1997 NCC General Assembly, Nov. 11-14, 1997, Washington, D.C.

November 14, 1997 -- Day Three
National Council of Churches General Assembly

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 14 ---- Following is a synopsis of news from the third and final day of business of the National Council of Churches' Nov. 12-14 annual General Assembly, meeting in Washington, D.C. The 270-member assembly is the highest governing body of the NCC and is made up of official delegates from the Councils' 34 member communions (denominations), which in turn have 52 million members.

U.S. Vice President Gore Addresses NCC General Assembly

U.S. Vice President Albert Gore greeted the NCC's General Assembly this morning, in particular hailing the Council's work for civil rights and environmental protection and its stand for unity.

"You stand for unity, not instead of, or in spite of, diversity but unity inspired by appreciation for and celebration of our diversity and absolute mutual respect," he said.

Furthermore, the NCC understands that "it's not enough for churches and other houses of worship to be united if the people are not," the Vice President continued. "You've put this into practice in communities across the nation through your 150,000 congregations.

"You've been especially effective on civil rights. The churches ignited that little spark of celestial fire called conscience, and forced America to see the issue of race as a direct and irresistable invitation to practice the love of God.

"You've helped communities rebuild churches destroyed by arsons, and to rebuild communities where in so many cases racial hate was cause of the fires," Mr. Gore continued "You are helping Black pastors be more effective in politics, and white pastors to lead work against racism in their congregations and communities. You are reaching to Native, Asian, Hispanic and other Americans of all kinds. You have a large view of the moral role of the churches in their society."

The Vice President continued with praise for the NCC's work to protect the environment, especially through its participation in the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, "just one example of the growing bonds between the environmental and religious communities." He commented, "We cannot glorify the Creator while heaping contempt on the Creation."

He also expressed gratitude for all the NCC's work "in advancing the social and spiritual condition of all people," and acknowledged a number of people by name, including the NCC's General Secretary, Presidents past and present and the Director of its Washington Public Policy Office, and welcomed the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of India as the NCC's newest member communion. He also thanked the Assembly for its prayers for him on Thursday morning, when he originally was scheduled to address the group but was called away to a meeting on the stand-off in Iraq.

The Rev. Dr. Joan B. Campbell, the NCC's General Secretary, welcomed the Vice President as "a man of faith who acts out your commitment in the public square." Praising his commitment to religious liberty and justice for all, she noted that the NCC also "challenges you when we must." She assured him and President Clinton the ecumenical community's prayers.

United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert, the NCC's President, offered the concluding words, including a prayer for peace and for blessings on Mr. Gore "as he continues this day to be a vital force of change in this world."

The Vice President started his address with a string of humorous comments and stories that provoked the Assembly to side-splitting laughter. He shared real bloopers from church bulletins ("At the Easter Services, Mrs. K--will be asked to lay an egg on the altar"), and joked about the investigations of his fundraising activities.

"You continually reach out to Jewish, Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist congregations," he said in praise of the NCC's interfaith relations work, then added, ?I've also reached out to Buddhist congregations." Then he paused and turned to Dr. Campbell and asked, "THIS isn't a fundraiser, is it? Just checking!"

NCC Reiterates Support for Affirmative Action

In its third and last day of business, the General Assembly of the National Council of Churches (NCC) unanimously accepted a resolution expressing continued support for affirmative action.

The resolution, put forward this week in the wake of turmoil over the confirmation of Bill Lann Lee for Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, calls on the NCC:

to continue support of and advocacy for effective affirmative action programs, statutes, policies and practices;

to speak out against retrogressive legislative and other attempts to rescind or weaken affirmative action statues on municipal, state or federal levels;

to align themselves with others of good will to defeat anti-affirmative action initiatives constructed to "turn back the clock," which are attempts to establish Proposition 209 at the federal level; and

to encourage members to exercise their constitutional and civil responsibilities fully in helping to defeat these and other assaults on productive affirmative action programs.

The resolution states that California's Proposition 209 and similar state and federal legislation "are antithetical to achieving a mature, diverse and egalitarian society.

The General Assembly passed the resolution with no discussion.

General Assembly Hears Reports in Two Key Public Policy Areas

The General Assembly heard reports about two important public policy issues about which NCC member communions and the NCC Washington Office are advocating, campaign finance reform and a Jubilee 2000 for debtor nations.

Bishop McKinley Young of the African Methodist Episcopal Church said that "religious communities have played an active role through statements and conferences in calling for campaign finance reform."

Bishop Young discussed current and upcoming legislation on the campaign finance issue, saying "it is time to step up our efforts in support of these bills." Too often, Congresspeople in support of campaign finance reform "are voices crying alone in the wilderness."

"Over $5.2 million has been spent on congressional investigations" into campaign financing, he said. "That would feed a lot of homeless people. I believe the time is right for the prophetic word and call for change."

Sister Marie Dennis of the Maryknoll Society Peace and Justice Office then reported on a "Jubilee 2000 - Debtor Nation" campaign that would allow for the forgiveness of foreign debt to allow indebted, underdeveloped countries "a fresh start."

"As we near the millennium, there is a prevalence of jubilee images," Sister Dennis said. "Countries deserve a new start, free of lingering debts."

"Creditor and debtor nations share the responsibility for these debts, but only the indebted bear the weight of repayment under terms imposed by the International Monetary Fund," she explained. "No mechanisms for bankruptcy exist."

She also noted that many of the factors for increasing debt have been external to the countries involved, such as rising oil prices and the levying of high interest rates.

Sister Dennis gave staggering statistics, pointing out that some countries pay three times more in loan payments than they receive in aid and that the entire worldwide debt amounts to $2.4 trillion.

"Economic decisions need to involve moral factors," Sister Dennis said. "As the Church, me need to insist that policies must be shaped in the context of God's love and demand for justice."

Most of the discussion centered around the Debtor Nation issue, with delegates supporting the call and stressing the need for ensuring that aid makes it to the grass roots level.

Bishop Zacharias Mar Theophilus of the NCC's newest communion, the Mar Thoma Church, described the international debt system as "a new world economic order of slavery and mastery."

The Rev. Dr. Albert Pennybacker, Head of the NCC's Washington, D.C. Office, concluded by saying that campaign finance reform and debt forgiveness "are two issues where we have the opportunity to make a real difference."

Appreciation for Outgoing President Bishop Talbert

Because it was the last day of the meeting, incoming President Bishop Craig Anderson, General Secretary Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell and United Methodist Bishop William Boyd Grove took time to thank United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert for his two years of service as NCC President.

Dr. Campbell listed the many things that happened during Bishop Talbert's tenure, including responding to burned churches, the transformation of the NCC, giving "medicine to Cuba, food to North Korea and hope to East Timor," his support of gay and lesbian people in the church, and the first exchange of greetings with the Roman Catholic bishops. "You have left the council stronger than you found it," Dr. Campbell said.

Bishop Talbert had a word of challenge for the General Assembly. "Much has been said about us being around the table, and I think it is at the heart of what it means to be the people of God," Bishop Talbert said. "It is not just a conference table, but the table of our Lord."

As much as I cherish ecumenical relationships, we cannot say that we all sit around the table of the Lord," he continued. "We create barbed wire fences around the table of the Lord and decide who is in and who is out."

"The table of the Lord belongs to all of us, not only those in this council but those knocking to get in," Bishop Talbert said. "We should pray that God will provide us with a kind of boldness to say, 'Yes, God, we have become instruments of you and we invite all of your children, regardless of who they are."

Dr. Campbell presented Bishop Talbert with a frame picture of his granddaughter and Bishop Grove presented him with a large print version of the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible because, he said, "this bishop is a field bishop who lives in the world, so he can read as he rides, as he runs and as he preaches in the churches."

In Other Business

In other business, the General Assembly heard reports from NCC delegation visits to North Korea, Indonesia/East Timor and the Middle East.

The Rev. Dr. Riad Jarjour, General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches, said one of the most important parts of the NCC delegation's visit to his region was not "the prestige and exposure through the media," but that "ordinary people in the Middle East saw that there is a positive, sensitive Christian link between the Middle East and the United States."

The General Assembly also accepted a report from the Communication Commission naming four priorities for the remainder of the quadrennium. The "four R's," upon which the Communications Commission will develop a media plan, are:

Renewing Christian unity in the context of interfaith relationships

Responding to human need at home and abroad

Resisting racism and building racial reconciliation

Re-affirming a Biblical rootedness

The meeting closed with a prayer.