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The Delegation:
Dr. Thelma Chambers-Young,
Chair; Progressive National Baptist Convention; Mrs. Sandra Ann Pyke
Anthony, African Methodist Episcopal Church; Ms. Linda Ann Bales,
director of the Population Project of the General Board of Church and
Society, United Methodist Church; Rev. Dr. Rhashell Debra Hunter,
director of the Racial, Ethnic and Women's Ministries Program,
Presbyterian Church (USA); Rev. Elenora Giddings Ivory, director of
the Washington Office, Presbyterian Church (USA); Ms. Shirley Ann
Nichols, member of the Coordinating Cabinet of the Presbyterian Women,
Presbyterian Church (USA); Rev. Lois Martha Powell, team leader of
Justice and Witness Ministries for Human Rights, United Church of Christ;
Rev. Susan Gwen Turley, Swedenborgian Church; Ms. Arlene Connie
Tyler, president of the Women’s Department, Progressive National
Baptist Convention, Inc.; Dr. Iva Elaine Carruthers, Proctor
Conference, United Church of Christ; Rev. Andrea Lucille Clark,
assistant pastor, Antioch Baptist Church, Tulsa, Okla., (National Baptist
Convention); Ms. Angelita Clifton, student, Drew Theological
Seminary, American Baptist Churches USA; Rev. NaShieka Dawn Knight,
associate minister, Greater St. John (Baptist) Church, Upper Marlboro,
Md.; Rev. Jacqueline Y. Lynch, associate minister, Saint Matthew's
Community AME Church, African Methodist Episcopal Church; Ms. Deborah
Leah Stapleton, lay minister, Fountain Baptist Church (Summit, N.J.)
and a student at Drew Seminary.
National Council
of Churches staff :
Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos
Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell
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| "I hope
we will hear the concerns of women in the region and stand in
solidarity with our sisters and brothers who are caught in the
middle of the conflict."
Dr. Thelma Chambers-Young, delegation
chair
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Daily
Report of the National Council of Churches' delegation of women church
leaders to the Middle East
The
Upper Room Experience:
God is trying to tell us something!
By
Angelita Clifton
“Cry
aloud and spare not. Give Him no rest till He sends His Spirit once
again to stir the waters and brood over this dark world till light and
life shall come. Cry day and night, O ye elect of God, for He will
answer you speedily. The time of battle draws near. Now for the sword of
the Lord and of Gideon! Now for the old might and majesty of ancient
days! Now for the shaking of the walls of Jericho, even though we have
no better weapons than rams’ horns! Now for the coming of the Holy
Spirit with such might and power that as Noah’s flood covered the
mountain tops, Jehovah’s flood of glory shall cover the highest summits
of sin and iniquity, and the Lord God Omnipotent shall reign over the
whole world.”
Charles
Spurgeon
What a mighty God we serve!
Like doves of peace the women’s delegation of the NCCCUSA swooped into
the Holy Land like a mighty rushing wind. Empowered by the Holy Spirit
the women of God raised questions that blazed like fire, burning away
the politically correct rhetoric which continues to cloud the issues
surrounding the Israeli - Palestinian conflict. While on this pilgrimage
to the Holy Land we were afforded the opportunity to see, with our own
eyes, the reality of daily life in this sacred space. With heavy hearts
and prayerful spirits we journeyed through areas on both sides of the
conflict, listening to all who would share their daily struggles. I can
remember thinking “why is this happening, God, and what does this mean?”
While visiting the Upper Room I believe we had an epiphany. The
experience was both poignant and transforming for all who were present.
Tears poured from deep within our souls, washing over our hearts,
preparing each of us to stand on the Word of God so that we might be
about our Father’s business. Like the saving blood of Jesus Christ, the
Holy Spirit refreshed and renewed our spirits, preparing us for the work
God would have each of us do, both individually and collectively. Jesus
said, "when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: ye shall be my witnesses
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost
part of the earth"
(Acts 1:8).
The delegation was composed
of sixteen women from many parts of the United States and the Caribbean,
with varying religious traditions. Many of us did not know each other
prior to this pilgrimage. Just as when the people in Jerusalem on that
memorable Day of Pentecost came running from all quarters crying, "What
meaneth this?" much like Peter, through the wisdom of the Spirit,
the composition of the delegation revealed the answer. “Not possible!”
you say. Well think about this! Twenty centuries have come and gone
since that first outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room, and
as, through the abiding presence of God among His people throughout
history, the mighty rushing wind has blown again!
Like doves of peace, we
emerged from the Upper Room empowered by the Holy Spirit. Although many
were uncertain about the specifics of their individual tasks,
collectively as a group we were sure that we were given a divine
assignment. The Spirit moves with gentle breezes upon souls and hearts,
much like He did within our delegation in the Upper Room. He can be so
tender when there is need for a gentle leading of an individual or group
unfamiliar with each other yet needing to work together in the oneness
of God. The movement of the Spirit upon our hearts has gifted Holy Ghost
power and reveals the answer from inside the composition of the
delegation. As the Holy Spirit sweeps across denominational lines,
breaking down traditions and long-standing barriers, God’s people are
empowered with the ability to love each other. As we love God and He
loves us, we can learn through collaboration even when the specifics of
the task are not crystal clear. Here is the answer, plain and simple,
for many of the conflicts in the world today. Collaboration begins with
compassion, care and concern, built on a foundation of mutual respect,
cemented together with love. There you have it, love is where peace
begins filling the inward, moving outward, and always focused
upward. These are the keys to the “Kin-dom,” where liberty and
justice reign for us all. What a Mighty God we serve!
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