| United Methodist with peace group in Baghdad decides to leave By Linda Bloom By United Methodist News Service  A United Methodist making a witness for peace in Baghdad has left Iraq along with other members of the Christian Peacemakers Teams and Iraq Peace Team.
Scott Kerr, 27, a member of First United Methodist Church in Downers Grove, Ill., and the other team members managed to travel safely from the Iraqi capital to the Iraq-Jordan border, and they crossed into Jordan on April 1. Claire Evans, personnel and delegation coordinator for CPT, said the group had decided to leave because the increasing security restrictions placed upon them by the Iraqi government made it difficult to move around independently. CPT, which was working in Iraq with the Voices in the Wilderness organization, places violence-reduction teams in conflict areas around the world. The goal in Iraq was to accompany and befriend civilians in the event of escalating violence, the team said in a March 17 statement. Kerr had been in Iraq since early February. Previously, he has worked with the ecumenical ministry started by Mennonite and Church of the Brethren congregations and Friends Meetings in Chiapas, Mexico, and Colombia. United Methodist Bishop C. Joseph Sprague of Chicago noted that Kerr has put his life on the line in efforts to be a presence where people are threatened by violence. Scott is a remarkable, remarkable young man, deeply committed to the holistic gospel, the bishop told United Methodist News Service. Kerr struggled mightily but prayerfully about the decision to go to Iraq, said Sprague, who has not been able to talk to the young man since the war began. Scotts a devoted Christian and believes strongly in what he is doing, Steve Kerr, Scotts father, said in a March 31 telephone interview. The family belongs to First United Methodist Church in Downers Grove, which has provided prayer support. Though worried for their sons safety, the Kerrs also realize that he has always helped people who have difficulty helping themselves. Hes been a good Christian and followed his faith pretty strongly since he was about 15, Steve Kerr explained. While fully supporting the U.S. troops in Iraq, Steve Kerr also said he is very proud of my son in the work that he does. The start of the war, not surprisingly, had an effect on team members. We have all heard about shock and awe, but I can tell you that on the ground it feels a lot more like misery and terror, Scott Kerr wrote in the March 24 Iraq Diaries, posted online. For the last week, people have not been working, there has been a very limited access to food, and other basic necessities. I would say that about 95 percent of the city is shut down. | 
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