Methodist pastor to report to prison for protest sentence
8/18/2000 News media contact: Linda Bloom · (646) 369-3759 · New York
A retired United Methodist pastor is expected to report to the federal prison in Waseca, Minn., on Aug. 28 to serve time for his part in a 1999 protest against the U.S. Army School of the Americas.
The Rev. Charles Butler, 73, of Rochester, Minn., had received a three-month sentence in June after being found guilty last March of violating a ban barring protesters from entering the school, located at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga. Eight other defendants also were found guilty during the trial and later sentenced.
While not exactly eager to sit in jail, Butler believes the sentence "is worth it to get the message out" about what he believes to be the negative influence of the School of the Americas on Latin America.
"If I am open to God's leading while I am there, it can be a means to strengthening me personally," he added.
The School of the Americas, which trains soldiers from Latin America, has fallen under heavy criticism because some of its graduates are connected with major violations of human rights. In 1998, the United Methodist Council of Bishops concluded the school "is perceived by the marginalized to be a source of oppression and a symbol of violence" and called for its closing. The United Methodist General Conference, the denomination's highest legislative body, echoed that call in May.
Congress did vote in May to close the School of the Americas. At the same time, however, it approved a Pentagon proposal for an identical school - with the same purpose and in the same place - to be opened. That school is called the Defense Institute for Hemispheric Security Cooperation.
Butler has been active in the SOA Watch protest group for several years. He said he was relieved to finally learn of the date he was to report to prison because his fellow protesters had been incarcerated since early August. Apparently, concern over the fact that he had contracted tuberculosis in Guatemala in 1998 had delayed his assignment by the Bureau of Prisons.
A native of Alabama, Butler was ordained a deacon in the United Methodist North Alabama Annual (regional) Conference and served for 25 years as a missionary in Panama. Upon his return, he became a pastor in the Alabama-West Florida Conference. He also was a member of the Iowa Conference before transferring to the Minnesota Conference after retirement.
He said he and his wife, Marilyn, have drawn strength and support during the past year from both ecumenical circles and members of their own congregation at Christ United Methodist Church. Enough unsolicited donations have been made to more than cover the $2,500 fine imposed by the court. He also meets monthly with a spiritual director, Sister Linda Wieser.
Eileen Williams, a member of Christ Church, noted that Butler and others have kept the congregation informed about their concerns regarding the School of the Americas. "Early on, there was an attempt to at least have people understand what he is doing," she explained.
Key support has come from Butler's covenant discipleship group, one of seven such groups at the church. "It's an ongoing way to develop accountability in the four areas of devotion, worship, justice and compassion," she said. "It's a natural to have that group be very concerned because they are meeting with him every week."
Williams is not surprised the retired pastor has reacted strongly about what he considers to be the injustices connected with the School of the Americas. "It's a deep conviction of his, grown out of many years of experience in Latin America," she added.
Butler expects to continue feeling a sense of solidarity with the other jailed protesters and outside supporters once he is imprisoned. Prayer groups will focus on all the protesters, and people both inside and outside the prison walls will share an hour of stillness from 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays.
The entire experience has demonstrated just how supportive the Christian community can be, Butler said. "There is a strong sense of doing this together."
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