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News archive
Contact: Laurie L. Oswald (316) 283-5100, E-mail: LaurieO@MennoniteUSA.org
Jimmy Carter to speak July
3 at Atlanta 2003
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by Laurie L. Oswald
 NEWTON,
Kan. (MC USA) -- Former President Jimmy Carter has confirmed
his invitation to speak to the Mennonite Church USA Assembly
in Atlanta. Carter will speak at the opening worship service
for youth and adults on Thursday evening, July 3.
"Jimmy Carter's personal Christian faith, his commitment
to peacemaking and his determination to serve God by serving
others will challenge Mennonites to be faithful followers
of Jesus," said Ron Byler, associate executive director
of the Mennonite Church USA Executive Board.
Jorge Vallejos, director of the Executive Board Office of
Convention Planning, said, "It's a real privilege to
have someone of Jimmy Carter's stature to be our opening night
speaker. We as a church sometimes feel that few people in
this country share our vision of how Christ wants us to be.
And to find some person like Jimmy Carter who shares our values,
especially like peacemaking, it is a real privilege.
"His message will also connect well with young and old,
because in a time of world conflict, a message of peace is
what everyone, young and old, longs to hear."
Carter's faith and commitment to peace and social justice
will be themes in his July 3 message, Byler said. He will
focus on the growing chasm between the rich and the poor,
the need for integrating our faith with our daily life and
welcoming everyone to the table.
Carter's interest in the Mennonites was piqued when he formed
a friendship with LeRoy Troyer, a Mennonite businessman of
South Bend, Ind., whom he met during mutual involvements in
Habitat for Humanity, which builds homes for needy people.
Troyer was instrumental in bringing Carter to Atlanta 2003.
Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, volunteer at Habitat for Humanity
once a week.
"Along with Troyer's friendship, we also felt there was
a real possibility of Carter coming to speak because, logistically,
Atlanta is where the Carter Center is located and it's also
close to his home community of Plains, which is not far from
Atlanta," Vallejos said. In 1986, Carter founded the
Carter Center, which addresses national and international
issues of public policy and promotes human rights, democracy
and peace.
Carter will join worship leaders Charlene Schrag of Estacada,
Ore., Charolette Kouttjie of Los Angeles and Leonard Dow of
Philadelphia for the July 3 worship service. The service's
theme is declaring God's word of welcome to all people, using
verses Isaiah 55: 1-2 and Luke 13:29. The Luke text is the
Atlanta 2003 theme: "Then people will come from east
and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom
of God."
Carter served as 39th president of the United States from
Jan. 20, 1977 to Jan. 20, 1981. Some of his involvements and
accomplishments include founding the Carter Center and receiving
the Nobel Peace Prize on Dec. 20, 2002. He received this recognition
for his decades of efforts to find peaceful solutions to international
conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights and to promote
economic and social development. He is also author of 17 books.
Laurie L. Oswald is news service director for Mennonite
Church USA.
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