Accompaniment and Advocacy
The Work of US Churches for a Just Peace in Colombia
Barbara Gerlach
San Andres, Colombia
February 14, 2006

Greetings
It is a great honor to be part of this Summit of Evangelical Churches for Peace in Colombia. I am very grateful for the invitation from CEDECOL, the Commission of Restoration, Life and Peace, and Justapaz to share how US churches are working to help build a just peace in Colombia.

I bring greetings from my denomination, the United Church of Christ, with a strong commitment to justice and peace, and from my local congregation, First Congregational Church working with the poor and homeless in Washington, DC. I also bring greetings from the Colombia Steering Committee, a Washington-based coalition of more than 40 NGOs, religious organizations, and grassroots groups working to change US policy toward Colombia and from the Ecumenical Working Group of Protestant and Catholic faith-based organizations working to:

• increase assistance to those displaced by the conflict,
• call attention to Colombian churches and religious leaders under attack, and
• support the initiatives of churches and civil society to build a true and lasting peace.

Building Relationships
My favorite resurrection story is the disciple's meeting a stranger on the Emmaus Road. As they walk and talk, share their sorrow and eat together, their eyes are opened and their hearts set on fire. They recognize Jesus. That holy encounter sends them back to Jerusalem to share their experience, re-weave the fabric of their community, and commit themselves to carrying on the life and love of Jesus (Luke 24:13-35).

Those of us in the US working on Colombia have had our eyes opened and our hearts set on fire because of holy human encounters with people like you. You have taken us on delegations and invited us into your churches and community. You have opened your lives and you homes. You have shared your hopes and fear, your visions and vulnerabilities to help us understand the complex reality that is Colombia.

Twenty-five years ago when my husband and I adopted our two children from Colombia, we said we would try to adopt a little of their country and culture. In 1997 I went on my first delegation to Uraba to see the massive displacement of Afro-Colombian, indigenous, and poor peasants living in sports coliseums and temporary shelter in Apartado, Turbo, San Jose de Apartado and Usme in Bogota. That "holy encounter" captured my heart, changed the course of my life, and set me on a journey with Colombian churches working to end the conflict and build a just peace.

Peter Stucky said to me several year ago: "Many people come to Colombia, but not a lot of people come back. Those of us in the US who keep coming back to Colombia do so because of relationships of mutual trust, learning and collaboration that continue to deepen over time.

US Policy Toward Colombia: Plan Colombia
For many years the United States has had its fingers in Colombia. But since 2000, with the launching of Plan Colombia, the US government has sent over $4 billion dollars of foreign aid to Colombia to fight a "war on drugs". 80 % has been spent on military training and equipment, helicopters and aerial fumigation. Only 20% has gone for social or economic development, assistance to the displaced, strengthening democracy or peace initiatives. In 2002, in response to the attacks of September 11, the US mission was expanded from a war on drugs to a war on terrorism. The number of US troops and contractors in Colombia was increased. Special US troops began to train Colombia military to protect the Canon-Limon oil pipeline in Arauca and to support Plan Patriotica and other counter-insurgency efforts in the south. In 2005, the US Congress approved $20 million to support the process of demobilizing the paramilitaries.

Many of us in the US are convinced that our government is fueling the war, rather creating conditions for peace. Many US churches on a local and national level are working to change hearts, minds, and votes in our Congress in order to:

• reduce US military assistance,
• increase funding for alternative development and the displaced,
• strengthen human rights conditions,
• monitor the impact of fumigation on the environment,
• monitor the paramilitary demobilization, with attention to victim rights, land, and human rights, and
• convince our government that the way to peace is through non-violence and a political negotiated solution to the armed conflict that includes the participation of churches and civil society.

I would like to focus on two kinds of work done by churches in the United States to support your work for a just peace: accompaniment and advocacy.

International Accompaniment
The first is accompaniment. We know how dangerous it is to work for peace in Colombia, to be a church or community or human rights leaders. We know that the presence of internationals, and the eyes of the world watching, increases the safety of people living under threat and working in the midst of conflict. Sometimes we come and walk with you for a short time on a delegation or for a longer time as missionaries and volunteers.

Increasingly US churches and faith-based organizations are organizing international accompaniment projects. Witness for Peace has brought hundreds of US citizens to Colombia on delegations focus on the impact of US policy. The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) accompanies displaced communities in San Jose de Apartado. Christian Peacemaker Team accompanies communities in the Magdalena Medio The Presbyterian Church USA has recently established a permanent presence of accompaniers in Barranquilla by training and rotating in new volunteers every month. Global Ministries of the United Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ will send a missionary in October 2006 to accompany the Commission of Restoration, Life and Peace of CEDECOL.

Many of the internationals at this conference have been accompanying Colombian peace initiatives such as:

• development and peace projects, like the income generating projects of ASVIDAS and the interfaith Foundation for Development and Peace in Montes de Maria,
• coalition-building among Evangelical and Catholic churches, NGOs, sectors, and networks to strengthen civil society participation in peace processes, and
• humanitarian dialogues and private conversations to stimulate official dialogues between the Colombian government and the armed groups..

Sister Churches
Another form accompaniment comes through the development of a sister relationships between communities in the United States and Colombia. Through the Sanctuaries of Peace Program of CEDECOL and Justapaz, US and Colombian churches are developing sister churches relationships. Several US churches are providing sanctuary and temporary refuge for at-risk Colombian who need to leave their country. In October 2005 about 20 Colombians and 60 US activists attended a Partnering for Peace conference in Chicago to discuss how to strengthen these sister relationships.

One of the most developed sister relationships is the Sal and Luz Program coordinated by Justapaz and Lutheran World Relief and funded by the Ford Foundation. Three evangelical churches in Tierra Alta, Sincelejo and Zambrano on the north coast are working with a group of US Lutheran churches in the midwest. Representatives from those Colombian churches have traveled to the US, met with US churches and members of Congress. Next week a delegation from these US churches will be traveling to visit Colombian churches on the north coast of Colombia. The goal of this project is the interchange and systematization of experiences so that US churches can better advocate for changes in US policies toward Colombia and so that Colombia churches are better equipped to be a prophetic voices for peace with the Colombian government.

Advocacy: Bringing Colombian Voices to the US Policy Debate
In the Gospel of John, Jesus promises he will send an Advocate, a Spirit of Truth who will abide with us and advocate for us so that we can testify to the truth out of our own experience. (John14:15-17, 25-27, 15:26-27). In Roman 8, Paul describes the Spirit as a counselor and intercessor between us and God, teaching us how to pray and helping us to express our sighs too deep for words, pleading for God's own people in God's own way.

These images of the Spirit inspire us in US churches in our advocacy work with our own government. Just as God hears the cries of those who are suffering, the focus of our work is to bring your cries and prophetic voices for peace to the US policy debate. We open doors and help you shape your message so you can tell your stories and bring your recommendations to the US Congress, churches, universities, and the media.

Let me give you a few examples.

• Since 2000 US churches and NGOs have organized many tours of displaced persons to the US, including, Afro-Colombians from Choco, indigenous from Cauca , and displaced and threatened church leaders from many different regions of Colombia. The Ecumenical Working Group has developed educational materials and advocacy resources to lift up the needs of the internally displaced persons and refugees.
  
  
• In 2002, in the midst of the government dialogues with the FARC, US churches funded and attended meetings in San Andres to strengthen coalitions and consensus among civil society leaders. Later we invited 15 key peace leaders from the Comite de Enlace or "Linking Committeee" to meet with the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Transformation of George Mason University and the Colombia Steering Committee, the Washington coalition of NGO's and churches working to change US policy. The purpose of these meetings was to strengthen skills in coalition-building, negotiation, and advocacy with the US government.
  
  
• In 2003, Hector Pardo and Ricardo Esquivia , then President and Vice President of CEDECOL, met with members of Congress to brief them on violations of religious freedom, including attacks on churches and religious leaders in Colombia. Ricardo Esquivia and the Commission of Restoration, Life and Peace developed a report on "Colombia's Suffering Church" documenting assassinations of pastors and religious leader and the forced closing of temples. This document was distributed to every member of Congress.
  
  
• In 2003 shortly after the US sent special troops to Arauca to train the Colombia military to protect the Canon-Limon pipeline, US churches helped organize a national tour with a Catholic priest and an evangelical woman working with a Christian Center in Arauca to discuss the rise in violence, the increased presence of paramilitaries, the lack of social assistance or consultation with their communities.
  
  
• In 2004 the Ecumenical Working Group organized a Congressional briefing Peace is Possible with Bishop Gomez Serna of Magangue, Rev. Milton Mejia of the Presbyterian Church, Ricardo Esquivia of the Commission of Restoration Life and Peace of CEDECOL, and Amanda Romero of the Andean Office of the American Friends Service Committee (Quakers).
  
  
• In 2005 Lutheran World Relief organized a briefing of Congress and church leaders on the impact of the paramilitary demobilization and the need for a legal framework for justice, truth, and reparation to the victims as the basis for true peace and reconciliation. Pedro Acosta from el Cristo Rey in Tierra Alta, Adelina Zuniga from Remanso de Paz in Sincelejo, and Ester Gonzales from the Peniel Church in Zambrano, and Ricardo Esquivia from CEDECOL's Commission on Restoration, Life and Peace described the experiences of their churches and communities.
  
  
• In 2005 following the assassination of a community leader at San Jose de Apartado, US churches joined with other NGOs and grassroots group in a campaign to delay the human rights certification and delivery of US military assistance to Colombia for six months. Their pressure resulted in funds being cut off to the 17th Brigade in the Uraba region.
  
  
• US churches have mounted letter writing campaigns to the Colombian and US governments to protect Colombian church leaders under threat of death or detention. Using the threats against internationally known church leaders such as Ricardo Esquivia and Milton Mejia, they have called attention to the massive and arbitrary detentions and the false accusations of paid informants under President Uribe's program of democratic security.
  

Write the Vision Plain
God tells the prophet Habakkuk: "Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. (Habakkuk 2: 2b)." In the tradition of churches in South Africa, Central America,Chile, and the Philippines, you are gathered to discern whether you have the clarity and the unity as evangelicals in Colombia to create a Kairos Document on peace and non-violence. We know from the South African experience that there is power when churches speak with one voice. The Kairos Document written by South African church statement helped people to organize not only within South Africa but also animated people around the world to join the non-violent struggle to end apartheid.

The process of writing documents, visions statements, blueprints for action can help build consensus and coalitions in Colombia and provide important resources for international advocacy and solidarity. Evangelical churches have already begun this process of articulating your visions and concerns through the Report on "Colombia's Suffering Church," letters to members of the US Congress about Plan Colombia, and through the documentation growing out of the Sal and Luz Sanctuaries of Peace Project.

The Mennonite Central Committee has contracted with Janna Bowman to coordinate a new Documentation and Advocacy Project. As I understand it, Janna will work with Evangelical churches to update information on attacks on churches and church leaders, the impact of paramilitary demobilization on churches and communities, and the courageous work of churches with the poor and displaced and for peace and reconciliation in the midst of the conflict.

Coalition-Building
Writing the vision plain is not easy. Nor is reaching consensus. Nor is the building of coalitions. This is my second trip to San Andres. In 2002 I came as an international visitor for a meeting of 45 Colombia peace leaders as they tried to reach consensus and build coalitions to strengthen civil society participation in the dialogues with the FARC. This time I am honored to be part of the discernment of evangelical church leaders as you decide whether now is the time to articulate a vision statement and plan for action for evangelical churches committed to a non-violent path to peace. You will decide whether writing the vision plain will help churches come together and speak with a united voice to the Colombian government about the demobilization of the paramilitaries and other peace processes. You will decide whether a Kairos document will attract more international support for peace in Colombia.

From the perspective of those working to change US policies toward Colombia, I can say that a "Kairos Document on the Path to Peace in Colombia" would be a very powerful advocacy tool for working with the US Congress, educating US churches, and organizing an international movement working for peace in Colombia. I can also say that if you can find a way to invite the Catholic church and civil society organizations into the process of writing a shared vision for peace in Colombia your witness will carry even more weight internationally. With your vision of non-violence and your commitment to reconciliation and re-weaving the social fabric torn by violence, Evangelical church can make an important contribution to the building of lasting peace in Colombia, a peace based in truth, justice, reparations to the victims of the conflict.

Ricardo Esquivia has said many times, "Our hope lies in community." We from churches in the United States are part of your community. We share your hope and accompany you on your journey toward peace in Colombia.

The Rev. Barbara Gerlach is pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC) and Colombia Liaison for UCC Justice and Witness Ministries. She is a member of the Colombia Steering Committee and Ecumenical Working Group working to change US policies toward Colombia. This presentation was given at the Summit of Evangelical Churches for Peace in San Andres, Colombia from February 13-17,2006.

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