 'Only in America,' new moderator says By John H. Adams The Layman Online Sunday, May 16, 2002
"I want to say this [his election as moderator] can only happen in a place like the Presbyterian Church (USA) and in a place like America." His "only in America" statement drew a roar of applause from commissioners. In case reporters covering the assembly missed it the first time, he opened a press conference after his election as moderator by repeating it word for word. It was obvious that the Atlanta minister who heads a ministry for international students was overwhelmed by what had taken place as he won a second-ballot victory over two California ministers: Laird Stuart and Jerry Tankersley. His name means: Fahed, leopard or first or success, what parents want to happen to their children; Abu, father; and Akel, intelligence. He breathlessly describes his American experience as more than he would have ever imagined, even more fulfilling than the lofty aims of the name his Palestinian Christian parents gave him, more than he ever hoped for when he landed in America in 1966 to enroll in Southeastern College in Lakeland, Fla. Abu-Akel has a slight Arabic accent, a quick wit, and a desire to see peace in the Mideast and the Presbyterian Church (USA). "Can you send this story to Israel, to Jerusalem?" he asked reporters. "I would like both Israel and Palestine to say that the Presbyterian church elected a Palestinian moderator from Israel." (A reporter for The Layman and The Layman Online volunteered that an announcement about his victory went on the Web Site of the Presbyterian Lay Committee within minutes of his election at 9:45 p.m. and that stories would follow within a few hours. Abu-Akel was told that Christians in Israeli and Palestinian territories regularly visit www.layman.org.) "We are a church that is going to work together; we are united; and we are going to focus on mission," he said, hoping people in his homeland would hear. Asked what his election said to people in Palestine, he said, "It says to the people of Palestine that there is hope for you. Number two, my message to the people of Palestine is I hope you would have an independent Palestinian state. But the only way you will have a future is to respect one another. My message to the people of Palestine is continue striving for your freedom." He was asked what he would say to President Bush as moderator of a national denomination. "My message at this point in history is we are the most powerful nation under the sun militarily, and I want my nation to win over and work with the rest of the world. I wish we could win over the world politically, economically and socially. As a church, we have a prophetic voice in this area. I'm praying for your government. I'm praying for your nation." And to Yasser Arafat? "I would say to Arafat, speak to the Palestinian people for them to stop the suicide attacks. You gain your freedom through nonviolence." Almost without breaking cadence, he said, "My message to my church is that as we move toward the future, the racial-ethnic population is going to grow by leaps and bounds. The racial-ethnic ministry needs to be the number one priority in our church. We really need to support the Mission Initiative," a proposal to raise $40 million for new church development and international missions. "We need to ask our Caucasian churches to start opening their doors and nesting immigrant ministries." Then the new moderator went after the sticky issues in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Are there practical approaches for the search for unity in the midst of diversity? "It will be marvelous for people on both sides to call one another, write one another. We have been discovering each other intellectually. We need to discover the pain of one another. It's not intellectual. It's at a gut level." He called for patience on the issue of congregations that have declared they will not abide by the denomination's "fidelity/chastity" ordination standard. Asked if continued defiance should result in enforcing the constitution, he said, "Somebody said the other day, when you [as Americans] struggle, you need a quick fix. In the African-American culture, struggle goes on for a long, long time when you're working for justice, working for a cause. Let's be patient with one another. I don't see a quick fix." |
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