National Council of Churches creates commission on hurricane response.

Keenly aware of the spiraling effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on millions of Americans, the National Council of Churches USA (NCC) Governing Board formed a commission to work for the “just rebuilding of community” on the Gulf Coast, an NCC release reported today. Global Christian leaders also shared their empathy with US Christians in the wake of the hurricanes. Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren General Board, participated in the meeting that took place in New York on Sept. 26-27.

“Africa’s churches express our solidarity and sadness at the Katrina destruction that has visited the people of this country,” said Mvume Dandala, general secretary of the All African Council of Churches, as reported by “The Christian Post” from a press conference held in relation to the meeting. Dandala added that in Africa, “Our own Katrina is HIV/AIDS.” He said that African countries will be watching the US response to Katrina carefully. “We sense that the response to the fate of the poor, who is in majority of African descent, will reflect how this country responds to the challenges of African countries.”

“These our sister and brothers shared their empathy and concern that Christians in the US seize this moment to share with clarity that what we are doing is in response to human need,” said Noffsinger. He added that the Christian response to the disasters comes “out of a desire for a more just world, and quite simply because it is what we understand Jesus to have us do,” he said.

The NCC Governing Board passed unanimously a resolution to call on the US government to create an independent commission similar to the 9/11 Commission to investigate deficiencies in the response of rescue and relief workers following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and in other devastated areas of the Gulf.

NCC president Thomas L. Hoyt Jr., Christian Methodist Episcopal bishop of Louisiana and Mississippi, said he would appoint Church World Service (CWS) representatives and others with special expertise to the NCC commission on Katrina. Church World Service is the humanitarian and relief agency of the communions that are members of the NCC.

Hoyt said he was also mindful of the hidden human tragedy of Katrina, including the alarming number of suicides of rescue workers and “people who lost everything.” The Governing Board received for a second reading a resolution on “Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Support,” which will be passed on to the NCC General Assembly when it meets Nov. 8-10. The resolution on suicide prevention urges member communions to “study and address the issues related to suicide prevention, intervention and support for those who attempt suicide and survivors of suicide loss.”

In other actions, the Governing Board welcomed publication of the NCC's new curriculum, “For the Peace of the World, A Christian Curriculum on International Relations”; heard a report from Eileen W. Lindner, deputy general secretary for Research and Planning, on the preparation of a policy on human biotechnologies, “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made”; and voted to pass on to the General Assembly a resolution to reaffirm provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and a Bill of Media Rights that reaffirms that the public owns the airwaves and has a right to expect local stations will respond effectively to community needs. The board also discussed the withdrawal this summer of the Antiochian Orthodox Church from NCC membership.

The Church of the Brethren is a member denomination of the NCC, which is composed of 35 Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, historic African-American and peace communions representing 45 million Christians in 100,000 local congregations in the US. For more information about the NCC see www.ncccusa.org.

Source: 9/28/2005 Newsline
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