Liberian Church Leaders Conference Declaration
November 1, 2002
The Perspective
November 18, 2002
Statement of declaration from the churches at the recent Church leaders' conference on Peace and Reconciliation in Liberia held under the theme: "BRINGING CHURCHES TOGETHER FOR A UNITED PROPHETIC VOICE FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIATION IN LIBERIA" at the Mamba Point Hotel in Montserrado County, Liberia from October
30, to November 1, 2002.
PREAMBLE:
1.0
Acknowledging that over 100 delegates, representing the Christian denominations in Liberia, deliberated on God's gracious love through Jesus Christ in this wounded Liberian society, with the view of responding to the human need and suffering of Liberians for lasting peace and reconciliation in Liberia;
2.0
Taking into account views and opinions of various speakers,
including the Arch Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Gambia, the Bishop of
the Lutheran Church, the President of the Liberia Baptist Missionary and
Educational Convention and the United Nations Humanitarian Officer in Liberia,
and the Chief Justice of Liberia, among others;
3.0
Observing that the delegates come from all mainstream
Churches of Liberia who are members of the Liberian Council of Churches and the
evangelical and Pentecostal Churches in Liberia covering all shades of the
Christian faith in Liberia;
4.0
Acknowledging with gratitude the assistance provided by the Presbyterian Disasters Assistance/Presbyterian Church - United States of America, through the AZCT - Liberia Network;
5.0
Acknowledges with thanks the Government of Liberia’s
protection of religious freedom.
I.
Now therefore, we the Church, being called to advocacy,
reconciliation and networking to serve as the mouthpiece of the suffering
masses of Liberia, who have been caught in difficult circumstances victimized
by the evil hands of the war and plagued by the political, social, economic and
spiritual negatives forces, which continue to be an obstacle to the development
of our dear mother land, do feel the obligation under the command of the Holy
Spirit to present this declaration as our innermost conviction and commitment
to our faith to defend our people and our nation to plead with ourselves and
the international community to come to our rescue.
II.
Realizing the International Community particularly, the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) the African Union, the
United Nations System, the European Union, The United States of America, Libya
and the Republic of China, continue to provide significant assistance for
peace, reconciliation, relief and reconstruction;
We herein put
forward the following to enhance and ensure, to wit:
1.
Advocacy being an act of intercession, the Church leaders
conference under the coordination of Action by Churches Together (Liberia
Network) led by the Liberian Council of Churches, following in the footstep of
the Lord Jesus our Advocate, sees its mandate as interceding to God for and on
behalf of the down trodden and war weary Liberians, seeks to represent a voice
of conscience to the Government and the people of this beloved land;
2.
The Church acting together shall seek to stand up and be
visible in the crucial search for answer to the vices in society including:
a. Social injustice,
mass unemployment, security breaches, rising teenage pregnancy, disregard for
the fundamental rights and dignity of the Liberian people,
b. Also including
the unconstitutional exercise of power, the ongoing depletion of the
environment as occasioned by the wanton and uncontrollable exploitation of the
forest, the poor sanitary conditions of our cities, towns and villages,
c. The persistence
attitudes and action that tend to destroy our national image locally and
internationally, the continuous destruction and plundering of our
infrastructure, the constant imposition of sanction, and the increase in the
HIV/AIDS pandemic;
3.
the Church declares that these trends are totally
unacceptable in our society and therefore select to engage in constant and
interactive dialogue with the Government, Government agencies and requisite
partners in the search to remove these vices from the Liberian society;
4.
Realizing that Reconciliation is key to our faith as
Christians and is embodied in the person of Jesus Christ as we are called
individually and collectively to be ministers of reconciliation; the Church
sees Reconciliation as an act of restoring broken relationships and
acknowledges the level of division among its fold and the need to be reconciled
and empowered for peace building;
5.
The Church notes that there is uneven allocation of
national wealth and opportunities, blatant misuse of power and disrespect for
authority, disregard for law and order, superiority complex, and pride, all
being causes for the continuation of the war and the destruction theta is
plaguing the nation and declares that these negative vices must be stopped
6.
The Church declares that for peace and reconciliation to be
realized, the following must be implemented:
A.
Immediate and
unconditional cease-fire by all fighting forces must take effect;
B.
Deployment of a
monitoring force to ensure adherence to the cease-fire;
C.
Engagement of the
warring parties in meaningful dialogue and delivers total peace and harmony;
D.
Fostering meaningful
dialogue between government and the opposition groupings;
E.
That the necessary
mechanism for genuine, free, fair and transparent election be put into place.
These shall include but not limited to the following:
a.
Verified national
census
b.
Voters' registration
c.
Repatriation
d.
Resettlement, etc.
F.
The doing away with
corruption from every sector of our national life;
G.
Ensuring equal
allocation of national wealth and opportunities;
H.
Prioritizing health,
education, food production, restoration of pipe-borne water, electricity,
improved communication, sanitation, and road networks;
I.
Protection of the basic
rights and dignity of all persons; and
J.
Fostering genuine
confession, forgiveness and acceptance.
7.
NETWORKING is the act
of purposefully sharing information with the aim if enhancing cooperation
between the collaborating groups connecting one another in love and
concretizing working relationship, therefore speaking together, the Church
declares commitment to multidirectional communication on issues, concerns,
plans and actions seeking to inform its members, inter-and intra-denominational
grouping, the civil community, local and national leaders, and other relevant
parties of the plans and actions to be fostered through dialogue. Building and
enhancing trust, respect for all, and tolerance to the opinions and values of
others, even if they differ from our position on the issues at hand.
CONCLUSION
In
conclusion, the Church speaking with one voice is calling upon all ministers of
the gospel, government institutions, institutions of learning, the civil
society, both local and international NGOs, political parties, the print and
electronic media to show an outright disagreement for war and the negatives
vices of the society. We encourage all to preach, teach and create awareness on
advocacy, reconciliation and networking throughout the length and breath of
Liberia. To promote peace and reconciliation, the Church also reaffirms the
values of the Christian faith amongst which are the belief in the word of God
and One Man – One Wife.
To
this end, the church is developing a Plan of Action to foster these goals and
values.
For
in union strong, success is sure.
Leaders from various denominations in Liberia completed a three-day peacebuilding, advocacy and networking conference held in Monrovia under the auspices of ACTION BY CHURCHES TOGETHER INTERNATIONAL (ACT) local network, which serves as National Secretary. Information provided by Rev. Kortu Kayve Brown.