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["Nat'l Council of Churches" <nccc_usa@ncccusa.org>]

Title:INTERNATIONAL CHURCH LEADERS GROUP, NCC ASSEMBLY DELEGATES REFLECT ON
SEPT. 11

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
Contact: NCC News, 212-870-2227
E-mail: news@ncccusa.org; Web: www.ncccusa.org
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 there
s 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 won
t 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:

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, and
includes a plan for rebuilding fund balances and investment reserves.  This
budget does not preclude new initiatives supported by designated funding.

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, 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 seeks to minister in the new post-September 11
context and build a broader Christian unity.

-end-