Mennonites join thousands in calling for Jubilee

Mennonite Central Committee
Saturday, 29 April 2000

WASHINGTON-- When Pilgrims Mennonite Church, Akron, Pa., agreed to forego their normal Sunday service and go to a rally calling for cancellation of debt of the world's poorest countries, held in Washington April 9, wooly hats and gloves weren't in the plans. The National Mobilization for Debt Cancellation, hosted by Jubilee 2000 USA and attended by 5,000 to 7,000 people, took place in a cold snap that left a light dusting of snow over the cherry blossoms in Washington.

"I checked on the internet the evening before," relates Barry Kreider, one of the organizers. "But when I saw the entire street covered with snow I wondered whether we ought to go or not." The promise of a day standing in the cold did not deter most people; all but six of the 92 seats on Pilgrim's two chartered buses were filled.

"The Jubilee 2000 campaign draws inspiration from the bibical teaching about the Jubilee year (Lev.25)," notes Marty Shupack of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) U.S. Washington Office . "After seven cycles of seven years -- in the 50th year -- the Israelites were to declare a Jubilee year. In the 50th year not only were debts to be canceled, but every family was to receive back its own land which had been sold or lost -- for whatever reason."

Shupack estimates that more than 300 Mennonites came to the event from across the country. Some, like Pilgrims Mennonite, came as group and others as individuals. Groupings came from Mennonite colleges in Harrisonburg, Va., Bluffton, Ohio, Bethel, Kan., Hesston, Kan., and Elkhart, Ind.

For Mark Smith, a sophomore at Bethel College, attending the rally was a form of Christian witness. "As Christians, how can we stand by and let these terrible things happen and not say anything?" he asks. "The rally itself was great. Great speakers and musicians. It was incredible to slowly walk to the Capital and surround it and the Reflecting Pool with a human chain." For Mark, another motivation for attending was international experiences he had through Bethel College, travelling in Central America and the Middle East.

Personal experience was also a reason for Elaine Zook Barge to travel to Washington from Harrisonburg, Va. "My husband Nathan and I went to the rally because after serving with MCC in Central America for many years," she relates, "we heard a lot about the "external debt" and saw first hand the suffering caused by the Structural Adjustment Programs (SAP) of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). This was a concrete way for us to join with our brothers and sisters in Central America in asking for debt cancellation and an end to the burden of SAPs. Jubilee must start somewhere!" she added.

In addition to the Sunday event, some Mennonites joined approximately 800 others who, on the following Monday, visiting their Congressional offices advocating for debt relief funding. Others were involved in demonstrations and rally against the actions of the IMF and the World Bank on the weekend of the April 16.

The key to debt cancellation is making your voice heard, states Shupack. "We must not stop now just because the rally is over. Those concerned about the effect debt is having on poor countries should let their opinions be heard. Letters, phone calls and e-mails are essential to accomplishing these goals," says Shupack.

MCC suggests writing an email or sending a letter. Email addresses for members of Congress and the Senate can be located at and . (On emails, be sure to give a postal mail address).

For more information on international economic issues, and the Jubilee 2000 movement, order "Toward Justice, Peace and Compassion," an information packet from MCC US Washington Office. The packet looks at biblical foundations of economic policy, globalization, economic structures and debt relief, and is available for $3 U.S. from MCC. Write to MCC, 21 S. 12th Street, P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 17501 or email stt@mcc.org.

For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org