wfn.org | WCC NEWS: US churches & Obama: rolling up sleeves rather than finger-pointing

["WCC Media" <Media@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches - News Release

Contact: +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org For immediate release - 20/01/2009 17:30:00

US CHURCHES AND OBAMA: ROLLING UP SLEEVES RATHER THAN FINGER-POINTING

Poverty, violence and war are amongst the "enormous and formidable"  challenges of the present time, representatives of member churches of the  World Council of Churches (WCC) in the United States have pointed out to  President Barack Obama on the occasion of his inauguration.

"Ours is not to point fingers at your new administration and say 'Fix  it'," members of the Board of the US Conference for the WCC wrote in a  letter to Obama dated 20 January. "Rather, ours is to roll up our sleeves  and partner with you to help bring about the changes that are so desperatel y needed for the United States and the world to more closely reflect God's  vision for humankind and all of creation."

Greeting Obama as "your sisters and brothers in Christ," the signatories  of the letter declare to be "encouraged by [Obama's] commitment to  rekindle hope and [his] vision for this country and our world". The letter  is signed by members of the Board, heads of churches and associate members  of the US Conference for the WCC. The US Conference for the WCC gathers  the 34 member churches of the Council in the United States.

"Much is required of you and us if we are to begin to turn things around,"  the US churches representatives state in their letter to Obama. They  propose a nine-item list of issues that need responsibility and work  together. It includes: trust amongst nations, national unity, common good  rather than self-interest, human dignity over race and class divisions, an  economy at the service of the poor, human rights, education, environment  and health.

The content of the letter to President Obama was discussed by a number of  heads of churches at a plenary session during the 2-4 December 2008 annual  meeting of the US Conference for the WCC. One of the participants at that  session, Rev. Dr Sharon Watkins, general minister and president of the  Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), has later on been given the  responsibility to preach at the prayer service to be held at the National  Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the day after Obama is inaugurated  president of the United States.

Full text of the letter from the US Conference for the WCC to President  Barack Obama: http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=6557

Additional information:

Juan Michel +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness  and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of  churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant,  Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million  Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman  Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from  the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.