CPTnet
February 12, 2002
CHICAGO: CPT Colombia and Hebron Lent materials now available

The Colombia and Hebron projects of Christian Peacemaker Teams have
published Lenten materials for use in churches, homes and small groups.

  "Changing Death Lists to Life Lists" is the theme of the Colombia team's
Lenten liturgy. Armed groups in Colombia -- guerrilla, paramilitary, Army
and Navy -- each have their own death lists. Entire sectors of Colombia are
on other nations' death lists. CPTers have watched paramilitary leaders
consult their lists of those marked for death to look for particular names.
Countless Colombians are hoping for the day when all such lists will be
destroyed.

Civilians in the area where CPTers work are forced to live under the shadow
of armed groups. Each week during Lent, the Colombia team will set up camp
in a space usually occupied by an armed group, declare it a weapons-free
zone and conduct a ceremony there. Team members have begun the Lenten
season with a Mardi Gras party, decorating the room with peace banners from
community members struggling to live free from armed groups. In its Ash
Wednesday observance, the team will use ashes from civilian houses recently
burned by an armed group. Weekly liturgies will use ashes from burnt death
lists.

The "Changing Death Lists to Life Lists" liturgy includes prayers for
families living under death threat, for "armed actors," and for the earth
suffering under herbicidal and fratricidal warfare. It also includes an
Easter liturgy with Life Lists. Ideas for action will be made available
throughout Lent.

"Bearing the Burdens" highlights CPT Hebron Lenten season materials. This
year the Lenten season arrives amid some signs of hope -- Israeli soldiers
are publicly refusing to serve in the West Bank and Gaza; Palestinian and
Israeli groups are organizing nonviolent initiatives to resist the
Occupation with enlarged vision and hope. At the same time, the burdens
borne by the Palestinian population, as well as those Palestinians and
Israelis opposing the injustice and violence, continues to be heavy. Entire
villages are closed off by a system of roadblocks and checkpoints. Land
confiscation and home demolitions, designed as collective punishment and to
provide space for ever-expanding Israeli settlements, continues at an
alarming rate. The murderous violence of revenge and retaliation claims
more and more lives.

Each week during Lent, the "Bearing the Burdens" liturgy focuses on one of
the burdens of injustice wrought by the Israeli military Occupation. The
liturgy also includes an example of where this burden is especially
evident, and holds up those who bear the burden of injustice, whether out
of necessity, or for the sake of peace.

The "Bearing the Burdens" liturgy includes weekly prayers, scripture
verses, descriptions of how the burdens of injustice are weighing on the
people of Palestine/Israel, and action and advocacy ideas. Also available
is a one-page litany to be used as part of a church service during the
season of Lent.

The "Changing Death Lists to Life Lists," and "Bearing the Burden" Lenten
materials are available from CPT's web site, www.cpt.org.