wfn.org | CoB Newsline-Finance reform, North Korea, Youth Conference

[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      February 13, 1997
Contact:  Paula Wilding
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

This is Newsline for the week of February 13. In the news today: 

1) The Church of the Brethren calls for campaign finance reform 
      through an ecumenical letter sent to Congress today. 
2) North Korea in a "dire situation," according to David 
      Radcliff, director of Denominational Peace Witness. 
3) "...With Eyes of Faith" is the theme for the 1998 National 
      Youth Conference. 
4) A new paper on Middle East peace is available through the 
      Africa and the Middle East Office. 
5) Participants at the conference for Brethren district disaster  
      coordinators and project directors to meet with pastor of
      black church that Brethren will rebuild. 
6) Maryland church holds its Third Annual "Violent Toy Turn-In" 
      and "New Ways to Play Day." 
7) Christian Peacemaker Teams announces three new delegations for 
      1997.   

1) Two dozen religious leaders and three U.S. senators united
today to speak out for campaign finance reform. At a Capitol Hill
press conference this morning, senators John McCain (R-AZ),
Russell Feingold (D-WI) and Paul Wellstone (D-MN) joined
religious leaders in calling for comprehensive reforms. McCain
and Feingold are sponsors of legislation that would stipulate
limits on political action committees, ban "soft money"
contributions to political parties, provide free television time
for candidates who agree to voluntary spending limits, and
restrict foreign and out-of-state contributions. McCain noted
that the reform of campaign finance laws is a moral matter. "Not
only is the current system flawed, but unfair and unjust as
well," he said.  

Karen Peterson Miller, interim general secretary for the Church
of the Brethren General Board, and about 20 other religious
leaders this morning released an open letter to Congress calling
for such campaign finance reform. "As religious leaders we
believe in government's role in seeking justice for all people
and in building the common good," the letter states. "Justice
cannot be achieved unless the rules governing the democratic
process are just and fair to all." McKinley Young, a bishop in
the African Methodist Episcopal Church, reflected from his
experiences of the past four years while living in South Africa.
During that country's historic 1994 elections, Young witnessed
people waiting in lines of over 1.5 miles to simply cast their
ballot and participate in the democratic process. "'One person,
one vote' had become a rallying cry," he said.  

"To protect the value of our democracy, we must protect the
integrity of each individual's vote," said John Harvey, interim
Washington Office director who attended the press conference on
behalf of the Church of the Brethren. "As long as large amounts
of money and a very small number of people are controlling the
political process, public cynicism will continue to increase.
Monied interest should not supersede the common good. As the
voice of morality in the political debate, we as Christians must
be active in working toward effective campaign finance reform."  

2) David Radcliff, director of Denominational Peace Witness,
returned to the U.S. this week from North Korea where he and an
ecumenical delegation assessed the food needs of people in that
country. Radcliff reported that the food shortage, the result of
flooding over the past two years, is a "dire situation, promising
to get worse in coming months." Current rations of about 700
calories a day per person may only last another two or three
months, Radcliff added. Brethren have been providing relief over
the past year and a half and additional efforts are being
explored. While in North Korea, the delegation, which included
Heifer Project International's Asia director and Mercy Corps
International representatives, met with the Flood Rehabilitation
and Relief Committee and with United Nations officials.  

In related news, Church World Service, the National Council of
Churches' humanitarian response ministry, reported that $410,392
was collected in 1995-1996 and used to purchase rice, beef,
blankets and rehydration tablets for people affected by the North
Korean floods. This January, CWS issued a $500,000 appeal for
North Korea, with the first $150,000 received to be used for
barley seed for "double-cropping" in March. It is the hope that
the "double-cropping" experiment will harvest in June so that
rice can then be planted. As of Feb. 3, NCC-member denominations
had pledged $90,000.   

3) "...With Eyes of Faith," based on "...we walk by faith, not by
sight" (II Cor. 5:7), was selected by the Church of the Brethren
National Youth Cabinet last weekend as the theme for the 1998
National Youth Conference in Fort Collins, Colo. Other scriptures
that support the theme are Mark 10:46-52 and Hebrews 11:1.  

"In the face of so much uncertainty about the future, the
National Youth Cabinet chose this theme to remind youth, as well
as the whole church, how important it is for us to rely on our
faith in God to sustain and empower us for whatever the future
holds," said Chris Douglas, director of Youth and Young Adult
Ministry. Cost of NYC registration, which includes housing and
food from July 28-August 2, will be $315.  Posters, brochures and
a promotional video will be available in June. Similar
promotional material and additional background material will be
available on the World Wide Web at that time.   

4) "A Message on Jerusalem," a four-page paper that focuses on
the sharing of Jerusalem by its residents, was recently published
by the Middle East Committee of the National Council of Churches.
"The paper encourages a shared city as a way forward in the
Middle East," said Mervin Keeney, Church of the Brethren
representative for Africa and the Middle East and chairman of the
committee. The paper, General Board statements on the Middle East
and a copy of a recent New York Times full-page advertisement,
complete with signatures of people and organizations calling for
a shared Jerusalem (which was signed by the Church of the
Brethren), are available through Keeney's office at 800 323-8039
or CoB.Africa.ME.Rep.parti@Ecunet.Org.   

5) The Brethren Disaster Response Leadership Conference for 82
district disaster coordinators and project directors will be held
this weekend at the New Windsor (Md.) Conference Center. Patrick
Mellerson, pastor of Butler Chapel African Methodist Episcopal
Church, Orangeburg, S.C., will be the keynote speaker at
Saturday's banquet. Butler Chapel is one of the many
predominately black churches that was burned over the past two
years. Church of the Brethren volunteers will rebuild Butler
Chapel over the next several months. For more information on the
conference or the rebuilding project, call 410 635-8730 or write
to CoB.Disaster.and.Refugee.parti@Ecunet.Org.   

6) Columbia (Md.) United Christian Church, a Brethren
congregation affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the
Disciples of Christ, is sponsoring its Third Annual "New Ways to
Play Day" and "Violent Toy Turn-In" this Sunday at the Oakland
Mills Interfaith Center. Children can become peacemakers at the
event by turning in a violent toy, designing a "Peace Poster" or
signing a "Peacemaker Pledge" that states they will try to solve
problems peacefully and not watch violent television for a
self-determined length of time. Besides becoming peacemakers, the
children also will receive free gifts and discounts from seven
local merchants.  

Two years ago the annual event helped create Howard County's
"Focus on Peace Week," which this year is scheduled for Feb.
14-23. Other featured programs include a prayer meditation for
peace; a film on the effects of racism; and workshops on reducing
exposure to media violence in homes, dealing with reactions to
separation and divorce, and substance abuse and violence, race
relations, domestic violence and sexual abuse, gangs, pro-active
parenting and peer mediation.  

Howard County Clergy for Social Justice is sponsoring Peace Week
for families, individuals and organizations to "train members of
our community in prevention and alternative behaviors to violence
so we can improve the quality of life in Howard County." For more
information about the event, contact Merle Forney, chair, at 301
572-5103.   

7) Three opportunities to join Christian Peacemaker Teams
delegations were announced last week. A delegation to Haiti,
April 2-13, will work on local violence reduction. A delegation
to the Middle East, June 10-22, will work with the CPT team in
Hebron on peacemaking. A delegation to Chiapas, Mexico, is being
planned, though dates have not been announced. People interested
in joining the delegations should contact CPT at 312 455-1199 or
at CPT@Igc.Apc.Org.  

Newsline is archived with an index at
http://www.tgx.com/cob/news.htm.  

This message can be heard by calling 410 635-8738. To receive
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