Press Release, Freetown Launch

The Council of Churches in Sierra Leone (CCSL) celebrates its formal launching into the World Council of Churches' Peace to the City Network.

On Tuesday 16th October, Freetown, the capital city of Sierra Leone, joined other troubled cities around the world doing creative work in Peace Building through the membership of the CCSL.

The ceremony started with a march past of school children, ecumenical groups and the Police in colourful T-shirts with messages on non-violence, Peace Building and Reconciliation, led by the Government Model Secondary school band, the procession covered the distance from the CCSL compound to the grounds of the Youyi Building Conference Centre where they were received by the Chairman of the City's Committee of Management.

The programme which lasted for four hours included solidarity statements from the Police, UNAMSIL, RUFP, Defence among others.

In launching the membership, the City Chairman remarked: "As manking emerges out of the most violent and dastardly century in human history, the WCC, of which CCSL is a constituent body, took the bold initiative of declaring the first decade of this new century as the "Decade to Overcome Violence (2001-2010)". He commended CCSL for launching the disarmament campaign in November 1999 and the Toy weapons campaign dubbed Catch them young, and quoted the Uruguan Diplomat Paulina Luisis "even toy soldiers should be abolished. We must disarm the nursery." He referred to the recent fatal incidents in American schools, emphasising the importance of this particular strategy.

On the role of CCSL he said "The Church as the light of the World is the only sure foundation on which society can build or crumble. Only the Church has the salt to arrest the moral decay responsible for the increase of violent crimes in our homes, schools, streets and institutions." He concluded his address by formally launching the membership with the hymn "When peace like a river attend my way."