GA approves statement
opposing Afghanistan war
By Edward Terry, The Layman, July 13, 2010
MINNEAPOLIS – The General Assembly of the 219th Presbyterian Church (USA) has declared its opposition to the war in Afghanistan, and its support for Sept. 11 victims, U.S. troops and non-violent ways of restoring peace.
Approved by a show of hands as the assembly was winding to a close, the statement (Overture 13-02) was one of several that came out of the Peacemaking and International Issues committee. It calls on the United States to cease combat operations in Afghanistan and instead pursue non-combat actions that support stability, prosperity and peace.
During debate, amendments were added acknowledging violence against women and girls as a part of war, as well as encouraging Presbyterians to pray for those who lost loved ones in the Sept. 11 attacks and first responders and volunteers who now are ill as a result of their service.
A third amendment expressed appreciation for the sacrifices related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The statement preamble that was added reads: “We of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. have deep appreciation for the patriotic loyalty of our nation’s citizens and service personnel for the extreme sacrifice that (sic) they paid and will continue to pay to support our effort to achieve peace and stability in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to protect the citizens of our nation. However, we believe further sacrifices and services will not serve the purposes for which we have been engaged, therefore the Peacemaking and International Issues Committee recommends that the 219th General Assembly … ”
The sponsor of the amendment said he felt the original statement did not recognize the “extreme price our nation has paid.”
Because several overtures about the war in Afghanistan were introduced, the GA approved the committee’s recommendation to allow overture 13-02 to speak for the others.
More peacemaking
Additional actions on issues considered by the Peacemaking and International Issues Committee at the 219th GA included:
- An overture calling on Presbyterians to partner with the Presbyterian Church of Sudan or the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church for “the proclamation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of humankind, the preservation of the truth, and the maintenance of divine worship.” The overture also called for intercessory prayer for the war-torn African nation, as well as increased private and government development funding, and renewed efforts to end hostilities in Sudan.
- Created a 5-person steering team that will “seek clarity as to God’s call to the church to embrace nonviolence as its fundamental response to the challenges of violence, terror and war” in an effort to strengthen the denomination’s peacemaking program. The group, which falls under the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) will report its findings to the 221st General Assembly in 2014. The cost will be split between the General Assembly Mission Council and per capita budgets. According to PCUSA estimates, the total cost of the group’s work over a 3-year period will be approximately $150,000.
- Approval of commissioner resolutions supporting peace and reconciliation in Korea, agriculture in Haiti and restoration of democracy in Madagascar and Honduras.