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Religious Coalition to Focus on Reconstructing Black Churches
Group Concentrates on Helping to Rebuild African American and Poor Communities with Justice
February 13, 2006—With concern mounting about the ability of Hurricane Katrina evacuees to move back to New Orleans in the near future, a group of religious leaders has established a new coalition to help rebuild Black churches there as well as in other parts of the Gulf Coast region. “Churches Supporting Churches” (CSC), a diverse group of religious leaders representing Historic African American, Mainline Protestant and Historic Peace churches, has joined together to help reestablish the larger life of the community by raising the necessary funds to repair, re-start, rebuild and/or reopen as many churches as possible in New Orleans and other impacted areas of the Gulf Coast.
At a meeting held today in New Orleans with pastors from the area, CSC’ National Working Group planned to launch the “Break the Silence” campaign and identify 12-13 communities in which to focus its efforts. Because of the historic significance of the Black church as a support system and solid foundation to the African American community, CSC believes that helping Black churches rebuild first will be an incentive for residents to return to the region and begin rebuilding their lives.
According to Rev. C.T. Vivien, an historic civil rights activist and convener of the group, “Only the united Church, people in local congregations in partnership with white and African American churches in other areas of the US, as well as all people of faith, can make a difference and help a just response emerge from the tragic nature of Katrina’s devastation.”
Congregations are being called on to become “Katrina Church Partners” by adopting churches that have been affected and making a commitment to support their efforts to rebuild for at least a year. CSC is asking that at least 10 churches in regions outside of the impacted areas adopt one of the 15 churches that have been identified. This will be expanded to an additional 21 congregations as capacity develops and the number of partnering congregations and denominations increase. The New Orleans phase of the program could involve 36 local congregations and 360 congregations nationwide.
In addition to going beyond providing food and shelter to help communities rebuild, CSC also plans to mobilize national pastoral care resources to assist pastors and clergy in the impacted areas to deal not only with their own trauma but also those of their parishioners and others in the community.
“This region of the United States has survived the very worst of our nation’s history of racism, ignorance, poverty and neglect,” said Dr. Vivian. “We must help rebuild Black churches in New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast region so that they can be agents for the constructive, redevelopment and rebuilding of their communities as well as for the lives of the people in their congregations.
The groups making up the CSC coalition includes the Progressive National Baptist Convention, American Friends Service Committee, Every Church A Peace Church, Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, Church of the Brethren, Presbyterian Church USA and the Mennonite Church as well as participation in previous CSC meetings of The National Council of Churches of Churches USA.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: For more information, visit www.______________ or call Dr. CT Vivian, 404-505-8521, Rev. Dwight Webster 504-915-4987 or David Jehnsen 740-965-5118.
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FOLLOWING IS THE ORIGINAL, TENTATIVE PROSPECTUS ON THE PROJECT. (THERE HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS AND CHANGES SINCE THEN!)
BREAKING THE SILENCE
CHURCHES HELP REBUILD BLACK CHURCHES DESTROYED BY KATRINA
Helping to Rebuild African American and Poor Communities with Justice
OVERALL PURPOSE:
To secure, recover and restore African American churches’ property and facilities in order for them to serve their members and their community for the just reclamation of property and buildings and quality of life during the reconstruction of New Orleans and other impacted areas of Southern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The issue is, “who is going to own it and who is going to be hired to rebuild it!”. Just reclamation includes equal access to all forms of short and long term Federal Emergency Management Assistance (FEMA) financial assistance, fair and just compensation from insurance companies for rebuilding and protection from “eminent domain” schemes to steal their property in order to promote gentrification or industrial sites for a new largely white New Orleans of the future, and a reconstruction process consistent with the highest regard for the US Constitution’s equal protection under the law.
EVERY CHURCH A PEACE CHURCH PURPOSE:
To promote and advocate in partnership with sister African American Churches in their communities the recovery and rebuilding of the African American Churches in the impacted areas beginning with New Orleans and using FEMA and insurance resources, provide assistance on-site and long distance to congregations and their families to assist these congregations in the rebuilding of their communities in order to pursue more fully the just and democratic way of life.
BACKGROUND:
This region of the United States has survived the very worst of our nation’s history of racism, ignorance, poverty and neglect. Through Hurricane Katrina and the devastation deployed across this region everything physical has been obliterated, leaving in its waste destroyed churches, homes and communities, businesses, livelihood and lives. Even more striking is that it has raised the reality of racialism and the profound violation of African American People and poor white people by our local, state and Federal Governments at a time of national emergency. Every square foot of this region must be rebuilt; the question is, for whom and by whom? Will the African American people who have lived here for generations be the full beneficiaries of this re-construction and renovation and will the distribution of recovery resources include those who labored to make these communities what they had become before Katrina?
This crisis has destroyed traditional communications and infrastructure so that the people in New Orleans don’t have access to the outside world, let alone to the places where crucial decisions are being made about their lives and their futures. They are even more vulnerable than during the height of the storm itself. At stake is the very future of these communities and a significant region of our nation for decades to come. Only the united Church, people in local congregations in partnership between white and African American churches, and all people of Faith can make a difference and help a just response emerge from the tragic character of Katrina’s devastation.
Now is the time to “Break the Silence”, for Christian Church advocates of peace in Iraq and globally to advocate for a Just Peace in New Orleans today. Here is where the “rubber meets the road” in terms of nonviolence and peace. Do the churches stand for a Just Peace in New Orleans? Of course we do! And here is the way to get started.
EVERY CHURCH A PEACE CHURCH (www.ecapc.org ) CALLS U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL FAITH BODIES TO INTERVENE IMMEDIATELY TO REBUILD BLACK CHURCHES IN NEW ORLEANS AND THE IMPACTED REGION SO THEY CAN BE AGENTS FOR THE CONSTRUCTIVE REDEVELOPMENT AND REBUILDING OF THEIR COMMUNITIES AND THE HOMES AND LIVES OF FAMILY MEMBERS OF THEIR CONGREGATIONS:
Historically, the church has been the hub of Black community life and the primary institution to come to the community’s aid during time of crisis, especially in the face of abandonment of the national government. ECAPC is calling all its affiliated congregations, the Decade to Overcome Violence congregations of the World Council of Churches and national and international ecumenical and interfaith leadership to adopt partnerships with African American Church denominations and local congregations in New Orleans and the impacted region in order to assure that the recovery and rebuilding of the local churches begins immediately. This is the key to full recovery by African American brother and sister congregations in the South and their communities.
Congregations are called to become advocates in partnership with African American congregations in their own communities to link with specific local congregations in New Orleans initially and then in other areas. This link includes assistance, communication to relatives, sending of aid to congregational families and the neighborhood served by the local church. It also includes an advocacy role with the US Congress, FEMA. State and local governments and the national offices of Insurance agencies on behalf of the local congregations and their communities.
Congregations are called to designate a “Katrina Church Partners” point person, in conjunction with their neighboring congregational partner, to liaison with ECAPC and other cooperating national and international bodies. Register with Every Church a Peace Church’s web site (www.ecapc.org) on its special page Katrina Congregation Partners with the advocates of the two cooperating local congregations contact information or at ___ ___ ____ by telephone immediately. Congregations will want to be included in the opening of this historic Break the Silence campaign.
Here are some additional questions that need your input and response:
WHAT IS THE OVERALL STRATEGY?
HOW IS THE KATRINA CHURCH PARTNERS PROJECT MANAGED?
WHAT CAN KATRINA CHURCH PARTNER CONGREGATIONS DO?
WHAT CAN CONCERNED DENOIMINATIONS DO?
WHAT CAN CONCERNED INDIVIDUALS DO?
WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE OVERSIGHT TO THIS PROJECT?
If you have responses to these questions please share them with:
John Stoner, Every Church a Peace Church, Phone/Fax 717-859-1958, jstoner@ecapc.org
C. T. Vivian, Every Church a Peace Church, Phone 404-505-8521 Fax 404-505-0472 dvmorse@bellsouth.net
David Jehnsen, Institute for Human Rights and Responsibilities, Phone 740-965-5118, Fax 740-965-6793, ihrr@columbus.rr.com www.KingianNonviolence.info
