March 2008
Equipping for Peacemaking E-Newsletter
Welcome to the March 2008 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. You can find additional resources and sign up for the network at http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Decade-for-Nonviolence/Join-the-E4P-Network.aspx.
In this E-Newsletter you will find information about:
Christian Peace Witness for Iraq Event to be Held March 6-10, 2008 in Washington, DC
Christian Peace Witness for Iraq invites to you join the ecumenical effort to pray and act for peace in Iraq from Thursday, March 6 through Monday March 10, 2008 in Washington, DC. The event includes worship services, interfaith witness and workshops.
Those who cannot attend the event in Washington, DC are encouraged to create worship services and local vigils in support of the capitol event and to empower participants to advocate for peace in their own communities, countries and the world.
For more information visit the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq website.
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13th Annual Nobel Peace Prize Festival - Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN
The 13th annual Nobel Peace Price Festival will take place on March 6, 2008, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Si Melby Hall at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN. This year's festival will honor the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize honorees Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh. Admission is free and the public is invited. Visit the Augsburg College website for more information.
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April, 2008 Lutheran Peace Fellowship Spring Peacemaking Training to be Held in Seattle, WA
Plan now to come to LPF's spring workshop "Peacemaking in the Real World!" This exciting weekend training will explore the full range of peace from interpersonal and group to community and global.
The workshop will be held in Seattle, WA on Friday evening, April 25 and all day Saturday, April 26, with an optional Sunday session. Thanks to grant and LPF member support, over 2/3 of the workshop costs are already covered. The participant registration fee is $25 - $80 on a sliding scale. Scholarship help is available for registration, transportation, etc. No one will be turned away for lack of funds! Congregations are encouraged to sponsor youth or adult leaders as a means to develop leadership. This workshop extends the impact of the ELCA Equipping for Peacemaking trainings which included approximately 90 Lutherans from every part of the U.S.
Why? Many Lutherans feel a new sense of urgency for bringing the gospel vision of shalom to the conflicts we face in our family, workplace, congregation, community and the world. This workshop is designed to help congregation and youth leaders respond more effectively to this need.
What? Participants will strengthen their leadership in the biblical vision of peacemaking, conflict transformation, and nonviolence in action. You'll learn how to help others transcend lethal cultural myths about violence and conflict, and take their next step on Jesus' way of Shalom.
How? Participants will learn how to present lively and creative exercises, audiovisuals and small group discussions on peacemaking which have been refined in more than five hundred LPF workshops, including sixty intensive workshops. Outstanding resources on key workshop topics will be available for browsing or purchase.
Through hands-on activities, you will explore the roots of violence, the strengths of Jesus' Way of Shalom in addressing conflict, and tools for working for peace in your congregation and community. This intergenerational workshop will have a basic track for those new to peacemaking, as well as a leadership track for those who want extra training in group facilitation.
Contact us now for more information or to register for the event. Email Monica at lpfyouth@gmail.com, Glen Gersmehl at lpf@ecunet.org, or call 206.720.0313. Click here for more information about Lutheran Peace Fellowship.
Equipping for Peacemaking Network members who want to attend can apply for a grant for financial assistance by contacting The Rev. Ron Duty by email Ronald.Duty@elca.org or by phone at 800.638.3522, ext. 2716.
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Christian Peacemaker Teams Offers Peacemaking Corps Training
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) will offer its Peacemaking Corps Training in Chicago, IL from July 15, 2008 through August 15, 2008. This training event is for persons interested in full-time or part-time participation in CPT with a three-year commitment to service.
According to the website, CPT “offers an organized, nonviolent alternative to war and other forms of lethal inter-group conflict. CPT provides organizational support to persons committed to faith-based nonviolent alternatives in situations where lethal conflict is an immediate reality or is supported by public policy. CPT places violence-reduction teams in crisis situations and militarized areas around the world at the invitation of local peace and human rights workers. CPT embraces the vision of unarmed intervention waged by committed peacemakers ready to risk injury and death in bold attempts to transform lethal conflict through the nonviolent power of God’s truth and love. The CPT experience has demonstrated that small teams of four to six people trained in the skills of documentation, observation, nonviolent intervention, and various ministries of presence can make a striking difference in explosive situations.”
The organization was founded in 1986 and was initially sponsored by the two largest North American Mennonite denominations and the Church of the Brethren. As of 2007 CPT has gained the additional sponsorship of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, the Congregation of St. Basil (Basilians), Every Church a Peace Church, Friends United Meeting, On Earth Peace, and the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship.
By 1992, CPT had put together a series of delegations to Haiti, Iraq, and the West Bank, but members of the organization still felt the need for trained full-time corps of people to work in crisis regions. It then began to develop a Christian Peacemaker Corps of twelve full-time persons—who would receive stipends comparable to those provided by other voluntary service organizations -- with a much larger number of reservists who would donate their time and resources. By the end of 1998, when the organization finally reached the goal of a twelve-person Christian Peacemaker Corps, it had set-up and staffed violence-reduction projects in Haiti; Washington, DC; Richmond, VA; Hebron, West Bank; Bosnia; and Chiapas, Mexico.
In 2000, CPT set about to train and organize regional groups of trained reservists to connect with traditional styles of nonviolent change present in every culture. As of 2007, CPT has regional groups in Cleveland; the Boulder, CO, area; Washington, DC; the Winnipeg, MB area; Northern Indiana, and southern Ontario. Regional groups are developing in the United Kingdom and Minnesota.
Click here for more information about the organization or the training and service opportunities.
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2011 World Council of Churches' International Ecumenical Peace Convocation
Kingston, Jamaica, will be the host city for the 2011 World Council of Churches' International Ecumenical Peace Convocation which is scheduled to be held May 4-11, 2011. The convocation will meet under the theme "Glory to God and Peace on Earth". It will be the culmination of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV), which has sought to network and bring attention to the peacemaking initiatives of its various member churches.
According to a recent press release, a "series of 'expert consultations' on a variety of peace and reconciliation-related topics are taking place as momentum builds toward the convocation. Five took place in 2007, and eight more are planned for this year."
Click here for more information about the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation or see the Decade for Overcoming Violence for more information about the Decade and related activities, events and resources.
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World Citizen, Inc.
World Citizen, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to support Peace Education and the concept of World Citizenship. It was founded by Lynn Elling and launched on United Nations Sunday in 1982. World Citizen focuses its activities on children and youth following the advice of Mahatma Ghandi who said, "If we are to reach real Peace in this world, we shall have to begin with the children." In that spirit, World Citizen today touches thousands of young people through its three programs: the Peace Education Project, the International Peace Site Program; and the Nobel Peace Prize Festival.
World Citizen's Peace Education Program sponsors workshop, provides resources and has an active network.
International Peace Sites commit to upholding the following five principles:
> Protect the environment
> Promote intercultural understanding and celebrate diversity
> Seek peace within yourself and others
> Reach out in service
> Be a responsible citizen of the world
The Peace Site Program includes several churches, including three ELCA congregations or church-related organizations.
Visit the World Citizen website for more information about the organization and its activities.
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2008 ELCA Global Mission Events: "God's Work, Our Hands"
Connect with your worldwide Lutheran family, energize your congregation and gain practical skills for mission by participating in a Global Mission Event or a Global Mission Formation Event. Learn how changes in the world are transforming the way the ELCA proclaims and serves, meet leaders from the fast-growing center of Christianity in the Southern Hemisphere, participate in exciting worship including global voices, and learn to give, receive, receive and serve more effectively.
Register now to attend a 2-1/2 day Global Mission Event July 17-20 at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. GMEs begin on Thursday evening with an opening celebration and conclude on Sunday morning with global worship. In between, participants choose a variety of Global University Sessions that interest them, and gather twice a day for global music and a thought-provoking plenary session. Through special programming for children, junior high school students, and senior high school students, young participants learn how they can live as faithful Christians in a global culture.
Or, participate in a regional Global Mission Formation Event in Wausau, WI (2/29-3/1), Des Moines, IA (4/18-4/19), or Golden Valley, MN (5/2-5/3). Registration fee for these 1-1/2 day events is $35. Attend as an individual or bring a team from your congregation. This is an exciting opportunity to gain new insights, acquire helpful resources and strengthen team ministry.
For more information about these events, to register or to view video clips from 2007 events, see the ELCA Global Mission Events webpage.
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Growing the E4P Network
Although the snow, cold and ice make it hard to believe right now, spring, a time of new growth, is just around the corner! Why not help grow the Equipping for Peacemaking Network by sharing the following item in your congregational or organizational newsletter next month:
ELCA Equipping for Peacemaking Network
Sign up today 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 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. For more information, visit the website at www.elca.org/nonviolence or contact Jean Morehouse, Equipping for Peacemaking Network Coordinator at jean.morehouse@hotmail.com.
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Go in peace and serve the Lord!
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