NCC general secretary sends message of love and support to the churches of stricken Norway

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

NCC general secretary sends message of love and support to WCC 
leader, and to the churches of stricken Norway

New York, July 24, 2011 -- The general secretary of the National 
Council of Churches has sent a message of love and support to the 
churches of Norway, and to World Council of Churches general 
secretary, the Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, a Norwegian pastor.

Tveit was in Norway and had just left Oslo when the bombing of a 
government building left seven dead and several injured. Hours later, 
a gunman dressed as a police officer fired on youth attending a 
political camp on Utoya Island, killing 80.

NCC general secretary, the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, expressed 
profound shock at the heartbreaking events in Norway.

"The member communions of the National Council of Churches join 
persons of faith and good will all over the world in offering our 
prayers and support to the people of Norway," Kinnamon said.

Kinnamon also sent a personal message to Tveit, who addressed the 
general assembly of the NCC and Church World Service in New Orleans 
last November.

"We are struggling to understand reality, we are mobilizing our will 
to work for all the great values we share in the ecumenical 
movement," Tveit replied.

"Norway has today experienced an unprecedented and horrible level of 
violence against innocent people," said Tveit immediately after the tragedy.

"Attacking the core institutions of a democratic society and innocent 
youth gathered for a workshop to discuss political issues, leaves me 
shocked," Tveit said. "Being close to these events, I am deeply 
saddened, realizing that this has happened in my beloved country, 
with its people, its leaders, and its institutions."

"In times like this the Norwegian people and government need the 
solidarity of the international society and the prayers of the 
worldwide church," he said. "Now we know the reality of so many 
others in the world were violence pierces the lives of the innocent."

Tveit has asked the member churches of the WCC for their prayers and 
solidarity, saying "we pray that Norway might be able to stand 
together as an open, peace-loving country also in the future."

"Let us all stay together for a world of justice and peace, without 
hate and revenge, but with the values of democracy, caring for the 
dignity and the human rights of every person," he said. "We are all 
created in the image of God."

Tveit said the worldwide fellowship of the WCC offers its prayers and 
condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and are victims 
of today's violence, to Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and 
his fellow Norwegians.

In response to expressions of condolence and support from around the 
world, Tveit is sending the following message:

"Thank you so much for your prayers, your love and your support! It 
is warmly appreciated, and I forward this to Norwegian church leaders 
as well. This experience of terror is bringing innocent human beings 
and their families into trauma and death that is horrible. It is also 
an attack on the leadership of Norway and our democratic institutions 
that are shocking and make us tremble. The dimensions of the events 
are impossible to comprehend. In times like this, we see how 
important our values of justice and peace are for our nation as 
Norwegians and for our fellowship of churches. Let us share the 
burdens of the victims and their families. We share our sorrow, and 
confirm together our commitment to overcome violence and any attempt 
to attack our values of the kingdom of God, the values of 
'righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.'"

Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of 
Christ in the USA has been the leading force for shared ecumenical 
witness among Christians in the United States. The NCC's 37 member 
communions -- from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, 
Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches -- 
include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations 
in communities across the nation.

NCC News contact:  Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228 (office), 
646-853-4212 (cell), pjenks@ncccusa.org