Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Reconciliation in cultures of violence requires vision and preparing for the long haul, said Presbyterians working for peace in Northern Ireland at a Big Tent plenary here July 2.

Northern Ireland’s violent culture is fueled by fear, anger and resentment about past wrongs, said Doug Baker, a mission co-worker in Northern Ireland and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s regional liaison for Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Although it’s small in relation to other violence in the world, the conflict between loyalists and republicans doesn’t feel small to those living with it, Baker said. It’s difficult for people to imagine a new reality because the move out of conflict is very slow.

Those working for reconciliation need to affirm the Apostle Paul’s statement that the present order of things isn’t all that’s possible, Baker said. Peacemakers must then act to bring about the change that God is calling for.

Elizabeth Hughes

The Rev. Elizabeth Hughes, pastor of Whitehouse Presbyterian Church in Belfast, spoke of reconciliation in the aftermath of church arsons, common in the area.

In 2002, Whitehouse was firebombed and reduced to a shell. The church is located in a “no mans’ land” area of northern Belfast, where the neighborhood is a mix of Protestant and Catholic residents. After the church was attacked, the congregation witnessed a coming-together of the neighborhood.

“The extraordinary thing was that early that morning, as the building was still smoldering, the whole community began to gather round,” Hughes said, adding that they kept repeating, “the church is not the building. The church is the people.”

Whitehouse has considered moving to a safer location, but the congregation has realized that the church needed right where it is. There, it can reach out to all sides in the conflict, Hughes said.

Working for reconciliation means staying in for the long haul, Baker said. He paraphrased the late Archbishop Oscar Romero, saying that while we might not be around to see the tree fully grow, we still must plant and water seeds.