MARCH 28, 2003

WAR
Death, grief and the aftermath of war casualties

Congregations and clergy

IN THE NORTHEAST
• The Rev. Dr. Jack Bremer is a retired United Methodist Church pastor in Burlington, Vt., and the executive director emeritus of the University Christian Ministry at Northwestern University. He can talk about how pastors, in a time of war, can both oppose military action and minister to military families. Contact jbremer@adelphia.net.

IN THE EAST
• The Rev. Dr. Robert C. Angus is a Presbyterian minister and a former Navy chaplain living in Washington, D.C. He says pastors who speak out against the war can minister effectively to families of war victims. Contact 202-237-1929, rcangus@earthlink.net.
• The Rev. Bob Edgar is general secretary of the National Council of Churches, an organization of 36 Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox denominations. He has both protested the Vietnam War and served on the Veterans Affairs Committee and says compassion is the key to opposing a war while supporting the warriors. Contact 212-870-2025, 917-821-0852 (cell), redgar@ncccusa.org.
• James Shopshire is a professor of the sociology of religion at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., and has taught a course on "Faith, Fervor, and the Flag: Social Responses Among Churches Since September 11." Contact 202-885-8600.
• Elizabeth Vermilyea of The Sidran Traumatic Stress Institute in Maryland has co-taught a course on understanding trauma and trauma survivors in congregations. Contact 410-825-8888.

IN THE SOUTHEAST
• The Rev. Dr. Nancy Jo Kemper is executive director of the Kentucky Council of Churches, an ecumenical group of 11 Christian denominations. The KCC has put together a resource package and a call to prayer for clergy dealing with grieving families and a divided community. Contact 859-269-7715, njk@kycouncilofchurches.org.
• Gary Laderman is a professor of American religious history in the religion department at Emory University in Atlanta. He is the author of the book The Sacred Remains: American Attitudes Toward Death, 1799-1883 (Yale University Press, 1996) and Rest in Peace: A Cultural History of Death and the Funeral Home in 20th Century America (Oxford University Press, 2003). He says that if this war is short, it is unlikely there will be the kind of politicization of the dead that occurred in the Vietnam War. But if the war is lengthy and the toll mounts, the deaths could become the focus of arguments. He can also address the role that religion in funeral services plays in helping people heal. Contact 404-727-4641, gladerm@emory.edu.
• Dr. Charles Stanley is pastor of First Baptist Church in Atlanta and has written an article about the duties of Christians in time of war. Contact 770-451-1001.

IN THE SOUTH
• Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt Jr. of Shreveport, La., is president-elect of the National Council of Churches and is one of 46 Christian leaders who asked to meet with President Bush immediately before the war began. Contact 318-424-2980, thoytjr@aol.com.
• The Rev. Todd Brady is Southern Baptist minister at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., and has written about balancing patriotism with religious duties for the Baptist Press. Contact 731-661-5062, tbrady@uu.edu.
• The Rev. Fred Morris is executive director of the Florida Council of Churches and has spoken at several Florida anti-war rallies. Contact 407-839-3454.
• Dr. Gene Mims, vice president of LifeWay Church Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, Tenn., has written about how pastors can respond to congregants' fears about the war. Contact 615-251-2000.
• The Rev. Tom Curry is pastor of Parkland Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., and has served as a chaplain for the Air National Guard. He recently ministered to soldiers headed for the Middle East and can address the balance between patriotism and religious faith. Contact 502-969-1387.

IN THE MIDWEST
• Cindy Kennedy is the peace work organizer for the Minnesota Council of Churches in Minneapolis, Minn., and is compiling resources for clergy and church communities mourning the war dead. Contact 612-870-3600, ext. 38, Kennedyc@mnchurches.org.
• Bishop Richard B. Wilke is a retired bishop in the United Methodist Church and lives in Winfield, Kan. He was one of 46 religious leaders from the National Council of Churches who asked President Bush to meet with them before the war. A pastor for 40 years and a bishop for 12, he has marched in protest of the Vietnam War, the bombing of Cambodia and the current war against Iraq. He says it is no trouble for a pastor to put aside public policy when it comes to losing a church member and comforting families. Contact 620-221-0307.
• Dr. David Wulff is a professor of psychology at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill., and is the author of Psychology of Religion, Classic and Contemporary (John Wiley and Sons, 1997). Contact 508-286-3691.
• Corwin E. Smidt is a professor of political science at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. He is a contributor to Contemporary Evangelical Political Involvement (University Press of America, 1989). Contact 616-957-6233, smid@calvin.edu.
• The Rev. Paul Wilke is pastor of Woodlawn United Methodist Church in Derby, Kan. His 1,250 congregants parishioners are drawn from nearby McConnell Air Force Base and local Boeing aircraft factories. He says he is personally ambivalent about the war but ministers to people who support it on a daily basis. He says he intentionally separates his feelings about the conflict from the needs of his congregants. He has sent member military families letters of support and made phone calls to those with deployed family members to ensure that they know they are loved and welcome. Contact 316-788-1507, prwwumc@southwestbell.net.
• Rabbi Amy B. Bigman of Temple Israel in St. Louis, Mo., has written about Jewish funeral customs. Contact 314-432-8050.

IN THE SOUTHWEST
• Riverside Church of Christ in Coppell, Texas, adopted members of the Army's 507th maintenance company, based at Fort Bliss in El Paso, which includes five of the American POWs in Iraq. A congregation member whose brother is part of the unit started an adopt-a-soldier program for the congregation. Contact minister Dr. Art McNeese, 972-462-8759.
• Contact the Rev. Jack Graham, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of the megachurch Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. Recent worship services there included the singing of God Bless America and the unfurling of a huge American flag. Contact 972-820-5000.
• John Loudat is communication director of the Baptist Convention of New Mexico and editor of Baptist New Mexican in Albuquerque, N.M. He has written for the Baptist Press about how Christians should remember God during times of war. Contact 505-924-2311, jloudat@bcnm.com.
• Dr. John Reed is senior professor emeritus of pastoral ministries and director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Dallas Theological Seminary. A former military chaplain, Dr. Reed has frequently counseled people during times of tragedy and loss. He is also a chaplain (Lt. Col., retired) in the United States Air Force Reserves and is a member of the National Guard Association of Texas. Contact 214-841-3666, JReed@DTS.edu.

IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST
• The Rev. Kelly Boggs is pastor of Valley Baptist Church in McMinnville, Ore., and has written about war protesters. Contact 503-472-8924.
• H. Newton Malony is a senior professor at the Graduate School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. He is an ordained pastor and a scholar of the psychology of religion. He has studied pastors and church members and is the author of The Psychology of Religion for Ministry (Paulist Press, 1995). Contact 909-625-9214, 626-584-5528, hnewtonm@yahoo.com.