In Brief Kirkpatrick: Social ethic can combat violence in the world The Layman Online Monday, May 26, 2003 215th General Assembly Denver, Colo. May 24-31, 2003 General Assembly news index Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick, citing terrorism and violence in the world, says that the theme of the 215th General Assembly, "A House of Prayer For All Peoples," is "almost providential [because it comes during] a time when people are tearing each other apart in the world and in the church." Kirkpatrick, who spoke during a news conference with the three co-moderators of the Denver Committee on Local Arrangements at the Colorado Convention Center, said the church can witness to a Christian social ethic as it takes up an agenda heavy with international concerns – from international terrorism to the AIDS crisis ravaging Africa to conflict on the Korean peninsula. Kirkpatrick said ecumenical delegates from churches around the world are on hand at the General Assembly to provide commissioners with first-hand information from the areas around the world that are confronted with violence. Local congregation welcomes Korean commissioners The Korean Central Presbyterian Church of Denver welcomed Korean commissioners to the 215th General Assembly with a dinner on the opening night of the assembly. Yubang Lee, who introduced the guests by category, called the number of young minister commissioners "a reflection of the high percentage of young Korean ministers serving congregations and is a promising aspect of the future Korean church." The pastor of the 22-year-old church, the Rev. Chulgui Yi, welcomed the guests on behalf the session and the 350 members of his congregation. 'Backpacks for Children" get big response A program aimed at providing poor schoolchildren with backpacks is generating a big response at the 215th General Assembly. More than 400 "Backpacks for Children" had been collected by the opening night of the assembly, organizers said, as well as more than 600 pounds of school supplies. The project was started by a Denver businessman, Abbas Rajabi, who wanted to help children in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2002. The Rotary Club of Southeast Denver joined the project and sent the first shipment of 5,000 backpacks to Afghanistan in April. Half of the backpacks collected during the assembly will go to the Rotary Club for its project, while the remainder will be divided among nine Denver-area agencies.

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