National UCC and Disciples staff raise Tents of Hope

National UCC and Disciples staff raise Tents of Hope

National UCC and Disciples staff raise Tents of Hope National staff of the United Church of Christ at the UCC Church House in Cleveland and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) at the Disciples Center in Indianapolis are creating their own Tents of Hope in order to raise awareness of the ongoing crisis and support for Sudanese refugees and for the Tents of Hope project. The tent-raisings were organized by Global Ministries’ Africa and Advocacy offices, UCC’s One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) and Justice and Witness Ministries, and the Disciples Week of Compassion (WOC). Participating national staff contributed money to help pay for the tents and to support Sudan relief efforts through OGHS and WOC. Throughout 2008 the UCC and Disciples tents will go on to visit local congregations and church events like the UCC National Youth Event in July, and will eventually join hundreds of others at the national “Gathering of the Tents” on the national mall in Washington, DC in October. If you’re interested in arranging to display the UCC or Disciples tent for your Sudan event, please contact Derek Duncan, Associate for Global Advocacy and Education. duncand@ucc.orgThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Disciples Center tent-raising February 2008 Dedication prayer from the Disciples tent-raising: A Litany for the Victims of the Atrocities in Sudan L: In a makeshift refugee camp in Darfur, Western Sudan, a tear flows down the cheek of a defenseless mother as she strokes the arm and face of her starving child, her head is covered but her eyes convey a truth of overwhelming anguish. P: We will not stand idly by the blood of this child. L: In Darfur’s open desert, a militia of fighters backed by the Sudanese government rides rampant on camels and horses, fanning the flames of ethnic strife. Villages and towns are scorched. Food and water – the withholding of them – are used as weapons of death. And innocent people of Darfur’s African communities are forcibly abducted, enslaved, raped, and slaughtered in mass numbers as part of a systematic campaign to wipe out entire groups of peoples from the region. P: We will not stand idly by their blood. L: In the capital city of Khartoum, the face of a top official reddens in anger as he strongly denies evidence that the government of Sudan recruits and arms a militia to terrorize and murder black Africans, and blocks humanitarian access for relief workers in Darfur. P: And we say to him, “Do not stand idly by the blood of our neighbor!” L: In the eyes of the world community, the genocidal activity and terror perpetrated against millions of people of ethnic black African origin finally gain attention. We stand solidarity with every one of us and every one of them. P: And, in a moment of urgency and hope, we stand to remember that justice is our duty, to recognize the image of the Divine in every human life, to renounce inaction in the face of enormous tragedy, and, we pray, to rouse an immediate and effective response from the world at large on behalf of the victims of Sudan. Amen. Source: The Commission on Social Action of the Union for Reform Judaism and the National Council of Churches USA; adapted from Rabbi David Saperstein’s remarks at the Sudanese Embassy on July 22, 2004. UCC Church House tent-raising March 2008 More photos of UCC tent

 

National staff of the United Church of Christ at the UCC Church House in Cleveland and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) at the Disciples Center in Indianapolis are creating their own Tents of Hope in order to raise awareness of the ongoing crisis and support for Sudanese refugees and for the Tents of Hope project. The tent-raisings were organized by Global Ministries’ Africa and Advocacy offices, UCC’s  One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) and  Justice and Witness Ministries, and the Disciples  Week of Compassion (WOC). Participating national staff contributed money to help pay for the tents and to support Sudan relief efforts through OGHS and WOC.

Throughout 2008 the UCC and Disciples tents will go on to visit local congregations and church events like the UCC National Youth Event in July, and will eventually join hundreds of others at the national “Gathering of the Tents” on the national mall in Washington, DC in October.

If you’re interested in arranging to display the UCC or Disciples tent for your Sudan event, please contact Derek Duncan, Associate for Global Advocacy and Education.
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Disciples Center tent-raising, February 2008

UCC Church House tent-raising, March 2008