wfn.org | Statement - NCCCUSA Middle East Delegation

[CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org (CAROL FOUKE)]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
Contact: NCC News, 212-870-2252
Internet: news@ncccusa.org

NCC9/22/97    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STATEMENT FROM NCC OFFICIAL DELEGATION TO THE MIDDLE EAST 
IS RELEASED

 NEW YORK, Sept. 22 ---- Following is the text of the 
statement by the National Council of Churches' official 
delegation to the Middle East.  The purpose of the Aug. 24-
Sept. 8 visit was to renew ties with church partners in that 
region.  The list of participants follows.

*   *   *   * 

"Making every effort to maintain the unity of the spirit in 
the bond of peace."
Ephesians 4.3

A delegation of the National Council of the Churches of 
Christ in the USA, led by the NCCCUSA General Secretary the 
Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, completed a visit of partner 
churches in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine and 
Cyprus on 8 September, 1997.

This was the first official NCCCUSA visit to the region in 
ten years.   The delegation had been invited at the 
November, 1995 NCCCUSA General Board meeting by Middle East 
Council of Churches' General Secretary Rev. Dr. Riad Jarjour 
to come to refresh and renew old ties, to establish new 
relations, and to exchange spiritual gifts and insights, 
thereby to enrich an already long and divinely blessed 
relationship.

The delegation met with leaders of the Christian Churches of 
the Middle East, Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant.  They 
are  the living descendants of the earliest witnesses to 
Jesus Christ in Jerusalem nearly 2000 years ago.  The 
Christian communities they lead continue to embody God's 
timeless embrace of all life.  These churches are living 
temples of devotion and service; their members are the 
"living stones" (I Peter 2. 4-5), which testify to the love 
of God  incarnate in Christ Jesus.  While remaining faithful 
to their distinct Christian traditions, the churches affirm 
their unity through participation in the Middle East Council 
of Churches.  They share its many ministries of service to 
all churches and to the social settings of which they are a 
part.  In addition to the church leaders, the delegation 
also met with leaders of governments and of other religious 
communities.  

Mindful of the religious significance of the Middle East, 
members of the delegation stood in "the Street called 
Straight" (Acts 9.11) in Damascus, where St. Paul, blinded 
by the light of Christ, once awaited Ananias in the house of 
Judas.   They beheld the "cedars of Lebanon" (Ps. 104.16), 
tall and stately, and recalled their historic and present 
meaning in the lives of all Lebanese.  On Jordan's Mt. Nebo, 
members of the delegation saw stretched out before them the 
biblical land of promise across the Jordan River (Deut. 
32.48).  They followed in the footsteps of millions of 
Christian pilgrims in their journey to Jerusalem, where 
Jews, Christians and Muslims continue to worship at their 
holy sites.  The visit concluded in Cyprus, where St. Paul's 
ministry led to the conversion of the proconsul Sergius 
Paulus (Acts 13. 12), the first conversion of a political 
ruler.

The primary focus remained throughout the re-affirmation of 
ecumenical ties and renewal of the commitment to "be of the 
same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of 
one mind" (Phil. 2.2).  The concerns of the churches are 
many, reflecting the love and compassion of God for all 
things.  Mission and witness, evangelism, religious freedom, 
the relations of the churches to governments, life as a 
Christian minority among both Muslims and Jews, Christian 
education, the status and role of women in church and 
society, ecumenism, issues of peace between nations with 
justice for all peoples -  all these and more were discussed 
at one point or another, often repeatedly.  

Though variously expressed and with varying degrees of 
urgency, the leaders of the churches expressed to the 
delegation three common concerns:

  Commitment by the churches to the transmission of their 
Christian faith to their children, and to the provision of a 
secure future for them.  The churches of the Middle East 
share this concern with churches the world over;  yet as 
religious minorities in their societies, it becomes a matter 
of great importance to them.  Therefore, having the means 
and the ability to build and maintain church buildings and 
schools and to develop other expressions of Christian caring 
are common priorities.
 
  Concern over the continued migration of Christians from 
the region to North America, Europe and other countries.  
Although the motivations for the emigration of Christians 
are complex and varied, church leaders in the countries that 
the delegation visited told the delegation that the primary 
reason is greater opportunity for economic and social 
advancement, as the development of the economies of their 
own countries lags behind those elsewhere.   They continue 
to suffer problems of modernization and the inequitable 
distribution of wealth.  Developing the means to enable 
Christians to remain in their homelands is a common and 
urgent priority.
 
  The churches are concerned for the apparent breakdown, and 
even reversal, of the peace process between Israel and the 
Arab states and the Palestinians.  Despite previous 
commitments and a nearly universally accepted international 
consensus, there is currently a profound sense of despair.  
They fear a drift towards new and greater conflict, even 
war, unless tangible progress is made toward peace.  
Clearly, the lack of progress inhibits needed economic and 
social development, and contributes to instability 
throughout the region.  There is consistent criticism of 
U.S. Middle East policy among the Arab Christians, other 
Christian minorities and some Israelis with whom the 
delegation met for the apparent lack of balance between U.S. 
support for the interests of Israel and for those of others, 
particularly the Palestinians.  At the same time, there is 
acknowledgment of the indispensable role that the United 
States, as the sole remaining superpower and the strongest 
international influence, must play in the process. 

The delegation encountered two situations in particular that 
it would highlight.

In Lebanon, the visit of the delegation was received by the 
churches, the people and the government with celebration, as 
the first major church delegation from the United States to 
come openly since Secretary of State Madeline Albright 
removed the ban on travel by U.S. passport holders on July 
30.  The lifting  of the ban is seen as recognition of the 
progress toward peace and stability that Lebanon has made 
since the end of the civil war.  It is viewed as a step 
toward resumption of full, normal relations between the two 
countries.  The visit of the delegation was both an 
affirmation of a new situation and of the long-standing ties 
between the churches and the peoples of Lebanon and the U.S. 

At the same time, all the people of Lebanon, and 
particularly the Christians, are experiencing disorienting 
political, economic and social changes.  Once a self-assured 
majority, Christians have become an apparent minority due to 
emigration and lower birthrates.  Additionally, there have 
been profound changes in government.  There are fears that 
the civil liberties once enjoyed by the Lebanese are being 
curtailed.  Moreover, the economic reconstruction of 
Lebanon, fueled largely by foreign capital, is by-passing 
many Lebanese and creating massive disparity in the 
distribution of wealth and income.  Courageous attempts to 
create new cooperative and convivial relations among the 
various religious confessions are taking place, but old 
memories, loyalties and divisions persist.  Finally, 
Lebanon's relations with the two neighboring states, Israel 
and Syria, though profoundly different, pose questions about 
Lebanon's independence,  sovereignty and territorial 
integrity, both to the Lebanese and to others.   The demand 
for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 
425, requiring Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon, was 
stated repeatedly, both clearly and forcefully.  Also 
carefully expressed was the desire for a reduced Syrian 
military and political presence.

The visit of the delegation to Jerusalem was the most 
challenging of the trip. The warmth of welcome given by 
friends and partners could not erase the careworn lines on 
their faces.  There was good news of increasing fellowship 
and cooperation among the churches in Jerusalem and of 
practical steps being taken to engage in joint programs and 
activities.  Looming over all, however, was the collapse of 
the peace process.  An accelerating sense of despair has 
been fueled by suicide bombings, crippling border closures, 
continuing Israeli settlement expansion and land 
confiscation, and the demolition of selected Palestinian 
housing.  The triple suicide bombing in Ben Yehuda Street, 
condemned by General Secretary Joan Brown Campbell in a 
letter of condolence to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 
brought new outrage and deepened the sense of frustration 
and futility.  Understandably, the government of Israel 
remains aggressively committed to the security of its 
people; Palestinians voiced their fears that  Israel's 
determination to continue its policies undermine the process 
of negotiations.  They see their aspirations for self-
determination, sovereignty and an independent state rendered 
meaningless, if not foreclosed altogether.  Disillusionment 
in the Christian communities is widespread.   With great 
expectations, the NCCCUSA delegation was urged to help in 
the search for a way forward.

On departing the region, the delegation felt it had been 
blessed with an authentic gift of hope out of the life of 
the churches.  While confronted daily with many painful 
realities and difficult questions, the Christian community, 
with its faith and love, has been sustained there for nearly 
2,000 years.   As the time for celebrating the 2000th 
anniversary of the Nativity of Jesus Christ approaches, the 
U.S. churches are being newly called to prayer, to 
partnership with these Christian communities and to 
prophetic witness,  "making every effort to maintain the 
unity of the spirit in the bond of peace."

-end-

Members of the Aug. 24-Sept. 8, 1997, official National 
Council of Churches delegation visit to the Middle East 
were:

The Rev. Dr. Joan B. Campbell, NCC General Secretary, who 
headed the delegation.

His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, NCC Vice President 
and Primate, Diocese of the Armenian Church of America.

Dr. Sylvia Faulk, NCC Vice President (Christian Methodist 
Episcopal Church).

Dr. Marvin Keeney, Chair, Middle East Committee, Church 
World Service and Witness Unit/NCC, and Director for Global 
Mission Partnerships, Church of the Brethren.

The Rev. Randolph Naylor, NCC Associate General Secretary 
for Communication (United Church of Canada).

The Rev. Dr. Albert Pennybacker, NCC Associate General 
Secretary for Public Policy (Christian Church (Disciples of 
Christ)).

The Rev. Dr. Gordon Sommers, NCC Immediate Past President 
and President, Northern Province of the Moravian Church.

The Rev. Margaret Orr Thomas, Chair, NCC Interfaith 
Relations Commission, and Coordinator for Interfaith 
Ministries, Worldwide Ministries Division, Presbyterian 
Church (U.S.A.).

Mr. David Weaver, Director, NCC Middle East Office.

Dr. James L. Faulk and Lorene Naylor, spouses of two 
delegation members, accompanied the delegation.
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