For The Record

Submit birth, marriage and obituary records online.

Personal Ads

Meet new friends today!

Advertising

Put your message in front of 19,000 readers.

PDF documents on this site require the free Adobe Reader:

Get Adobe Reader

2009-05-05 issue:

CPT projects at risk

Some CPTers have offered to work full time without pay.

by Anna Groff and Christian Peacemaker Teams

Print Article

Christian Peacemaker Teams may need to suspend and scale back peacemaking work because funds are low. Last year the U.S. dollar was down, costs up and donations from individuals and congregations dropped 9 percent.

In response to the budget deficit, some CPTers have offered to work full time without pay or with stipend cuts. Every team and office setting is cutting at least 10 percent of expenses, said CPT co-director Carol Rose on May 7.

Rose said that there are people in all three current CPT trainings who want to volunteer with CPT full-time, receiving only a modest living stipend.

However, CPT cannot bring them on until their financial situation has turned around.

"As we process those applications, it is heartbreaking," she said. "How can we say no because of money?"

If funds are available, the Palestine team will begin renewed work in the old city of Al Khalil (Hebron) in mid-May.

According to CPTers who have done exploratory work in the Democratic Republic of Congo this past winter, the time is ripe in the Great Lakes region of Africa for the work of nonviolence. Local groups will continue to do that work, but CPT does not have funds to send more CPTers there.

CPT Iraq accompanies Kurdish Iraqi villagers displaced by Turkish bombing. By moving out to the border region under bombardment --where the cost of living is lower--and cutting back on other expenses, CPT hopes to extend support for this project through the end of the year. Continuation beyond that point can happen only with more income.

"To have to cut back on the already very frugal proposals is very difficult," Rose said.

In addition, circumstances require CPT to find new office and training space in Chicago before December.

For over six years, CPT has used a space that belongs to a church. The church has now requested to have the space back.

"We are actively looking for the property that God has for us," said Rose. CPT hopes to buy a property.

"We will likely need significant support from volunteer labor for renovations," she added and said to contact her at 773-277-0253.

"We are sure that when constituents know what we need, they will step up to the plate and contribute," Rose said.

Donate at www.cpt.org/participate/donate

Reader Comments

Add Comments