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Welcome to the March 2010 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! CLICK HERE to find additional resources and enroll in the E4P network.
In this issue:
Christian-Muslim Engagement Immersion: Senegal, February 1-10, 2010
February 1, ten members of  the ELCA from across the church traveled together to Senegal to be immersed in Christian-Muslim engagement. Senegal, where 95% of the population is Muslim, provided an ideal setting for modeling how Christians and Muslims can live and work together. The Senegal immersion event was supported by the ELCA Task Force for the Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence and ELCA World Hunger.
While in Senegal, the group traveled with ELCA pastors Peter Grow- Hanson, serving in Senegal, and Viking Dietrich, who served in Senegal for 16 years and is now serving in Ghana. The immersion team had a variety of experiences, including:
+ A visit to Gorée Island which provided an opportunity to gain new understandings of the ways in which slavery and racism have impacted and continue to impact all of God's people around the world;
+ Sharing interfaith/inter-religious dialogue and learning how, in Senegal, it is a part of everyday life;
+ Spending a day with women in a rural village and learning about our similarities and differences;
+ Walking with residents of a fast-growing town to visit homes, schools, a health clinic, the local market and the Center which houses literacy classes, a library, a micro-lending business and community education programs;
+ Visiting with peacebuilders in Dakar;
+ Experiencing worship with involvement from the whole community in a rural town;
+ Spending time in the marketplace experiencing culture and observing everyday realities of economic life, class and ethnicity.
Members of the immersion team are planning to host local events to share what they have experienced and support peacebuilding through Christian-Muslim engagement. The events will be designed for those who want to look at their own cultural context and identify and take action to address the barriers that prevent us from building a culture of peace and nonviolence in the US. This work is a part of the ELCA's efforts in building foundations for peace and a culture of nonviolence in our congregations and the communities they serve.
Read the blog from the participants during the trip, "A Lutheran in Senegal," a blog written by Rev. Peter Grow-Hanson, ELCA missionary who lives and serves in Senegal and "Viking in West Africa," a blog written by Rev. Viking Dietrich, ELCA missionary who lives and serves in Ghana.
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WCC Ecumenical Prayer Cycle
Visit the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Prayer Cycle web site. This site lifts up a different area of the world each week and provides prayers for personal and congregational use. Prayers are available two weeks in advance. Prayers for this month include:
Mar. 1 - Mar. 7: Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco,
San Marino
Mar. 8 – 14: Myanmar, Thailand
Mar. 15 - 21: Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam
Mar. 22 - 28: China, Hong Kong, Macao
Mar. 29 - Apr. 4: Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore
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Christian Peace Witness
Christian Peace Witness invites individuals and congregations to organize regional Christian Peace Witnesses against the war in Afghanistan between Lent (mid-February) and Pentecost (mid-May). The events provide opportunities to live out a commitment to nonviolence, participate in prophetic, non-violent direct action, and engage church and public officials in dialog.
Locate an event in your region.
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National Youth Violence Prevention Week - March 22-26
From the website:
The goal of this campaign is to raise awareness and to educate students, teachers, school administrators, counselors, school resource officers, school staff, parents and the public on effective ways to prevent youth violence. Each day of the week will focus on a different violence prevention strategy.
The website contains action ideas for each day, as well as a downloadable Action Kit and Media Kit.
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WANTED: Peace Workshop Proposals
World Council of Churches - News Release
The World Council of Churches (WCC) has invited the submission of workshop proposals for the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) to take place in Jamaica in May 2011. Proposals must be submitted by 31 March 2010.
The International Ecumenical Peace Convocation will mark the conclusion of the WCC Decade to Overcome Violence. It will be both the harvest festival of the DOV and a planting season for fresh initiatives.
"Reasoning" is the name given to a series of workshops that will take place during the IEPC in Kingston, Jamaica, 17 to 25 May 2011.
The “Reasoning” workshops will offer an opportunity to share concrete examples of peacemaking, learn from the experience of others and deepen reflections on the four IEPC themes: Peace in the Community, Peace with the Earth, Peace in the Marketplace and Peace among the Peoples.
“Reasoning” workshops will provide participants with valuable tools and resources to take home and put into action in their particular contexts. The workshops will be a place to meet people from different regions and traditions in order to discern together how to be agents of God’s transforming presence in the world.
Further background information as well as a proposal form can be downloaded from the DOV website.
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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 by:
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Rachel's Day - May 2, 2010
Plan now, to observe Rachel's Day in your congregation. Since July 1996, the Women of the ELCA have designated the first Sunday in May as "Rachel's Day." Based on Jeremiah 31:15-17, this commemoration is a time to mourn the loss of our children to violence and commit to ways of supporting and encouraging children, families and parents. It can also be a time to honor the children in our lives.
How can you participate in Rachel's Day?
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organize a "blue ribbon of hope" campaign in your congregation and community;
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use the Rachel's Day litany in worship;
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offer prayers of support for children, parents, and families in crisis;
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gather a Thankoffering for women and children in crises;
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host a parenting forum;
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visit the WELCA Rachel's Day website.
Don't forget to identify someone to take photos and write an article about your activities to be included in your congregational newsletter and the Equipping for Peacemaking E-Newsletter (send the information to jean.morehouse@gmail.com).
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Help Grow the Equip4Peace Network
Looking forward to blooming flowers, budding trees and green grass? As we dream of spring and imagine what we'll plant in our gardens this year, why not also think about growing the Equipping for Peacemaking Network! Invite others to join by forwarding this newsletter to your 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/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Decade-for-Nonviolence/Newsletter.aspx.
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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ELCA Global Mission Gatherings in 2010
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:
April 16-17, Chicagoland Area, IL
April 23-24, Northwest, WI
June 18-19, Newington, NH
July 16-17, Austin, MN
August 6-7, Billings, MT
September 10-11, Lexington, SC
October 1-2, Grand Forks, ND
October 8-9, Milwaukee, WI
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 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.
MARCH PEACE QUOTE:
...Seek peace and pursue it.
Psalm 34:14, Holy Bible, NRSV
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Go in peace and serve the Lord!
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