wfn.org | NCC eco-justice staff named cited by WCC

[Philip Jenks <pjenks@ncccusa.org>]

>NCC Eco-Justice staff named
>WCC 'Blessed Peacemakers'

Washington, December 5, 2008 -- The National Council of Churches' Eco-Justi ce staff are recipients of the 2008 "Blessed Are the Peacemakers" award of  the U.S. Conference for the World Council of Churches.

The WCC's U.S. Conference bestows the awards annually as a part of its Deca de to Overcome Violence program to recognize persons making an impact for p eace locally, nationally and globally.
The Eco-Justice staff joined four other award recipients at the U.S. Confer ence annual meeting here during a banquet in Washington's historic National  City Christian Church.

The Rev. Deborah DeWinter, WCC Program Executive for the U.S., praised the  Eco-Justice staff and said the award highlights the peacemaking contributio ns of young adults. The average age of the staff is 31.

Dr. David G. Hallman, who recently retired as the WCC's Climate Change Coor dinator, read a citation that praised program director Cassandra Carmichael  and her staff for "an expanded and yet focused engagement on a wide range  of issues including biodiversity, climate change, consumerism, Earth Day, e nergy, environmental health, food and farmlands, green churches, liturgical  resources, public lands and wilderness, and water conservation."

The citation also praised the late Chris Cowap, the first program director,  for "providing outstanding leadership on a wide range of issues with a spe cial focus on energy concerns."

In the past year alone, Hallman said, the Eco-Justice staff has "delivered  more than 10,000 copies of resources to churches and people of faith, and h ad more than 4,000 people of faith contact their congressional representati ves on issues ranging from climate change, to environmental health, to publ ic lands protection, to the farm bill. With enthusiasm, commitment, creativ ity, and the vitality of their youth ... the team supports the engagement o f U.S. churches in issues of ecological justice that allow the churches to  demonstrate that caring for God's creation is an indispensable aspect of co ntemporary discipleship."

In addition to Carmichael, a United Methodist, the Eco-Justice staff includ es: Jordan Blevins, Assistant Director, Church of the Brethren; Tyler Edgar , Assistant Director, Climate and Energy Campaign, Episcopal Church; Chloe  Schwabe, Assistant Director, Environmental health, Presbyterian Church (USA ); Carl Magruder, Eco-Justice Advocacy and Outreach Specialist for Healthy  Churches, Quaker; Elizabeth McGurk, Eco-Justice Advocacy and Outreach Speci alist for Health Churches, Presbyterian Church (USA); and Drew Sutton, Wesl ey Theological Seminary Intern, United Methodist.

Other recipients of the U.S. Conference 2008 Blessed are the Peacemakers Aw ards are: Father Bob Celinski, a Washington area priest active in immigrati ons issues; the Council of Churches of Greater Washington; the Global Prior ities Campaign; and "the inspiring Christian and Muslim women of the Women  in Peacemaking Network (WIPNET), and the producers of Pray the Devil Back t o Hell," a documentary on how women of faith confronted the brutal regime o f President Charles Taylor of Liberia.

NCC News contact: Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228, pjenks@ncccusa.org