PCUSA congregations will receive 'pastoral communication' about GA's divestment action By Paula R. Kincaid The Layman Online Tuesday, September 28, 2004 LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The General Assembly Council has voted to send a pastoral communication to all Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations concerning the action of this summer's General Assembly to begin a "a process of phased selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel." The recommendation came from the council's Worldwide Ministries Division Committee, where Judy Angleberger of Beaver, Pa. said the committee spent two hours over two days discussing the issue. "The GAC needs to respond to help interpret the process of divestment and to clarify that this action is of the General Assembly, which the GAC must carry out," she said. Cynthia McCall Campbell, president of McCormick Theological Seminary, spoke in support of the pastoral letter, saying "it is a very important action for the GAC to take." "The divestment strategy has unnecessarily moved into a direction that alienates us from people we need to be in conversation with," she said. "So many people are operating on the basis of what they think we did," said GAC member Manley Olsen of St. Paul, Minn., adding that it was very important for "us to know what the General Assembly did, what the process is, and how it will move along." He said that Missions Responsibility Through Investment has made its position very clear – "divestment is the last possible step." MRTI, Olsen said, will do everything in its power to resolve these things … they are basically looking for other ways to resolve the issue in the best interests of the PCUSA." Former PCUSA Moderator Susan Andrews said the denomination has two deep commitments at stake: "Our passion for justice in the Middle East particularly in the occupation of the Palestinian people, and a passionate relationship with our Jewish brothers and sisters that they, and we, have cherished for a long time. As we proceed and have these dialogues, I hope we will not pit those two convictions against each other." She said the denomination can affirm both of the convictions and not water down either, but it will "be a hard balance." The communication, approved by voice vote, will be sent by the GAC in collaboration with Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick and Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase. It: Affirms our long-standing commitments in the Middle East. Acknowledges that our actions responding to the pain of our Palestinian brothers and sisters has brought pain to our Jewish brothers and sisters. Restates our position decrying violence and human rights violations on both sides. Acknowledges the strain on cherished, long-standing Jewish/Christian relations. Informs the church of ongoing national dialogues with the Jewish community. Invites Presbyterians to see this as an opportunity to engage in the difficult task of dialogue in a situation where there is serious disagreement in order to deepen our understanding and respect for each other. Acknowledges the GAC's responsibility to implement the action of the General Assembly. Acknowledges the history of our concern to be morally responsible investors. Clarifies the process and timeline for implementation by MRTI recommendation. Refers Presbyterians to available resources and appropriate Web sites. Kirkpatrick already has sent a newsletter called "Continuing the Journey" to commissioners and advisory delegates of the 2004 General Assembly. It addresses all of the items that commissioners approved concerning Israel, and included a discussion of what the assembly did, was the action consistent with G.A. actions and what happens next. The newsletter also has messages by Kirkpatrick and Ufford-Chase. The text of the newsletter can be found on the PCUSA Web site under Israel and Jewish Relations. GAC members also received information on the divestment issue from its National Ministries Division Committee, which oversees the Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee, the group that has the responsibility of implementing the G.A.'s vote on divestment from Israel. Allison Seed, chair of NMDC, said the process described in the information papers is "one of seriousness, one of slowness and prayerful negotiation." She also directed the GAC members' attention to the Sept./Oct. 2004 issue of Church and Society, titled "A Wall of Security, A Barrier to Peace," that has a special section on divestment. During the NMDC meeting earlier in the week Olsen said MRTI is "an ongoing committee that looks at the investment policies of the church in terms of policies that the PCUSA has adopted. … They look to see if companies are acting within the principles we have adopted in the PCUSA." He said MRTI has a variety of methods at its disposal. The committee will "try to resolve the issue through meeting with company officials and, if that doesn't work, the next step is to file shareholders' resolutions." Most companies, Manley said, "would rather solve the issue quietly without it coming to the floor of their shareholder meeting." The final step, which has to be approved by the General Assembly, is to divest from investments in that particular company. "It takes a lot of time … it's not going to happen next week," he said.

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