Episcopal Press and News
Burned Churches Spark Outpouring of Support
Episcopal News Service. July 25, 1996 [96-1530]
Jack Donovan
(ENS) On July 1, President Bill Clinton proclaimed a national month of unity, declaring that "the recent rash of arson attacks against black churches and other houses of worship is a stark reminder that our work to build common ground is far from over."
By the middle of the month, church groups were reporting the tangible evidence of that unity in the form of a massive outpouring of money and resources from individuals, corporations and foundations in response to the destruction.
As of July 17, the National Council of Churches (NCC), which has spearheaded much of the relief effort, had collected more than $7.7 million in cash, in kind gifts and pledges for its Burned Churches Fund. A group of 10 foundations was responsible for granting $1.5 million of this total with three other foundations pledging $1.5 million more. The NCC's grants committee has released $916,000 of these funds for restoration of nine burned African American churches.
NCC member denominations, partner religious communities and independent churches contributed approximately $959,00 in donations while individuals have given $163,410 in donations and $200,000 in pledges. Estimated non-cash pledges amounted to $3.4 million, including $2 million in pre-construction loans from the Enterprise Foundation. Wood products have also been donated by the International Paper Company to rebuild churches burned before July 17.
According to Nan Marvel, director of the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief, the fund quickly exceeded its goal of $100,000 in its own drive to support the burned churches by collecting $124,182 through July 19. Money will be disbursed, she said, through ongoing conversations with the bishops of Province IV and with the NCC's Church World Service division. In addition to the designated contributions, the fund made emergency grants of $6,000 to the Diocese of Alabama and $7,000 to the Diocese of East Tennessee.
While the Rev. Joan Brown-Campbell, the NCC general secretary, has estimated that rebuilding of burned and desecrated African American churches and other houses of worship will take approximately $12 million, the NCC is also considering how to confront an equally important task: how to rebuild the affected communities.
"People are looking for a 100-yard dash solution," said Diane Porter, chair of the NCC program committee for burned churches, and the Episcopal Church's executive for program. "But we're going to be in this for the marathon -- its going to be long."
Porter said that the NCC effort would have to develop approaches that would identify what would work best for each situation. "If there's good strong local leadership, we'll lend them our support, but in some cases we'll have to help create leadership, and in rural isolated areas, where the destroyed church is three miles down the road from nowhere, our first task will be to figure who the community is," she said.
In addition to rebuilding and community efforts, the NCC said that money would also be used to investigate the attacks and bring legal action against perpetrators.
"It is our responsibility to stay silent no longer," Campbell said at a July 15 rally for burned churches that drew more than 3,000 to the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City. "When black churches are being attacked, their pastors receiving hate calls in the middle of the night, and their children being threatened, freedom of worship and democracy itself are at risk."