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World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel - May 29 through June 4
From the World Council of Churches:
The World Council of Churches is inviting member churches and related organizations to join a week of advocacy and action for a just peace in Palestine and Israel. Those who share the hope of justice are invited to take peaceful actions, together, to create a common international public witness....MORE
Read related article in the April 21 issue of the ELCA Middle East Network Newsletter.
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Churches for Middle East Peace Advocacy Conference - June 13-15, 2010
You are invited to CMEP'S 2010 Advocacy Conference, Pursuing Peace Together: Working for Reconciliation in the Holy Land, to learn, increase your skills, network and advocate for peace with justice in the Holy Land. The conference will be June 13-15, 2010 at the Kellogg Conference Hotel in Washington, DC.
Visit the website for more information or to register for the conference.
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UN World Refugee Day - June 20, 2010
In 2000, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution which designated June 20 as World Refugee Day. This day has been set aside as an annual opportunity to remember and recognize the world's refugees which number more than 14 million people.
Visit the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees website for suggestions in organizing an event or fundraiser in your congregation or community.
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ELCA Global Mission Gatherings
Deepen your understanding of the changing context and practice of global mission, enjoy great food and music, meet others who share your passion for ministry. Attend one of the following Global Mission Gatherings in 2010:
July 16-17, Austin, MN
August 6-7, Billings, MT
September 10-11, Lexington, SC
October 1-2, Grand Forks, ND
October 8-9, West Linn, OR
November 12-13, Camp Hill, PA
For more information, please email GlobalMissionInfo@elca.org or call Mia Cortez at 1-800-638-3522, ext. 2642.
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Peace Among the Peoples: Overcoming the Spirit, Logic and Practice of Violence - July 28-31
From a Press Release:
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary will host an ecumenical peace conference July 28-31, 2010, focusing on contemporary North American responses to war. Christian peacemakers of all traditions and disciplines are invited to attend this event.
Peace Among the Peoples is a preparatory meeting for the World Council of Churches' 2011 International Ecumenical Peace Convocation. This gathering will see to reinvigorate conversation on war and peace by building on the recent work of the U.S. Decade to Overcome Violence Committee and peace dialogues facilitated by.....MORE
CLICK HERE for event schedule, detailed program information and registration.
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Events at Kirkridge Retreat Center
Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center in Bangor, PA is offering the following:
Labyrinths: A Pathway to Peace - Calen Rayne - August 6-8, 2010
On this 55th anniversary of Hiroshima Day, we will reflect on that event and explore ways to channel energy that might be used for destructive thoughts and actions for more peaceful pursuits, beginning with our own inner peace. Labyrinths provide just such an opportunity; to stand at the entrance, ask for the ancient paths, then walk in a good way.
Creating a Culture of Peace - Janet Chisholm - August 19-22, 2010
A nationwide program for community peacemaking, this innovative training provides a holistic and practical foundation in active nonviolence. Participants come to recognize their own power for making personal and social changes that will create a world without violence.
Creating a Culture of Peace Facilitators' Training - Janet Chisolm -
October 7-11, 2010
Training for individuals who want to develop skills for leading "Creating a Culture of Peace" events. (Participation in "Creating a Culture of Peace" is a pre-requisite for this event.)
Visit the website for more information or to register.
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Re-membering Peace: Still the Believer's Calling - August 25-28
The Presbyterian Peacemaking Program invites peacemakers to attend the 2010 Peacemaking Seminar, "Re-membering Peace: Still the Believer's Calling," August 25-28 at Ghost Ranch Conference Center, Abiquiu, NM. Participants will share stories of peacemaking, replenish spirits, hearts and minds for peacemaking work, and envision how we can, as believers, respond to God's call to be peacemakers in the years to come.
CLICK HERE for informational brochure, press release and registration.
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International Day of Prayer for Peace - September 21, 2010
The International Day of Prayer for Peace, one of the initiatives of the World Council of Churches' Decade to Overcome Violence, is an annual event that encourages 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 during a 2004 meeting between representatives of the World Council of Churches and the United Nations.
The 2010 focus for the International Day of Prayer for Peace is Africa and the theme is "Work and Pray in Hope for Peace."
What can you do to participate in the International Day of Prayer for Peace?
+ Host a community-wide, ecumenical prayer vigil or worship
+ Include peace and peacemaking in your Prayers of the Church
+ Create Pinwheels for Peace and display them in a visible place on
your church property
+ Create Peace Posters and display them in the church building
+ Create a Peace Mural with sidewalk chalk
+ Organize a Peace Day for families in your community, with activities
centering around the theme of peace and peacemaking
Visit the following websites for more information and resources:
Decade to Overcome Violence
ELCA Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence
Lutheran Peace Fellowship
And, be sure to let us know how your congregation or organization will be celebrating the 2010 International Day of Prayer for Peace!
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Rachel's Day at Memorial Lutheran Church
This year marked the first celebration of Rachel's Day at Memorial Lutheran Church in St. Augustine, Florida. Planning for the event began in January and included participation from the congregation's WELCA group, Men in Mission, the Youth Director, the Music Director, the CHristian Education Director and the pastor of the church, The Rev. Kerry Hinkley.
On Sunday, May 2, 2010, the women served at both worship services and the preacher for the day was Taryn Rodriguez-Boette, SDM, Youth Director. The youth in the congregation distributed carnations with multi-colored ribbons to all women as part of the WELCA "blue ribbon of hope" campaign and to represent the diversity of all who attended. Following the worship, Memorial's Men in Mission hosted a reception to celebrate all the women in the congregation. The focus of this year's celebration was on actions members of the congregation can take to stop violence in their own lives and the lives of the children in the congregation and community.
Thanks to Taryn Rodriguez-Boette, SDM, Youth Director and member of the ELCA Equipping for Peacemaking Network, for sharing this with the Network.
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WCC Living Letters
Read updates on the World Council of Churches' Living Letters' visits to Nigeria, May 15-20 and Tuvalu, May 25-27. Living Letters are part of the preparatory process for the upcoming International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (organized by the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence), which will be held in Kingston, Jamaica in 2011. According to the website, "Living Letters are small ecumenical teams visiting a country to listen, learn, share approaches and challenges in overcoming violence and in peace making, and to pray together to peace in the community and the world.
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NEW RESOURCES!
The World Council of Churches has recently released two new resources:
"Telling the Truth About Ourselves and Our World," is a study guide on overcoming violence in contemporary contexts. It has been published in English, French, German, and Spanish as part of the preparation for the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation in Kingston, Jamaica in May of 2011. DOWNLOAD this study guide from the website, or order free printed copies (orders of more than 25 copies will incur a shipping charge).
"Laudate omnes gentes. Prayer Together: Resources and Songs for Ecumenical Celebrations." This book contains prayers and liturgical songs from a rich variety of church traditions, branches of the ecumenical movement and two thousand years of Christian history. Each prayer in the book is translated into six different languages. The books is accompanied by a CD which contains many of the prayers in additional languages as well as the full contents of the book. Laudate omnes gentes is published by Gütersloher Verlagshaus und Kösel, ISBN 978-3-579-05919-8. (Additional information available in German.)
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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.
JUNE PEACE QUOTE:
"There never was a good war nor a bad peace."
Benjamin Franklin
From a list of Quotable Quotes on the Evils of War, forwarded by Judy Isaacson, member of the ELCA Equipping for Peacemaking Network. (List was compiled by Stan Penner from Should God's People Partake in War, by Theodore H. Epp and sent to Judy by Gary Kohls, peace activist in Duluth, MN.)
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Go in peace and serve the Lord!