Overture 21

On Expressing the Church’s Concern for the People of Haiti—From the Presbytery of Tropical Florida.

The Presbytery of Tropical Florida overtures the 217th General Assembly (2006) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to express to the president and the Congress of the United States of America the church’s concern for the people of Haiti, to request the president and the Congress to address the political and social situation in Haiti with the resources available to our nation, to provide for welcome and relief for Haitian refugees, and to cease the current practice of immediate deportation of those who are attempting to escape the horror that exists in that troubled country.

Rationale

The mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has historically included ministries of compassion to hurting people and social justice to opposed peoples.

The people of the nation of Haiti are suffering from a combination of natural disasters, economic depression, and political unrest and chaos.

The government of the United States of America has the power to influence changes in international situations through both political and economic means.

The United States of America takes pride in its historical welcome to immigrant peoples, including “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore; send these, the homeless, tempest tossed to me.”