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Covenanters Raise Their Voices at the G-8 Summit
CHICAGO, IL (July 16, 2005) - Adam Rohler says he attended the recent G-8
Summit in Edinburgh, Scotland, to bring his faith perspective to the
events surrounding the gathering of world leaders.
Rohler, co-pastor of Bethesda Evangelical Covenant Church in New York,
and North Park University student Tim King were part of a 100-member
U.S. delegation affiliated with Bread for the World that joined
activists from around the world in rallies supporting increased aid to
Africa. During the summit, G-8 leaders pledged to double aid to Africa
from the current $25 billion to $50 billion by 2010.
Rohler was invited - because of his role as a pastor - to be interviewed
at several G-8 related events. One interview of Rohler scheduled to be
broadcast live to Manhattan was cancelled because of a bomb scare. But
he did get his opportunity to speak at a celebrity-studded press
conference to highlight the ONE campaign, a broad-based effort urging
nations to give one percent of their national budget to help eliminate
African debt and improve conditions of poverty. The Covenant is an
active participant in the campaign.
At the press conference, Rohler said, "I am here because my faith
compels me to be here. As Christians it is our responsibility to pursue
shalom in this world; Shalom is more than simply peace or the ceasing of
violence, but it is the flourishing of all of life, a kind of harmony of
life together."
He added, "This is what we long for, this is what I preach about back
home, this is what I would love to preach about if given
(the)opportunity to the G-8 and this is what we are here to proclaim."
Rohler recalls, "George Clooney looked right at me and said, 'That's
great.' "
Clooney and Dijimon Hounsou - star of Amistad and In
America - also spoke at the press conference.
Rohler and Tim King were invited to a reception in which they were able
to speak with Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, Sir Bob
Geldof, organizer of the Live 8 concerts, as well as others who were
organizing in their respective countries.
Rohler, who participated in a worship service last year with U2 lead
singer and activist Bono, plans to continue his own organizing. He hopes
that his church will be involved in a time of fasting and organizing
September 14-17 in New York City during the General Assembly of the
United Nations.
But he adds, his "hope does not ultimately lie in the government."
"My hope as a Christian lies in God," Rohler says. "My hope lies in the
God who is present with the 30,000 children who die every day from
preventable diseases and hunger, and my hope lies with the same God who
is in the hearts of those who have much to give to stop this daily
atrocity."
Rohler says pastors and churches have their own responsibility and
opportunity to help end hunger overseas and in their own community.
Rohler and King had intended a day of touring London on their return
from the G-8 Summit but were forced to cancel those plans when they
arrived several hours after the bombings that rattled the city.
"The terrorist attack was terrible and saddening, but I was also
impressed with the way the media covered the event," says Rohler. "We
consistently heard reports making a distinction between Islamic
fundamentalists and Muslims in general, to make the point that not all
Muslims were to blame."
He adds, "I saw a report with a psychologist who explained what the
symptoms and signs of shock were and some basic tips on how others could
help those coming out of shock, and there was an ethos of
professionalism and courage. I was impressed with the way the media
assuaged fear and offered suggestions for care of victims. It felt very
different from the American media."
Before leaving for the events in the UK, Rohler was able to attend the
Live 8 concert in Philadelphia, which included the Christian band Jars
of Clay. He says that while most of the enormous crowd came to hear the
free music that featured some of the world's biggest musical stars, they
also got an education about world hunger.
"The point of the concert was driven home after every act with a ONE
commercial or a celebrity spokesperson," Rohler says. "You would have to
be not listening to miss the point that there were millions of people
concerned about poverty and that there is a global campaign to end
extreme poverty."
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
