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Welcome to the July 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:
"One Love: Building a Peaceful Caribbean" - 2009 International Day of Prayer for Peace - September 21, 2009
"One Love: Building A Peaceful Caribbean" is the theme for the World Council of Churches' Decade to Overcome Violence 2009 International Day of Prayer for Peace.
According to the website, "the International Day of Prayer for Peace offers an opportunity for church communities in all places to pray and act together to nurture lasting peace in the hearts of people, their families, communities and societies. The idea was proposed in 2004 during a meeting between WCC General Secretary Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (press release), and coincides with the UN International Day of Peace. The [International] Day of Prayer [for Peace] is one of the initiatives of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence. Congregations are invited to pray for peace - possibly using the same prayers - on September 21 or the Sunday preceding it."
What can you do?
+ Encourage your congregation to participate by organizing a prayer vigil.
CLICK HERE for resources.
+ Coordinate with others in your community who are participating in the
International Day of Prayer for Peace. CLICK HERE to add your event or
view a list of events in your city.
+ Share what you are doing to celebrate the International Day of Prayer for
Peace by emailing Jean Morehouse, Equipping for Peacemaking
Network Coordinator.
Visit the Decade to Overcome Violence website for more information.
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Equipping for Peacemaking at ELCA Youth Gathering
Will you or representatives from your congregation be attending "Jesus Justice Jazz," the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans? If so, please be sure to visit the Peace Garden at the Interaction Center in the Morial Convention Center. Participants will have the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of peacemakers, fold a peace crane, make peace bead bracelets to take home, sign up for the Equipping for Peacemaking Network, and visit with Jean Morehouse, the Equip4Peace Network Coordinator.
Hope to see you there!
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Pakistan Humanitarian Crisis
Driven by the violence in the Swat Valley and Federated Territories, the number of internally displaced people in Pakistan has increased to an estimated 2.5 million. This is one of the fastest swells of displaced persons in recent history. Most are women and children. As monsoons arrive within weeks, the need for provision of clean water and dry tents is paramount. Even at this moment when need increases, aid providers are running huge deficits in Pakistan because of lack of support and fear they will need to limit assistance.
The ELCA has direct access to support work on the ground, focusing primarily on provision of dry tents. $75,000 has been mobilized from gifts from Lutherans from the International Disaster Fund and additional support is being sought. Assistance extended by the ELCA brings witness to the care and support of Christians and Americans in this conflicted region. Aid is distributed with a priority for families with children and without regard to confession or creed.
Please see www.elca.org/disaster for what you can do including prayers, study, and ways to provide financial support.
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ELCA Global Formation Events
Would you like to deepen your understanding of the changing context and practice of global mission and to receive the gifts of Christians and churches? Register TODAY for a one-and-a-half day ELCA Global Formation Event. These events provide an opportunity for congregational teams to build skills for effective ministry locally and globally. Click on the links for more information about each event:
October 2-3, 2009
Living Word Lutheran Church in Katy, TX
October 30-31, 2009
Southwood Lutheran Church, Lincoln, NE
November 13-14, 2009
Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Olympia, WA
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National Observance of Children's Sabbaths Celebration
The Children's Defense Fund invites you to participate in this year's National Observance of Children's Sabbaths Celebration October 16-18, 2009. This event "is a way for faith communities to celebrate children as sacred gifts of the Divine, and provide the opportunity for houses of worship to renew and live out their moral responsibility to care, protect and advocate for all children."
CLICK HERE to access resources and for more information about the Children's Defense Fund and the National Observance of Children's Sabbaths Celebration.
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Training Events at Kirkridge Retreat Center
Kirkridge Retreat Center, Bangor, PA, is offering the following:
Creating a Culture of Peace
September 10-13, 2009
Discover your power for peacemaking during a spiritually grounded, interactive and skills-building weekend.
Community or Empire – Which Will We Build?
September 18-20, 2009
We are in a profound struggle and must connect across barriers. We cannot change alone. We have choices to make! (A celebration of Daniel Berrigan at his last annual Kirkridge retreat.)
Peacemakers in the Midst of Conflict
October 24 - November 6, 2009
Participants will travel to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, throughout Israel and the West Bank with local guides. An opportunity to listen, build relationships, promote dialogue, and learn about the real life situation and politics of the region.
Love Force – The Peacemaker’s Way
November 6-8, 2009
Reflections with Richard Deats on the call to live on the growing edge of history with cues from peacemakers Hildegard Goss-Mayr, Aung San Suu Kyi, Jim Lawson, Thich Nhat Hanh, Abdul Ghaffar Kahn and Abraham Heschel. How do we reach out to enemies?
Visit the Kirkridge website for information on registration and fees.
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Peace Resolutions from Synod?
Has your synod passed a resolution related to peace at this year's synod assembly? If so, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Please send an electronic copy of the resolution or a link to an electronic copy of the resolution, together with your name and your synod to Jean Morehouse. The information will be shared with the network through the Equipping for Peacemaking newsletter.
Thank you!
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Help Grow the Equip4Peace Network
Spread the word and help grow the Equipping for Peacemaking Network by forwarding this newsletter to family and friends and encouraging them to enroll in the network. And, share the following item in your congregational or organizational newsletter next month:
ELCA Equipping for Peacemaking Network
Sign up today at http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Decade-for-Nonviolence/Join-the-E4P-Network.aspx to become part of the ELCA Equipping for Peacemaking Network and receive a free monthly e-newsletter! This informative newsletter contains stories relating to peacemaking activities, links to news items and peace and justice organizations, schedules of events and training opportunities, information about new resources and much more. The mission of the Equip4Peace Network is to connect, inform, encourage and inspire all who are working for peace. To read a copy of the current e-newsletter, see http://www.elca.org/e4pnews.
For more information, visit the website at http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Decade-for-Nonviolence.aspx or contact Jean Morehouse, Network Coordinator, at jean.morehouse@hotmail.com.
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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.
JULY PEACE QUOTE:
Reconciliation should be accompanied by justice, otherwise it will not last. While we all hope for peace it shouldn't be peace at any cost but peace based on principle, on justice.
Corazón Aquino
From peaceCENTER
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Go in peace and serve the Lord!
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