FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Paula Newbaker
[email protected]
202-481-8215; 202-415-3739
BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS ON THE MISSION TO END GENOCIDE IN DARFUR AND BEYOND
WASHINGTON, D.C. August 7, 2008 – The Washington, D.C. based ENOUGH Project is proud to announce the release of the Not on Our Watch Christian Companion: Biblical Reflections on the Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond. The Companion links individual Christians and churches to the wider Darfur movement and provides guidance for mobilizing their support. It is a faith-based study guide and authorized companion to the best-selling Not on Our Watch, by actor Don Cheadle and the ENOUGH Project’s John Prendergast.
“There is no silver bullet to eradicate genocide and crimes against humanity. But there are Christian perspectives. We can stop genocide and crimes against humanity in the future, through a framework of promoting the peace, protecting the people, and accountability,” said Cory Smith, Advocacy Director, the ENOUGH Project. “The Companion outlines ways in which Christians, as individual and groups, reflect on the crisis in Darfur from a Christian perspective. It also outlines individual action steps."
The book is based on eight weeks of study. Each chapter constitutes a weekly study session designed to guide group discussion and reflection about Darfur and the movement to end genocide. Each session includes a biblical passage for reflection, a lesson applying the passage to Darfur, a weekly action step, and vignettes by refugees, activists and Christians who have awakened to the problem of genocide and become active in the Darfur movement.
Co-authored by Greg Leffel, President, One Horizon Foundation, and Bill Mefford, Director of Civil and Human Rights for the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, the Companion provides one way to mobilize the Christian community, crucial to stopping the genocide in Darfur.
According to Mike Slaughter, Lead Pastor at Ginghamsburg Church, Tipp City, Ohio, “It is time for the people of God to become activists at the local church level. Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church’s four-year involvement in Darfur is providing sustainable agriculture, schools and safe water for over 200,000 people. The Christian Companion to Not on Our Watch is a much needed resource that will help us sustain our efforts in the future.”
Mark Harrison, Director of Peace with Justice, General Board of Church and Society, explains that the United Methodist Church’s top legislative body approved this spring a “Call to Compassion and Caring” on the plight of the people of Sudan. “We call upon all parties to work through and with the United Nations and the African Union to secure justice for all,” states Harrison. “With hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by killings, illness and starvation, and more than two million internally displaced persons and countless more as refugees outside Sudan, the situation has became one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the 21st century. We urge the United States and other governments to work for a comprehensive peace in both Darfur and the southern region of the country of Sudan.”
Not on Our Watch co-author John Prendergast is amazed at the level of commitment by Americans all over this country to the anti-genocide cause. “We need to reach so many more people with the good news that there are solutions and it is our responsibility to respond.” says Prendergast. “This theological companion will provide an amazing vehicle to engage Christians through their faith in ways that we’ve never before seen on a human rights issue.”
The Not on Our Watch Christian Companion is available in paperback and sells for $7.50. Order copies by contacting Cory Smith at the ENOUGH Project at [email protected].
ENOUGH is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007 with an initial focus on the crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, northern Uganda, and Somalia, ENOUGH’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. ENOUGH works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises. To learn more about ENOUGH and what you can do to help, go to www.enoughproject.org.