Jan. 6, 2003
Iraqis do not want war, religious delegation finds
A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom

When United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert and other religious leaders visited Iraq just before the 1991 Persian Gulf War, he left knowing that the coming conflict was inevitable.

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, flanked by his cabinet, had brusquely made it clear at that time that his visitors needed to go back and talk to their own government, not to Iraq, Talbert said.

But the conversation that Talbert, ecumenical officer for the United Methodist Council of Bishops, and 12 religious leaders had recently with Aziz during a Dec. 29-Jan. 3 trip to Iraq was markedly different, the bishop told United Methodist News Service. The deputy prime minister, who is Christian, spoke alone with the group during a friendly, casual meeting and later prayed with them.

"I don’t sense that they are in a non-negotiating stance," Talbert explained, adding that Aziz said the Iraqi government would welcome discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.S. congressional leaders. "They are in more of a conciliatory mood at this point. They feel they are abiding by the U.N. resolution."

Diplomatic talks, however, were not the main purpose of the post-Christmas delegation to Iraq, led by the Rev. Robert Edgar, a United Methodist pastor and chief executive of the National Council of Churches. Instead, the focus was on measuring the effects of more than a decade of sanctions against Iraq and having an opportunity to connect with Christians in that country. The Rev. Riad Jarjour, chief executive of the Middle East Council of Churches, hosted the delegation.

"We went because we felt we could be a humanitarian inspection team," Edgar said.

Their experiences prompted a statement opposing a rush to war with Iraq and pledges to keep the plight of innocent Iraqis before the U.S. public.

"What we’re calling for is restraint," Talbert explained. "What we’re hoping for, in the final analysis, is that we will not need to go to war."

The reality of life in Iraq goes beyond its reviled leader, delegation members pointed out. "The images that we have seen on television have been those of Saddam Hussein holding up a rifle," Edgar added. "We wanted to humanize Iraq by focusing on children and the most vulnerable who will be impacted by the war."

The delegation offered no support for what James Winkler, chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, called the "reprehensible regime" of Saddam Hussein.

But Winkler also noted that the U.N. weapons inspectors had not yet discovered anything to justify a war and added that the existence of the regime was not enough reason "to carry out an invasion of Iraq that is inevitably going to result in the deaths of a whole lot of innocent people."

Through contact with ordinary Iraqis at worship services and through visits to schools and hospitals, the delegation "saw for ourselves the devastating impact of 12 years of sanctions on the people of Iraq."

Delegation members plan to meet with U.S. government leaders as well as permanent members of the U.N. Security Council to discuss the impact of the sanctions and a revamping of the United Nations’ current "oil for food" program for Iraq.

"At some point, you have to question how much punishment the ordinary people of Iraq deserve," said Winkler, who pointed out that the United Methodist Church officially backs an end to the sanctions.

Along with other religious leaders, Edgar, a former Congressman, has been a vocal opponent to war with Iraq. He said he has been surprised by the number of "middle Americans" questioning the rush to war, especially since "war talk" makes it hard for the average person to learn what is really happening there.

He believes church leaders need to continue educating their members about the fact that "these are real children, real vulnerable people that we’re talking about" in Iraq.

Other delegation members represented the United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalist Association, Presbyterian Church USA and Episcopal Church.

Bloom is United Methodist News Service’s New York news director.


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Jan. 6, 2003
Religious leaders release statement on Iraq trip

NEW YORK (UMNS) – Here is the full text of the statement released by the delegation of religious leaders who visited Iraq Dec. 29-Jan. 3.

"Sowing the Seeds of Peace"
We are a delegation of 13 religious leaders and experts visiting Iraq under the auspices of the National Council of Churches (U.S.A.). Ours is a religious and not a political delegation. We came to see the faces of the Iraqi people so that the American people can see the faces of children laughing and singing and also hurting and suffering. We brought with us dozens of pictures drawn by American children. We shared these pictures with Iraqi children who, in turn, gave us messages to take back to children in the United States.

We are called by God to be peacemakers. War is not inevitable and can be averted, even at this moment. President Bush reiterated, on New Year’s Eve, his desire to reach a peaceful conclusion to this crisis and we are grateful for his words.

We came as humanitarian inspectors, not weapons inspectors. We visited schools and hospitals and saw for ourselves the devastating impact of 12 years of sanctions on the people of Iraq. We touched babies suffering illnesses that can be prevented by proper medication currently unavailable to the people of Iraq. We held the cold hands of children in unheated schools with broken windows and underpaid teachers, nurses and doctors.

UNICEF officials shared heartbreaking statistics of malnutrition, disease, and hunger with us. We are concerned by the increasing reliance of Iraqi people on the food basket provided through the "oil for food" program, a program not intended to be the primary source of nutrition or a balanced diet. We intend to advocate to our government for changes in the "oil for food" program that will allow for humanitarian, educational, and medical needs to be better met. We understand the cruelty embedded in the "oil for food program" as it affects ordinary Iraqis.

We worshiped with Iraqi Christians and in the presence of Muslims; and, we prayed with both. This is the birthplace of Abraham, the father of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We acknowledged and celebrated our oneness in God. We attended a New Year’s Eve Mass at a Catholic Church and a potluck dinner at a Presbyterian Church – a potluck that would be intimately familiar to American Christians. On the street and in informal settings we experienced the spontaneous warmth, hospitality and openness of the Iraqi people. We feel privileged and honored by these human relationships.

We asked pointed questions of Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz regarding the human rights situation in Iraq, the opportunities for dissent and criticism of the government, and choices made by the government with the resources available to it. We want to be clear with the American people and the Iraqi government that we do not support authoritarian governments.

We came with "what?" questions – "What’s going on?" "What can we discover?" But we were met with "why?" questions – "Why us?" "Why now?" We have concluded that we are opposed to this war because:
*_A war against Iraq will make the U.S. less secure, not more secure. All wars have unintended consequences. We believe the entire region, including Israel and the United States, will be at greater risk of terrorism if war takes place.

• Widespread suffering and death will result for innocent people. So-called "smart bombs" do dumb things like missing their targets and destroying homes, water and sewage treatment plants, schools, churches and mosques.
  
  
• Pre-emptive war is immoral and illegal. It is theologically illegitimate and profoundly violates our Christian beliefs and religious principles. As disciples of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, we know this war is completely antithetical to his teachings. Jesus Christ taught peace, justice, hope and reconciliation and rejected revenge, war, death and violence.
  

When we return to the United States:

1. We pledge support for the "All Our Children" campaign, a project of the Church World Service and other partners.
   
   
2. We will continue to build constructive, positive relationships between our nations and peoples through our ecumenical and interfaith relationships.
   
   
3. We will meet with U.S. administration and congressional leaders to urge them to turn away from war. We will ask U.S. government and military leaders to take the time to learn the names and faces of average, ordinary Iraqi people.
   
   
4. We will meet with the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council to seek a revamped and more humane "oil for food" program.
   
   
5. We will share our photographs and our stories with the people in our 140,000 congregations so that they may see that, like us, our Iraqi brothers and sisters are children of God.
   

The weapons inspectors need to be allowed to do their work. Now, it is time for the humanitarian inspectors to do theirs.

In closing, we affirm the words shared with us by the Metropolitan of the Syrian Orthodox Church: "Together, we must sow the seeds of peace and let God water and nurture the seeds."

Participants in the mission:

The Rev. Robert Edgar, general secretary, National Council of Churches (U.S.A.) and United Methodist minister, New York City;

The Rev. Huw Anwyl, minister, United Church of Christ, Laguna Niguel, Calif.;

The Rev. Ray Buchanan, president, Stop Hunger Now, and United Methodist minister, Raleigh, N.C.;

The Rev. John Buehrens, minister and former president, the Unitarian Universalist Association, Needham, Mass., and a special assistant to the secretary general of the World Conference on Religion and Peace;

The Rev. Robert Evans, executive director, Plowshares Institute, Presbyterian pastor, Simsbury, Conn.;

Robin Hoecker, legislative assistant, Unitarian Universalist Association, Washington;

The Rev. Victor Makari, General Assembly staff, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Louisville, Ky.;

Don Mosley, co-founder of Jubilee Partners, Comer, Ga.;

Virginia "Ginger" Paul, Episcopal Church, executive committee, Shreveport, La.;

Samer Shehata, assistant professor of Arab Politics, Georgetown University, Washington;

Bishop Melvin Talbert, ecumenical officer, United Methodist Church, Brentwood, Tenn.; James Winkler, general secretary, United Methodist Board of Church and Society, Washington;

Amy "Kalee" Kreider, Fenton Communications, Washington, media liaison for the delegation.


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Dec. 19, 2002
Commentary: Methodists are called to witness for peace
By Bishop C. Dale White

Once again we are a nation bedeviled by the ancient curse of war hysteria. Once again in this holy season, the followers of the Prince of Peace are called to a courageous witness for a just peace. We are stewards of the cosmic dream of the Creator God for shalom on planet earth.

Surely this is a "kairos" moment for Christian peacemakers. Since the end of the Cold War, it has proven difficult to arouse anyone’s interest in matters of war and peace. Suddenly a "teachable moment" has been forced upon the church. Many United Methodists have been asking for guidance from their leaders. They want to know: What does the church teach about war and peace? What is the United Methodist heritage?

For the first four centuries of Christendom, Christians were mainly pacifists. They refused to participate in all killing, military service and warfare. A strain of pacifism has continued in Methodism.

The founder of the Methodist movement, John Wesley condemned all war as the prime example of human depravity. For decades, the moral witness of the General Conference, the denomination’s highest legislative body and the only entity authorized to speak for the church, has been clear and concise: "We believe war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ. We therefore reject war as an instrument of national foreign policy and insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them."

Now some are saying that pacifism is unrealistic, and that the just war theory must be the norm for Christians. The General Conference of 2000 for the first time confessed: "We also acknowledge that most Christians regretfully realize that, when peaceful alternatives have failed, the force of arms may be preferable to unchecked aggression, tyranny and genocide."

Remembering how Jesus said, "He who takes up the sword will perish by the sword," the Methodist witness is to be profoundly skeptical that any war is just. Once the beast of war is uncaged, it becomes very difficult to restrain. Wars in the past century have spawned an excess of barbarism. Moral restraints have been overwhelmed. Nations have used poison gas, fire raids, nuclear weapons, and napalm against civilians and military personnel alike. For five decades the world has lived under the nuclear threat of "mutually assured destruction."

Christians have a sacred obligation to lead in the search for a just peace. Our covenantal obligations as members of the body of Christ are clear. We are the followers of the Prince of Peace. Our Lord’s assurance that peacemakers are especially blessed reassures us. Our Christian compassion motivates us. Our essential concern for justice and righteousness goads us to act. The Holy Spirit guides and empowers us.

Although we may feel inadequate to address complex global issues, we should remember the charge that Jesus gave to the 12 disciples when he sent them out on the first missionary journey. He said: "You will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time." (Matthew 10:18.) Courageous witness will be guided and blessed by God!

In the pastoral letter "In Defense of Creation," the Council of Bishops asked United Methodists "to become evangelists of shalom, making the ways of Jesus the model of discipleship, embracing all neighbors near and far, all friends and enemies, and becoming defenders of God’s good creation, and to pray without ceasing for peace in our time."

White, now retired, was chairman of the Council of Bishops committee that produced the widely used "In Defense of Creation" letter.

Commentaries provided by United Methodist News Service do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of UMNS or the United Methodist Church.


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Jan. 10, 2003
Religious relief groups aid Iraqi families
By United Methodist News Service

Continuing a long-time commitment to relief work in Iraq, Church World Service and several other religious organizations have set up a $1 million campaign to improve health care for Iraqi children.

The "All My Children" campaign will use the money raised to purchase antibiotics, anesthesia, IV solution kits and items related to providing clean drinking water.

CWS, the relief arm of the National Council of Churches, is led by the Rev. John McCullough, a United Methodist pastor. Along with the Mennonite Central Committee, it has participated in humanitarian work in Iraq for the past decade. CWS has provided more than $3 million in blankets, food, medical supplies, school kits and health kits for families and children there since 1991. The Mennonites have shipped about $4.2 million worth of food and material assistance during that period.

The new appeal "is probably a broader ecumenical effort than what we are typically dealing with," said Rick Augsburger, CWS director of emergency response, in a Jan. 8 interview. "It’s a unique grouping of faith-based efforts that are trying to work together to provide this support."

Other initial campaign partners are Stop Hunger Now, Sojourners and Jubilee Partners.

Augsburger, who will travel to Amman, Jordan, in late January to help coordinate the response, said he expects the raising of campaign resources and establishing the program to be a long-term process, especially since a permit is being requested from the Office of Foreign Asset Control, a part of the U.S. State Department.

Licensing is necessary because of the trade sanctions imposed on Iraq since 1990. The Rev. Ray Buchanan, a United Methodist pastor and founder of Stop Hunger Now, and other members of a recent National Council of Churches-sponsored delegation to Iraq witnessed some of the long-term effects of those sanctions during visits to hospitals and schools and realized the threats a war with the United States might hold.

Buchanan said he was heartened to learn from UNICEF staff based in Iraq that malnutrition had leveled off because the government’s food distribution network, bolstered by the U.N.’s humanitarian "oil for food" program, was providing 2,200 calories a day to the citizens.

What he found frightening, he said, was that "70 to 80 percent of the Iraqi population is totally, 100 percent, dependent on these food rations. In case of war, the infrastructure of this food distribution would be destroyed within the first few days or first week."

The health care situation is "abysmal," he added, because "dual use" rules under the sanctions cover many items and have resulted in Iraq being unable to obtain certain medicines, unable to repair equipment and even unable to receive medical journals. Those rules prohibit supplying Iraq with items that could have a military use.

"As far as I’m concerned, the sanctions are nothing more than sanctioned torture," Buchanan said. "That is horrible when you say it, but when you have to watch infants dying in incubators that just need parts … if that’s not torture, I don’t know what is."

The United Nations attributes the deaths of at least several hundred thousand Iraqi children to the effects of the trade sanctions, the National Council of Churches has noted.

Besides participating in the "All My Children" campaign, Stop Hunger Now will work on emergency food relief for Iraqi families. While there, Buchanan set up working relationships with the Islamic Relief Association, which he said had a long, credible history as a humanitarian agency, and with the relief arm of the Middle East Council of Churches. The Islamic group has warehouses in Baghdad, and the Christian council is putting supplies together in Jordan, where Iraqi refugees would be likely to come.

More information can be found at www.churchworldservice.org and www.stophungernow.org on the Internet.


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Jan. 9, 2003
New mission agency chief seeks stronger local-church ties
By Linda Bloom*

NEW YORK (UMNS) – As a United Methodist pastor, the Rev. R. Randy Day has spent much of his career working at the local church level.

Now, as the new chief executive of the denomination’s largest agency, Day plans to make interaction with congregations a priority. The 55-year-old pastor, who took office Jan. 1, acknowledges that many church members already have a good understanding of mission, and he intends for the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries to "work even closer than it has with the local churches."

He promises better communications, continued dialogue with annual (regional) conferences and church partners, and new ways to reach people in the pews, particularly young adults and the recently retired, who he believes have many gifts to offer as volunteers for denominational programs and projects.

But Day’s not just looking for donations of time. During a Jan. 7 interview, he told United Methodist News Service he would not be shy about challenging local churches and conferences to increase their financial support of board programs.

After suffering through staff layoffs and program cuts in the last two years, the Board of Global Ministries is faced with a tight 2003 budget. "The reality is we cannot increase that budget," he explained. "We’ve got to live within it."

Despite that limitation, the church’s mission work will continue. And Day, who led the agency’s efforts in evangelism and church growth and community and institutional ministries for the past two years, said he will take a pastoral approach to his meetings with church members and partners.

"It’s an active listening," he explained. He is open to hearing "passions and dreams or disappointments" and discussing how to act on those dreams and concerns.

Day plans to maintain ties beyond the denomination as well, noting that he was educated in the ecumenical environments of Silliman University in the Philippines and Yale Divinity School. Many of the missionaries who influenced his early life were from other denominations, he said. As a member of the World Methodist Council’s executive committee, he also is sensitive to maintaining good relations with other Methodist bodies.

During his years as a local pastor and district superintendent in the New York Annual (regional) Conference, Day gained a wider global perspective of mission through extensive travels and work in such countries as Mozambique, South Africa and the Philippines. He was actively involved in the denomination’s fight against apartheid in South Africa and the worldwide movement to ban land mines, and he said racism will continue to be a personal and institutional concern.

In the coming year, the needs of Africa – and particularly sub-Saharan Africa – will command the agency’s attention. "We have the continuing devastation of AIDS there, with a huge number of AIDS orphans," he pointed out.

A drought-induced famine also is a concern, just as it was in 1985 when Day made his first trip to that region. The United Methodist Council of Bishops issued a churchwide appeal in 2002 to help address the famine in Southern Africa.

The Korean peninsula, faced with the issues of nuclear threats, reunification and severe hunger, will remain a focus for the Board of Global Ministries. The agency also is teaming with Korean Methodists for mission work in other parts of Asia, such as Cambodia and Mongolia.

"We’ve had a historic role in peace talks in many parts of the world," Day added. "I want to continue that."

Day said he also is sensitive to countries not receiving much international attention, such as Haiti, "a place that seems to continue to unravel" under the pressure of poverty, hunger and illiteracy.

A father himself, Day is making the needs of children around the world a personal priority. "I have a hard time going through a day without thinking about some of the street kids I’ve seen in Manila and Rio de Janeiro and Port-au-Prince," he noted. Although he has been impressed by the programs for children that he has visited in United Methodist-related institutions, "the problem is there aren’t enough institutions, enough churches, enough programs to get all kids off the streets."

Bloom is United Methodist News Service’s New York news director.

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