Human Rights Update 2003-2004

This year's report includes five categories of concern brought to the attention of the General Assembly Council (GAC), for the most part, by the partner churches around the world. They are civil, political, economic, social and cultural, and religious. The "Human Rights Update 2003-2004," however, should not be construed by the members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as the definitive statement of all the human rights violations received by the GAC during the course of the year. The 216th General Assembly (2004) encourages the members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to continue to pray and work to end all forms of human rights violations worldwide. The "Human Rights Update 2003?2004" includes an action study guide developed to assist the middle governing bodies, sessions, and individual members to engage and focus on human rights issues. We hope adult study and advocacy groups, as well as session and presbytery committees, will use the "Human Rights Update 2003-2004" and will work for the guarantee and fulfillment of human rights for all God's children, locally and globally.