is that 1,800 young adults serve people in 
need for an entire year. The bonus for everyone is that these young people 
learn about the community by living in it and develop a life-time habit of 
helping others;" Campbell continued.

The NCCC plan for the next 12 months includes an expansion of the 
AmeriCorps partnership from 1,800 to 5,000 young people, the creation of a 
summer service program for hundreds of youth volunteers and joining in the 
America Reads initiative including expansion of work-study opportunities for 
college students in community service projects.

Also, the National Council's CROP office network across the country will be 
called on for volunteer and welfare recipient service. The National Council's 
Deputy General Secretary, The Rev. Dr. Rodney I. Page, also Director of 
Church World Service and Witness (CWSW), committed Church World 
Service's resources and staff to the nationwide program. "Our mandate has 
always been to serve hurting people world wide. Most have thought of this as 
only overseas. By serving the needs of congregations and families in this 
country, we will make it dramatically clear that our work has always been 
defined by human need, not by distance or geography. We hope CROP 
walkers and CWSW supporters will actively respond also to the social and 
human hurt at home. I believe this is a right opportunity for timely human 
service."

"Other ecumenical partners in such arenas as refugee placement and local and 
regional councils of churches will be invited to participate," Dr. Campbell 
stated. "Partnerships will be sought with evangelical congregations and others

not in Council membership. My firm intention is to confer with the President 
of the National Association of Evangelicals, Dr. Donald Argue. I know his 
interests in serving what is good for all people and I believe in our common 
commitment to volunteering and to addressing human need." 

Rev. Campbell explained, "We believe America's churches will respond 
positively because of our long tradition of engaging social hurt with 
commitment and caring. It prepares us to volunteer and to help the poor. In 
our partnerships with government no government funds are used for religious 
activities and there is no discrimination on the basis of religion in either
the 
delivery of services or hiring practices." Already churches, synagogues, 
mosques and other religious communities are providing literacy education, 
sponsoring substance abuse programs, addressing community crime and 
violence, running supplementary meal programs, operating after school 
programs, tutoring in and out of public school and delivering a variety of 
health services in low income neighborhoods.

The Rev. Dr. Albert M. Pennybacker, the Council's Associate General 
Secretary for Public Policy, pointed out, "We do not believe that individual 
help and private charity alone can relieve the chronic hurt people experience.

Our concern for basic social provisions will continue. Charity is needed but
it 
cannot make religious people complicitous with anemic or harsh public 
policies. However, we welcome the opportunity for a partnership with 
government that can build on social service we have long been doing quietly 
and with only modest resources."

"Further we do not intend to abandon our historic commitment to religious 
liberty and a level playing field for all religious groups in our country. We 
continue to believe that the separation of church and state has served us well

and must not be tampered with or diminished. We find it distracting and 
perhaps even cynical for the tragic social condition of poverty to be tied to
the 
political issue of church/state separation as some propose. We need to allow 
our nation's  capacity for voluntary service and our shared address to the
poor 
to stand free of any political agenda." 

Rev. Campbell indicated that the full attention of the National Council of 
Churches of Christ in the USA will be given to responding to the President's 
challenge. Steps will be taken immediately to invite volunteers, congregations

and families in need into a partnership of service.

Volunteer call

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