wfn.org | NCC Assembly Delegates Reflect on Sept. 11 and Share Hope Comfort

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@wfn.org>]

Challange

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NCC11/13/01 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INTERNATIONAL CHURCH LEADERS GROUP, NCC ASSEMBLY DELEGATES REFLECT ON 
SEPT. 11, SHARE WORDS OF COMFORT, HOPE, CHALLENGE

         November 13, 2001, OAKLAND, Calif.  A wrestling together with the 
many questions raised by the Sept. 11 attacks and their aftermath marked 
the encounters here today between a multi-national group of church leaders 
and delegates to the National Council of Churches annual General Assembly.

         Its not our responsibility to come give lectures, its to hold 
your hand, to weep with you, and together to ask questions, many difficult 
or impossible to answer, said South African Methodist Bishop Mvume 
Dandala, who led the delegation sent by the World Council of Churches.

         Since arriving in the United States Nov. 8, the delegation has met 
with religious and civic leaders in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York 
City, where they visited Ground Zero and met with local pastors.  The NCC 
General Assembly is their last stop before leaving for home on Nov. 14.

Besides Bishop Dandala, the WCC delegation includes church leaders from 
Pakistan, Indonesia, South Africa, Palestine, Russia, France and Lebanon.

         Most of us come from wounded contexts, Bishop Dandala said, 
addressing the opening plenary of the NCCs Nov. 13-15 General 
Assembly.  We come, not because we are whole and healthy, but to share 
with you in your woundedness precisely because we ourselves are a wounded 
people.  We pray and hope that as we share with you from our woundedness 
you will be able to find hope that you yourselves will come through.

         Bishop Dandala commented on the breadth of emotions and questions 
expressed during the groups encounters with Americans.  We did not 
realize the extent of the questions being asked in this country, he 
said.  All we knew was what CNN had told us, that all Americans are 
prepared for war and theres no other way.

         The group heard words of anger, hurt, pain, deep sadness and a 
desire to find a way forward, he said.  Some told them, Please give us 
space to grieve, please dont lecture to us, we are not ready for 
that.  Others said, What we fear most is that because we hate feeling 
vulnerable, we wont take time to own up to our pain but just want to show 
how macho we are.  Many expressed grief for innocent lives lost both in 
the Sept. 11 attacks and the bombing of Afghanistan.

         Bishop Dandala continued, Some said, We are confused.  How could 
some people hate us like this?  Others said, Theres an emerging 
consciousness in our nation that maybe there are things done by our 
institutions in our name that we know nothing about.  Isnt it time we find 
out?  A pastor ministering at Ground Zero said, I saw not just the 
members of my congregation who were weeping, but the needs of the whole world.

We go home more convinced than ever of the importance of the church to be 
in the forefront of the struggle to eliminate terrorism and violence," 
Bishop Dandala said, making reference to the WCCs 2000-2010 Decade to 
Overcome Violence.  Violence must be rejected.  Terrorism in whatever form 
or guise must be rejected.

Each of the WCC delegation members brought a brief message to the NCC 
General Assembly out of their own particular contexts.  Church of Pakistan 
Bishop Samuel Azariah reminded his audience that the U.S. government had 
supported the Taliban in the 1970s, and called for rebuilding of 
infrastructure in Central Asia and especially in Afghanistan as key to 
long-term peace.

Mrs. Jean Zaru, Presiding Clerk of the Religious Society of Friends, 
Ramalah, Palestine, shared the profound grief of the people of Palestine 
for the events of Sept. 11 and said, Our pain and grief is profound, but 
we can memorialize the victims of New York, Washington and the Middle East 
by trying to work for peace and justice.

The international guests then joined NCC General Assembly delegates in 
small group discussion around questions including, How do we feel?  What 
do we need?  What are we doing to cope?  What are the implications of Sept. 
11 for our denominational and ecumenical work?

Also on Tuesday:

         * United Methodist San Francisco Area Bishop Beverly Shamana, 
preaching at opening worship, challenged delegates, In this particular 
time of grief and pain, hold the light  In the midst of uncertainty, 
struggle and death we have been given to each other that we might not lose 
hope.

* The NCC General Assembly unanimously elected the Rev. Dr. Thomas L. Hoyt, 
Jr., of Shreveport, La., Presiding Bishop of the Christian Methodist 
Episcopal Churchs Fourth District, to serve as NCC president in 
2004-2005.  He will hold the office of president elect in 2002-2003.

The NCC Executive Board, meeting Tuesday morning:

7       Received the NCCs FY 2000-2001 Audit Statement and approved a 
revised FY 2001-2002 budget, which reflects recent cuts in staff and 
program to ensure that expenditures are in line with anticipated revenues 
of $5.7 million  a $1.1 million downward adjustment since May.

This budget does not preclude new initiatives supported by designated 
funding.  The first $120,000 of unrestricted income above the amount 
required by the revised budget is to be placed in the Councils Reserve 
Fund, and all additional unrestricted income above that amount is to be 
placed in the NCCs long-term investment reserves, helping to rebuild fund 
balances and investment reserves.

7       Voted to establish a year-long Substantive Reflection Task Group 
on the Councils future direction and shape.  The groups nine members are 
to be appointed by the Councils president.  Elenie Huszagh, Esq., who will 
serve as NCC president in 2002-2003, proposed the constituent group.

Working with the NCC general secretary, the groups task will be to offer 
guidance as the Council, its staff and program budget freshly reduced, 
seeks to minister in the new post-September 11 context and build a 
broader Christian unity.

-end-