Mary Ann Lundy, formerly a member of the staff of the General Assembly Council, and of the World Council of Churches, sent this note to progressive friends about a month ago, and it has just found its way to us. She speaks as one who's been there, done that. Or had that done to her, since she was fired from her GAC position in the aftermath of the 1993 ReImagining Conference.

Click here for background.

Dear Friends:

As some of you already know, two PC(USA) national staff members we fired last week in a manner reminiscent of the aftermath of the Re-Imagining Conference ten years ago - Kathy Lueckert, who was Deputy Executive Director of the General Assembly Council, and Peter Sulyok, Coordinator of Social Witness Policy.

The background for the decision is the last General Assembly when action was taken to study the possibility of divestment of stock in corporations that are involved in the Israeli demolition of homes and buildings in Palestine. So far only study has taken place and no action, but Jewish religious bodies and political organizations have registered their opposition and made threats against the PC(USA) headquarters and more recently [there has been a threat] to burn churches.

In the fall of this year the Committee on Social Witness Policy, staffed by Sulyok whose supervisor is Lueckert, made the decision to travel to the Middle East on a fact-finding mission. They spoke with leaders in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and Israel and spoke with pro-Palestinian groups. At least one Israeli official declined to meet with them.

Though they were instructed not to meet with the media, one elected member did so and an uproar ensued, whereupon Peter and Kathy were abruptly fired. Ironically, this happened 11 years to the day after the Re-Imagining Conference!

On Sunday a trusted member of the Louisville staff called me and said that the staff is again devastated, but are ready to stand against the action. She asked me to get in touch with all my networks and ask people to send e-mails and letters citing the parallels with the Re-Imagining aftermath - the unfairness of holding only staff accountable for an event which involved elected leadership, for the use of scapegoating in order to appease critics of the church, for "wimping out" instead of standing firm when there is criticism of faithful and courageous action; in short, the sacrificing of national staff when the going gets rough!

If you feel as I do, I ask you to make your voice heard by writing to Mr. John Detterick, Executive Director of the General Assembly Council, PC(USA), 100 Witherspoon St., Lousville, KY 40202 or E-mail him at jdetterick@ctr.pcusa.org protesting his action and to the Chair of the General Assembly Council who is Nancy Kahaian, particularly asking for a hearing for the staff members and an investigation of John Detterick's action.

Many thanks.
Mary Ann Lundy