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June 2002
Dear Friends,
In October my office moved from the university area in south
Belfast to the top end of the Antrim Road in north Belfast. The
very fact that my daily journey now takes me through different
parts of the city than previously gives me new perspectives on
the state of the inter-communal tension that still dominates many
low-income areas of Belfast.
North Belfast is a patchwork quilt of deeply polarised “Protestant”/pro-British
and “Catholic”/pro-Irish enclaves. Driving up the Limestone
Road in the morning, too frequently I encounter broken bricks
and bottles telling a tale about rioting along the interface between
Loyalist and Nationalist areas the previous night. Driving down
it in the middle of the afternoon when the primary schools are
getting out, the presence of extra police and army patrols remind
me that children have become pawns in territorial disputes between
adults. On my way home in the evening the sight of groups of young
men hanging around sometimes foreshadows clashes that will make
the late evening news.
Last Saturday the sight I saw as I drove down the Antrim Road
told a very different story. Coming toward me was a poster bed
on wheels being pushed by several comically dressed characters.
In front walked two men carrying a banner that read “Habitat
for Humanity.” Alongside strode several people wearing Habitat
T-shirts and carrying buckets into which passing motorists could
drop donations. As a board member for Habitat Northern Ireland
I instinctively rolled down the window and reached in my pocket.
I also asked the woman holding the bucket if they were raising
funds for an international work team and, if so, in what country
they would be building. Her reply, “Romania,” pleased
me more than you could imagine: That was all I needed to know
that this was the group from Ballysillan and Ligoniel!
Ligoniel is a low-income “Catholic”/Nationalist district
and Ballysillan the “Protestant”/Loyalist district located
a few hundred yards away. Several years ago, when the peace process
here seemed to be moving ahead fairly smoothly, Habitat Northern
Ireland began to acquire land between these two districts with
the vision of building an integrated housing development on it.
Sadly, set-backs in the wider political atmosphere and repeated
clashes along the interfaces of other segregated districts have
left the population of these areas too frightened to back such
a scheme at this time. So, in collaboration with local residents
we redeveloped our strategy for North Belfast. We have identified
smaller plots well inside each of the districts where Habitat
housing will begin to go up in the coming months. In 2001 a group
of women from the two areas were also persuaded to take part in
a blitz-build with volunteers from many backgrounds. In their
own words, “We went to Denver from Northern Ireland to build
houses and ended up building something more.” Since they
returned, the relationships and trust built between these women
have been key in helping many in these two districts overcome
not only their suspicion of Habitat but also of each other. And
now, in 2002, a larger team of men and women from the two areas
are journeying together to Romania to keep building their own
relationships while building houses together for others.
When Jesus approached Jerusalem shortly before his death he looked
over the city and said, “If you only recognized the things
that make for peace.” The journey toward peace made in Christ’s
name takes many forms. Last Saturday it was a rickety old bed
being pushed toward me by a mixed team of Catholics and Protestants,
Nationalist and Loyalists through a part of the city whose streets
more often tell stories of division!
You have undoubtedly heard that the Worldwide Ministries Division
of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is also facing setbacks. If
things do not change there will be a shortfall of $1.2 million
in 2003 and $4.5 million in 2004. Several factors account for
this: Recent changes in the financial markets have brought about
a 30%-40% drop in interest earnings on endowments and investment
portfolios. In the last ten years giving to religious institutions
in the U.S. has dropped from 53.5% of all charitable giving to
36.5%. More congregations are also spending a greater proportion
of their budget on increased staff and improved buildings and
directing giving to local projects or special international relationships.
In view of all this the PC(USA) has also had to adopt a new strategy.
For the short term, three special accounts have been set up through
Extra Commitment Opportunities to raise funds for the overall
international mission program of the church:
- International Mission Personnel (#E048024) is for overall
funding of mission personnel needs—salaries, training,
support and pastoral care—including increasing the number
we can appoint.
- Special Opportunities in Overseas Mission (#E864015) is for
special ministries and emergency needs of partner churches and
institutions around the world.
- Innovative Mission (#E047978) is for new, experimental, and
innovative approaches to mission in a rapidly changing world.
If you'd like to contribute to an ECO, checks may be sent to
Central Receiving Service, Section 300, Louisville, KY 40289.
Write the title and the ECO number on the subject line of the
check and put it on your cover letter, too. Send a copy of the
cover letter to Marian McClure, Director, Worldwide Ministries
Division, 100 Witherspoon St. Louisville, KY 40202-1396.
The second initiative is for the long term. This is a ten-year
funding campaign known as the Mission Initiative. Phase one seeks
to raise $40 million from 2003-2006 to enable us as a church to
seriously engage the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ in
both word and deed.
We ask you to review your congregation’s level of giving
to General Assembly General Mission, to explore giving to these
special accounts so that PC(USA) mission work around the world
may continue as fully as possible, and as you hear more about
this Mission Initiative we urge you to respond with the recognition
that mission beyond our own walls and our own nation is not an
option—it is an imperative that lies at the very heart of
what it means to be the church of Jesus Christ.
Faithfully yours,
Doug and Elaine Baker
The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 81
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