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Welcome to the October 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 E-Newsletter you will find information about:
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:
Sept. 26 - Oct. 2: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
Oct. 3 - 9: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia,
Tajikistan, Turkenistan, Uzbekistan
Oct. 10 - 16: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal
Oct. 17 - 23: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Oct. 24 - 30: The Indian Ocean Islands: Comoros, Madagascar,
Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives
Oct. 31 - Nov. 6: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda
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ELCA Glocal Mission Gatherings - Connecting Global and Local
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 Glocal Mission Gatherings in 2010:
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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October Observances
October 2 - International Day of Non-Violence
The birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the United Nations established this day "as an occasion to 'disseminate the message of non-violence, through education and public awareness.'"
October 15-17, 2010 - Children's Sabbaths Celebration
The theme of this years' celebration, sponsored by the Children's Defense Fund, is "Blessed to be a Blessing: Lifting Up the Next Generation." Children's Sabbaths Celebration "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." Visit the Children's Sabbaths website for links to resources from past years and for more information.
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Hold educational forums, organize a vigil, wear a purple ribbon, create a public display to remember victims and raise awareness, or participate in a community action. CLICK HERE for more ideas from the Domestic Violence Awareness Project.
Crime Prevention Month
Visit the National Crime Prevention Council for more information about the history of this observation, programmatic ideas and to download a 2010 Crime Prevention Month kit: Staying Safe in a High Tech World.
Share photos and information about your activities with other members of the Network by contacting Jean Morehouse, Network Coordinator.
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Training Events at Kirkridge Retreat Center
Kirkridge Retreat Center, Bangor, PA, is offering the following:
Lessons from the Holocaust - Bill Tammeus
November 5-7, 2010
When a few non-Jews risked their lives to save Jews from the Holocaust, they became models of sacrificial giving. Do their choices nearly 70 year ago have anything to teach us today? Bill Tammeus, a co-author of "They Were Just People: Stories of Rescue in Poland During the Holocaust," believes there are profound lessons.....MORE
Living with Conflict - Marilyn and Rich Watson
February 16-20, 2011
Dialogue for Peaceful Change (DPC) teaches the specific skills needed by those who want to be successful leaders within communities where conflict exists. As a teacher, minister, worker in social services, or spouse, you need to address conflict directly, recognizing that it frequently....MORE
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World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse - November 19
World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse was initiated in 2000 by the Women's World Summit Foundation. The purpose of this observance is to create a culture of prevention around the world by encouraging government and community organizations to play more active roles in protecting children.
Visit the website for more information about the World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse or CLICK HERE to participate in the "YES! to prevention of child abuse" yellow ribbon sticker campaign.
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APPLY NOW: Stewards Programme 2010
From the World Council of Churches News webpage:
Young Christians from around the world are invited to apply to the World Council of Churches (WCC) stewards programme for a hands on learning experience at a major ecumenical meeting in 2011, the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (in Kingston, Jamaica), 12-26 May. Applicants must be between the age of 18-30 years.
During the meeting stewards will work in the areas of worship, conference room, documentation, press office, sound and other administrative and support tasks.
Before the meeting, stewards follow an ecumenical learning programme which exposes them to the key issues of the ecumenical movement worldwide. The last phase of the stewards programme, following the meeting, focuses on designing ecumenical projects which stewards will implement back home.
Visit the website for more information about the Stewards Programme.
Download the informational brochure.
Download the application form as a pdf or Word document.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: is November 30, 2010.
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Human Rights Day - December 10
Observed on December 10 annually, Human Rights Day commemorates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948.
What can you do to celebrate this important event?
+ Participate in Amnesty International's Global Write-A-Thon: Write for
Rights;
+ Attend the 27th Annual Human Rights Day Conference organized by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights which will be held December 3 in St. Paul, Minnesota;
+ CLICK HERE to download "Teaching Human Rights: Practical Activities for Primary and Secondary Schools."
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Plan NOW for the 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
The holiday season is just around the corner, so plan now to participate in the January 17, 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Can't find a service project in your community? Why not organize one, then register it here.
CLICK HERE for more information about the day, planning and other resources for individuals and organizations and MORE!
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National Peace Essay Contest 2011
High school students can win college scholarships up to $10,000.
The United States Institute of Peace is holding its annual NATIONAL PEACE ESSAY CONTEST. This scholarship contest is for high school students who are interested in international issues, conflict resolution, peace studies, justice, and human rights. The 2010-2011 contest's topic is "GOVERNANCE, CORRUPTION, AND CONFLICT." The topic changes every year. The DEADLINE for the 2010-2011 contest is February 1, 2011. Entries must be received by this date.
Educators who are passionate about these issues and dedicated to challenging students to think globally can make the contest a part of their curriculum or encourage students to write essays outside of class work. A study guide on the essay contest topic is available online.
The contest promotes discussions among students, teachers, parents, and youth leaders. The contest also improves and strengthens students' critical thinking, research, and writing skills.
State-level selection categories include the fifty U.S. states, Washington, D.C., U.S. Territories, and American students abroad. First place state-level winners compete for national awards and are invited to a weeklong education program in Washington, D.C. The Institute pays for expenses related to the program, including travel, lodging, meals, and entertainment. The scholarship award amounts are:
+ 1 National award, first place: $10,000*
+ 1 National award, second place: $5,000*
+ 1 National award, third place: $2,500*
+ 53 State awards, first place: $1,000 each
(*national awards include state award amounts)
For more information, visit the United States Institute of Peace website.
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Reformation Reading - Book Review
The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Church's Conservative Icon
By Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan
(Harper One, 2009)
Be prepared with your Bible in hand and considerable time on your hands when you delve into the latest collaboration by Borg and Crossan, authors who most recently led readers to take a second look at The Last Week (Holy Week and Easter) and The First Christmas. Their writing is engaging but the demands on readers rigorous as they work their way, citing chapter and verse, through writings attributed to Paul -- 13 letters among the 27 books in the New Testament.
The Letter to the Romans, which resonates so loudly through the Reformation experience, rates an entire chapter, with this introduction: "Get Paul and his letter to the Romans out of the sixteenth-century polemical Reformation world and back into the first-century imperial roman world. It is incorrect and begets misunderstanding to read Paul for what he was not: a Lutheran Protestant criticizing Roman Catholicism or, worse still, a Christian criticizing Judaism."
The benefits from such a re-reading, the scholars point out, include recognizing "The ironic impertinence of Paul prescribing God's vision for peace on earth to Christian communities in precisely Rome of all places." There already was "peace" in Rome, but it was peace-by-victory. Paul's letter counters with a vision of peace-by-justice--distributive justice, which is the very nature, essence, and character of God." And that takes the reader up to a meticulous and fascinating unpacking of that most famous of all Reformation quotations--"justification by grace through faith"--which means "God's way of making us and the world just."
[Thank you to Kathy Kastilahn, member of the ELCA Equipping for Peacemaking Network, for this book review.]
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Recently, the ELCA's Task Force for a Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence emailed a survey to members of the Equipping for Peacemaking Network. Thank you to those of you who have already submitted your responses!
The survey has concluded.
Thank you for being a part of the Network and for your assistance with this survey! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at Jean.Morehouse@hotmail.com.
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OCTOBER PEACE QUOTE:
The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war.
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
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Go in peace and serve the Lord!
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