- On Earth Peace is welcoming Elizabeth Ullery as
Peace Day campaign organizer. “Elizabeth brings social media,
photography and graphic design skills to our team. Her position focuses
on making social media connections to recruit congregations to hold
prayers for peace on Sept. 21, and building deeper relationships with
people working for peace and reconciliation,” said an announcement.
Ullery has been serving as director of church operations for the United
Churches of Olympia (Washington), and is convener of the board of
directors for the Open Table Cooperative. Connect with the Peace Day
planning for this year via Twitter at @PeaceDayPray.
- On Earth Peace is working with six summer interns
this year, including two master of divinity students at Bethany
Theological Seminary, and the four members of the Youth Peace Travel
Team which is a shared ministry of the Church of the Brethren, On Earth
Peace, and the Outdoor Ministry Association. The two seminary students
are Samuel Sarpiya and Karen Duhai. Both will be working primarily with
the Ministry of Reconciliation, and will Annual Conference and National
Youth Conference. The agency also has announced a new three-month
internship program for college students “to offer skill development and
personal growth for emerging peacebuilders in a faith-based nonprofit
setting, fulfilling our mission to develop leadership for peace in each
generation.” For more information go to www.OnEarthPeace.org/internships .
- “Bear Sightings Provoke Frenzy in Ogle County”
was the title of a Channel 5 NBC Chicago report on June 19, of “a black
bear making its way through Illinois.” Among places where the bear was
spotted: Pinecrest, a Church of the Brethren retirement community in
Mount Morris, Ill. "Even though this is kind of exciting for our small
town, a bear is not a normal occurrence. Leave it be and let it head
where it is going to go. It is a wild animal. If provoked, it could turn
against us," said one community leader quoted in the report. Find it at
www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Bear-Sightings-Provoke-Frenzy-in-Ogle-County-263707791.html.
- The “Tears and Ashes Bus Tour” offered by
CrossRoads Mennonite and Brethren Heritage Center in Harrisonburg, Va.,
will return later this summer with a day-long bus tour of Civil War
sites important to Mennonites and Brethren on Saturday, Aug. 16. The
tour will be led by Norman Wenger and David Rodes. Cost is $65, which
includes a tour booklet and a box lunch. Seats are limited, make
reservations by calling 540-438-1275.
- A peace retreat, “Let’s Get It Together: Conflict Transformation in the Congregation (and Beyond!)”
will be held on Sept. 27 in the House of Pillars at Camp Bethel near
Fincastle, Va. Registration will start at 8:30 a.m. and the retreat will
begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. The retreat will be presented
by the Virlina District Peace Affairs Committee and the Ministry of
Reconciliation of On Earth Peace. “A well-equipped Christian is able to
deal with conflict as it arises,” said an announcement from the
district. “In this highly interactive workshop, participants will be
introduced to basic conflict transformation skills in the morning
session. In the afternoon specialized sessions run concurrently for
pastors, deacons, youth advisors, and other congregational leaders, and
youth.” Cost is $25, and continuing education credit is available.
Register by e-mailing virlina2@aol.com or call 540-362-1816. A retreat flier is available by request, e-mail nuchurch@aol.com and use PEACE RETREAT as the subject line.
- Church leaders have met and agreed to advance peace on Korean Peninsula,
at a Korea consultation sponsored by the World Council of Churches. “In
a first meeting since 2009 and since the 2013 appointment of a new
leader for the Korea Christian Federation (KCF) of North Korea, an
international group of church leaders from 34 countries, including North
and South Korea, met near Geneva, Switzerland, to seek ways to advance
reconciliation and peace on the peninsula,” said a WCC release. The
group agreed to seek new initiatives to advance peace, such as
increasing visits between churches in North and South Korea, inviting
younger people around the world to become involved in working for peace
on the peninsula, and calling for an annual day of prayer for peace on
the peninsula. The group also recommends promoting annual ecumenical
meetings and consultations involving Christians from both countries in
conjunction with the day of prayer.
- Heeding God's Call, a gun violence prevention group
that began at a meeting of the Historic Peace Churches, and based in
Philadelphia, Pa., is calling for volunteers. “Volunteers are the
backbone of our organization,” said the release. “They serve a variety
of functions, from administrative and financial tasks to outreach and
fundraising. Volunteering at Heeding is a life-changing and life
affirming experience--we rely on the generosity of our volunteers to
keep our programs going.” For more information, contact 267-519-5302 or info@heedinggodscall.org . The group also has started a new YouTube channel and posted its first video recently. Find it at www.youtube.com/channel/UCKAzT8utcOXq71Sa2_1IHTw .
- In more news from Heeding God’s Call, the group
is joining with Delco United's Walk and Rally for Universal Background
Checks, on Saturday, June 28, in Chester, Pa. The event is intended to
let politicians know of the desire for every sale of a firearm to be
accompanied by a background check. “Over 30,000 Americans die from gun
violence every year, but we don’t even screen every person who tries to
buy a gun to see if he or she is prohibited from owning one because of a
history of domestic violence, criminal activity, or dangerous mental
health problems,” said the announcement. “Requiring a background check
on every gun sale is a simple change that is long overdue.” The walk
begins at 10 a.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Marker at
Calvary Baptist Church in Chester. For more information see http://delcounited.net/2014/05/15/walk-rally-for-universal-background-checks-on-gun-sales .
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IMA World Health has made a campaign on domestic and sexual violence a priority
in recent years, called WeWillSpeakOut. IMA World Health is a partner
organization to the Church of the Brethren, which its offices on the
Brethren Service Center campus in New Windsor, Md. In recent news, IMA
World Health and Sojourners partnered to release a report detailing the
attitudes of Protestant pastors in the US on the issue of sexual and
domestic violence. “The results are compelling and in some instances,
troubling,” said a release. “The telephone survey of 1,000 Protestant
pastors conducted by LifeWay Research found that an overwhelming
majority of the faith leaders surveyed (75%) underestimate the level of
sexual and domestic violence experienced within their congregations.
Despite its prevalence in society, two out of three (66%) pastors speak
one time a year or less about the issue, and when they do speak out, the
poll suggests they may be providing support that does more harm than
good.” The release added, “The good news is that 80 percent of pastors
said they would take appropriate action to reduce sexual and domestic
violence if they had the training and resources to do so--revealing a
great opportunity to turn this uncertain and unprepared group into
powerful advocates for prevention, intervention and healing.” More
information is at WeWillSpeakOut.org.
Source: 6/25/2014 Newsline
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