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Welcome to the February 2009 Equipping for Peacemaking Network E-Newsletter. Our hope is to help bring attention to resources that relate to the work of the ELCA Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence (2001-2010). Included in this monthly e-newsletter are events and resources that can be used at the small group, congregational and individual level. Thank you for being part of the network! Forward this to your friends and encourage them to sign up for the network as well. CLICK HERE to find additional resources and enroll in the E4P network.
In this E-Newsletter you will find information about:
North American Lutheran Bishops Meet Key Muslim Leader, Discuss Peace
From the ELCA News Service, January 15, 2009:
RAMALLAH, West Bank (ELCA) -- A key Muslim leader here told a group of seven North American Lutheran Bishops Jan. 13 that Christians and Muslims must work together for peace and justice. Sheik Tayseer Rajab Al-Tamini, supreme judge of the Islamic Shari'a Courts in Palestine, suggested that world Muslim and Christian leaders meet soon...<MORE>
CLICK HERE to read the blog from the bishops' trip to the Middle East January 6-13.
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Season for Nonviolence: January 31 through April 4, 2009
Participate in a Season for Nonviolence, "a national 64-day educational, media and grassroots campaign dedicated to demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform and empower our lives and our communities." 64 Days/64 Ways to Practice Nonviolence, a resource that lists daily activities that can be used for the Season of Nonviolence, is available on the website of the PeaceCenter of San Antonio, Texas.
CLICK HERE for additional resources.
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“Living Earth: Joining the Hymn of All Creation”
The ELCA e-Advocacy Network invites you to subscribe to “Living Earth: Joining the Hymn of All Creation.” This 40-day ELCA Lenten reflection series will offer a holistic approach to how we live as earthly companions, combining God’s caring relationship with creation to our journey in the physical universe. Each e-mail emphasizes individual and communal solutions, resources for further learning and suggestions for how to act or become more educated. As a limited subscription, the first e-mail will arrive on Ash Wednesday, February 25, 2009, and the last e-mail will arrive Easter Sunday.
CLICK HERE to subscribe.
You can also view and download the 2009 Environmental Lenten Worship Resource, “Creation Waits with Eager Longing!” Outlining a Lenten journey of Reflection, Remembrance, Rediscovery, Repentance, Reconciliation, and Recommitment on our way to becoming more faithful stewards of God’s creation, this link includes the following: an introduction; weekly theme-related reflections, scripture and action ideas for Wednesday services; a "Tenebrae for the Earth" worship resource; Holy Week resources; and links to other useful resources and websites.
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Ecumenical Advocacy Days Conference - "Enough for All Creation"
"Enough for All Creation," the 2009 Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace and Justice Conference will be held March 13-16, 2009 in Washington, DC. The gathering will provide opportunities for spirited worship, theological reflection, education relating to significant current issues, training in advocacy and witnessing to U.S. policy makers on a variety of topics. Workshops will focus on Eco-Justice, Global Economic Justice, Peace & Global Security and more!
Visit the ELCA Advocacy Days website, for more information and to access a scholarship application.
CLICK HERE for the conference brochure or CLICK HERE for a bulletin insert.
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"Lutheran Witness in Palestine: Grace under Pressure"
On Sunday March 29, 2009, the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod of the ELCA, will host "Lutheran Witness in Palestine: Grace under Pressure" from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Distinct perspectives will be ensured by the three main presenters: the Rev. Mark Brown, Lutheran World Federation regional representative in Jerusalem, The Rev. Susan Wilder, Director of Middle East Public Policy Advocacy in the ELCA Washington Office and The Rev. Richard H. Graham, Bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod, who participated in the January 2009 Bishops Academy held in Israel/Palestine.
Ample time for discussion in both plenary and small group sessions is planned. Although designed primarily for area Lutherans, the conference is open to guests from other denominations and traditions. For more information, contact Amy Acland at the Metro DC Synod Office.
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Christian Peace Witness for Iraq
Do you want to be more involved in working toward peace in Iraq? Become part of a national ecumenical effort with Christians across the country which will be held in Washington, DC, April 29-30, 2009. Events include a worship service followed by a procession to the White House on the 29th and a nonviolent public action or visits to congressional offices on the 30th. Tony Campolo, Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr, Sr. Dianna Ortiz, Elizabeth McAlister and Daniel Berrigan will be the featured speakers.
For more information, visit the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq website.
For more on Lutheran involvement, contact Glen Gersmehl by phone at 206.720.0313 or by email.
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Training Events at Kirkridge Retreat Center
Kirkridge Retreat Center, Bangor, PA, is offering the following:
"Creating a Culture of Peace for Vets, Friends & Family"
March 5-8
Discover your power for peacemaking on your issues during a spiritually- grounded, interactive, and skill-building training weekend. Explore active nonviolence, social change, and community-building; plan projects. Facilitated by Thomas Brinson and Tim Pluta, military veterans committed to using the power of active nonviolence in their work for peace and justice.
"Creating a Culture of Peace"
March 12-15
Discover your power for peacemaking on your issues during a spiritually- grounded, interactive, and skill-building training weekend. Explore active nonviolence, social change, and community-building; plan projects. Facilitated by Janet Chisholm and Addison Bross
"There Shall be No Poor Among You"
March 27-29
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. urged all to abolish the evils of poverty, racism and war. From her experiences in war zones, prisons and blighted neighborhoods, Kathy Kelly describes efforts to remove the pillars supporting these evils. There will be simulations, role plays, small group sessions, prayerful song and reflection to assist you in discovering your role in working for justice and peace.
"Ghandi, King, Day & Merton: Peacemaking Ancestors"
April 24-26, 2009
Author, pastor and activist John Dear will lead a weekend of prayer, small group reflection and Bible study related to what fortified and inspired these great spiritual leaders and activists for justice and peace.
"Everyone Can Sing for Peace!"
May 1-3, 2009
Come and listen to the music. Join community singing, movement and reflection led by award-winning, singer-songwriter Sara Thomsen.
Visit the Kirkridge website for information on registration and fees.
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Preaching Peace Events
Preaching Peace began in 2002, as a free website dedicated to bringing a holistic peace message. It currently serves 10,000 visitors a month. Inspired by the mimetic theory of Rene Girard and the Christian peace heritage, Preaching Peace offers commentary on the gospel lectionary texts from a peace perspective, a blog where pastors work out the implications of preaching peace, essays and sermons related to the mimetic theory and peacemaking, and a listing of numerous conferences and seminars bringing the best scholarship to churches around the country. The Preaching Peace team is available for weekend retreats, clergy ashrams and gatherings, and youth retreats.
Upcoming Events:
Blessed Brutalities: The Religious Origins of American Violence
March 14, 2009 in Lancaster, PA
On Being a Peace Church Seminar
April 15, 2009 at Grantham Church in Grantham, PA
Nonviolent Atonement Seminar
April 25, 2009 in Kalamazoo, MI
Book of Peace, Book of Power: Rediscovering the Authority of the Bible
June 2-4, 2009 in Philadelphia, PA
For more information on the upcoming events or to book a conference or seminar in your area, contact Preaching Peace by phone at 717.392.1550 or by email.
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National Youth Violence Prevention Week
March 23-27, 2009 is National Youth Violence Prevention Week. The goal of this five-day campaign is to raise awareness and promote effective ways to prevent or reduce youth violence. Each day of the campaign focuses on a specific violence prevention strategy. The National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) and The Guidance Group are founding partners of this initiative.
Visit the National Youth Violence Prevention Campaign website for a step-by-step action planning kit, other resources and more information.
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April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
Since 1983, April has been designated as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Plan today to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect and encourage individuals, families, congregations and community organizations to support healthy growth and development of children and families during the month of April. Search the internet for resources and organizations in your state or local community or visit the following websites:
2008 Resource Packet (2009 materials not yet available online)
Prevent Child Abuse America
Prevent Child Abuse NY
KidsPeace (downloadable parenting brochures)
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"And the Word Became Flesh - Peacemaking in the Neighborhood"
The Presbyterian Church USA will host a Peacemaking Conference, "And the Word Became Flesh - Peacemaking in the Neighborhood," June 11-13, 2009 in Atlanta, GA. The conference will be part of a larger celebration that will offer participants the opportunity to experience ten different Presbyterian conferences -- all under one roof -- over a three-day period.
From the website: Peacemaking Conference participants will have the opportunity to visit significant sites in metropolitan Atlanta where peacemaking is taking place, share stories from our own neighborhoods, and engage in public witness, small group discussions and conversations on current issues as we explore how to do justice and seek peace.
See the conference website highlighted above, or visit the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program website for more information.
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Outcomes from Human Rights Consultation
In October, 2008 the Inter-unit Task Force for the Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence hosted a Human Rights Consultation in observance of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. CLICK HERE to access an overview of the event, recommendations for action and an evaluation of the consultation which were released recently.
Papers written by presenters at the Consultation have been published in the February, 2009 issue of The Journal of Lutheran Ethics. The papers cover the following topics:
- 60 Years of Human Rights: What has been the involvement of the churches?
- The Public Church, Just Peacemaking and a Lutheran Future of UDHR
- Human-Rights Based Approach to Advocacy, A Role for the Church
- Corporations and Human Rights: Lip service or real change?
- Post 9-11 U.S. Exceptionalism and Human Rights
- Akinammama Model: Women’s Human Rights in Kenya
- Human Rights and Migration
- Climate Change & Human Rights
- The Right to Property and Daily Bread
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"The Mimetic Principle"
The following column was written by Lutheran church historian Martin E. Marty and published in December by Sightings, a publication of The Martin Marty Center for the Advanced Study of Religion, University of Chicago Divinity School. In the column, Dr. Marty comments on the dynamic of escalating violence in civil and religious conflict.
"The Mimetic Principle," most developed by Réne Girard, today captures the attention of psychologists, literary critics, war-and-peace makers and experts in many disciplines. It builds on the desires and behaviors of humans <MORE>
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Where School is a Safe Place
From "The Lutheran":
This is a story about people, a plot and a plan.
The people are girls and young women, most of whom have lived or spent their days on the dangerous streets of Nairobi’s slums.
The plot is five acres—land that will be the site of new school facilities for the girls.
And the plan is how the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church is helping build the potential of both the people and the plot for its country’s future.
Ten years ago, Helen Nafula, now 20, spent her days begging to help her family meet basic needs. <MORE>
CLICK HERE for an online membership with The Lutheran or activate your free membership if you are already a print subscriber.
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Christian Peacemaker Teams
Are you looking for "hands-on" involvement in peacemaking? Visit the Christian Peacemaker Teams website for information about working to transform militarized areas throughout the world through the nonviolent power of God's truth and love. After training, peacemaker team members are placed in crisis situations around the world at the invitation of local peace and human rights workers.
CLICK HERE for a listing of dates and places for delegations and for trainings.
Read reflections written by Joyce Ellwanger, member of the ELCA Equipping for Peacemaking Network, who served on a Christian Peacemaker Teams Borderlands delegation in Arizona and Mexico in 2008.
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"Bits and Pieces"
CLICK HERE to read the Winter Edition 2008/2009 of the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation Newsletter, "Bits and Pieces." This issue includes an editorial entitled "Glory to God when there is Peace for Women," summaries from expert consultations held last fall, updates from Living Letters visits, information about the Drafting Group which is preparing the draft of the International Declaration on Just Peace, and a prayer.
CLICK HERE for current news articles and stories on the World Council of Churches Decade to Overcome Violence website.
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Journal of Lutheran Ethics Posts Reviews
CLICK HERE to read reviews of War, Peace and God: Rethinking the Just-War Tradition by Gary M. Simpson included in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics.
War, Peace and God: Rethinking the Just-War Tradition is available through Augsburg Fortress Publishers.
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Cluster Bomb Ban Work Applauded
The January 2009 E-News of the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines reported that the Norwegian Foreign Ministry and the Cluster Munitions Coalition were honored for their roles in bringing about the Convention on Cluster Munitions. CLICK HERE to read the full article.
In addition, an Irish peace organization granted the Tipperary International Peace Prize to the global coalition of 250 civil society groups that advocated for the cluster bomb treaty.
Please visit the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines website to access the current newsletter.
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Peace Notes and Quotes
If you have a favorite quote or want to share a brief thought about peacemaking, please send your contribution to Jean Morehouse, Equipping for Peacemaking Program Coordinator.
FEBRUARY PEACE QUOTE:
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.
2 Thessalonians 3:16, Holy Bible, NRSV
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Go in peace and serve the Lord!
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