Office of Peacebuilding and Policy

Live from the IEPC

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Greetings from Kingston, and the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation! There are 6 Brethren here, gathered with almost 700 of our ecumenical friends from around the world. I will be getting online as often as I can, and offering updates during the week. Today, we recieved a recap of the decade, and a call for work to be done. But what I want to point your attention to today comes from the Just Peace companion – a document given to us to study before we arrived.

In this document, they list 7 commitments all people in a society should make so all can enjoy a good life. There are:

  1. I commit myself to cultivate a personal and family spirituality of love and nonviolence
  2. I commit myself to respect and protect the dignity of human life in all its forms as well as to the care of creation
  3. I commit myself to practice nonviolence in all my family relations, rejecting physical, verbal, and psychological mistreatment
  4. I commit myself, in love toward my neighbor, to resolve conflicts in a nonviolent fashion
  5. I commit myself to build solidarity and to work towards an alternative economy that promotes holisitic and sustainable human development
  6. I commit myself to not carry arms nor participate in militaristic projects
  7. I commit myself to place my gifts, talents, abilities, time and resources at the service of constructing a society of life, justice and peace through nonviolent action

Are you ready to make those commitments? As the journey continues here this week, be sure to follow along – there will be live streaming at www.oikumene.org, and join us in prayer on Sunday, during World Peace Sunday.

Office of Peacebuilding and Policy

Responding to the death of Osama bin Laden

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The following prayer is offered by Joshua Brockway, the Church of the Brethren’s director of Spiritual Life and Discipleship:

God of the empty tomb, whose life and resurrection we celebrate in this season of Easter, we are confronted by so much death–from the demise of thousands of nameless individuals to celebrations over the killing of notorious criminals–while knowing in our hearts that the death of one of your children is never a cause to rejoice.

As we gather proclaiming the truth of Easter, hear our wondering thoughts of the future, and our visions of your peace, so that our lives may reflect your way of life within a world falling into terror and death.

For it is in the confession of fears and hopes, anxiety and relief that the world knows us to be fully human and fully alive in you. Multiply our witness through our praise and service so that our prayers for “your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” might become manifest in our midst.

In the name of the one who died and yet rose again, Jesus the Christ, we pray. AMEN

Office of Peacebuilding and Policy

The Church of the Brethren and Afghanistan

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We believe that peace and security will not be found through military, economic, and political reprisal, or in the drastic curtailment of civil liberties in the United States. These avenues may satisfy the desire for retaliation and the appearance of greater security, but in the long term they can neither change the conditions that give rise to terrorist impulses nor eradicate the threat of terrorist attack. The perpetrators of acts such as these should be held accountable for their deeds. However, their apprehension and prosecution should be carried out within the rule of applicable law, without the loss of additional lives.

 

These were the words spoken by the General Board of the Church of the Brethren on October 22nd, 2011. I have yet to find a statement that better reflects the Christian call to nonviolence in the aftermath of the September 11th, 2001 attacks.

This year marks a number of turning points – both in the churches witness against violence, and the war on terror for the United States. This month, Christian peacemakers from around the world will gather in Kingston, Jamaica, for the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation, an event that will mark the end of the Decade to Overcome Violence – an initiative of the World Council of Churches. Coming out of this convocation will be a Just Peace Declaration – providing the church a framework for its peace witness moving forward.

This September will also mark the 10 year anniversary of the attacks of September 11th, and a decade of our country being at war. Furthermore, July of this year marks the anticipated beginning of a drawdown of troops in Afghanistan. Despite many statements on the War in Iraq, the Church of the Brethren has not made a statement on Afghanistan, or the War on Terror, since October 22nd, 2001. As we move toward all of these milestones, I want to hear from you. What word does the Church of the Brethren have to offer our country, and our brothers and sisters in Christ, regarding the War on Terror and the War in Afghanistan? What would you like to have us say?

General

The Naked Anabaptist

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Book cover of The Naked Anabaptist

The Naked Anabaptist by Stuart Murray is a straightforward introduction to the Anabaptist tradition. Why are so many people today intrigued by Anabaptism? What are the core convictions of the Anabaptist tradition? Who were the original Anabaptists?

Share your comments here or come hear Stuart Murray in person at an upcoming workshop: www.brethren.org/stuartmurray

General

World Communion Sunday

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“By such a supper they portray that they are members and house companions of the Lord Jesus.”  Alexander Mack, Rites and Ordinances

This weekend many Church of the Brethren communities will be taking part in World Communion Sunday, with a particular Brethren flair.  Since the early days of our movement, Brethren have taken the commandment to wash feet just as seriously as the witness of breaking bread  and drinking the cup of Christ.  In the Church of the Brethren today, nearly two thirds of our membership attends Love Feast at least once a year.

What are your memories of Love Feast?  Where will you celebrate the ordinance this weekend? What is your congregation doing for World Communion Sunday?

Brethren Press has published a thoughtful and beautifully illustrated book on Love Feast by Frank Ramirez.

“Where  can you find in the Gospel a plainer command than the words of our Savior to his disciples concerning feet washing?” Peter Nead, Theological Works

General

Hourly IDOPP Prayers

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8pm est – As you close the day, pray that the peace that started in these prayers today is only the start, laying the foundation for a peaceful world.
7pm est – Pray for continued relationship building, as the Israelis and Palestinians seek constructive dialogue toward building a lasting peace.
6pm est – Soon,VA will execute a woman for the murder of her husband. Pray that we may move beyond eye for an eye justice, toward restorative justice.
5pm est – We live in a time of growing violence toward one another with our words.Pray for peaceful rhetoric, and for us to speak with tongues of love
4pm est – In a time of oil spills, floods, and other eco- disasters, pray for all of God’s Creation,that we may be agents of healing, not destruction.
3pm est – Especially during this time of economic crisis, pray for those suffering the violence of a life lived in systematic poverty hunger

2pm est – Pray for all of those who have been impacted by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as by terrorism and the war on terrorism globally.

1pm est – In this hour, pray for those in the U.S. and around the world suffering from domestic violence and the violence of sexual exploitation.

Noon est – This hour, continue expanding the circle. Pray for peace in communities throughout the U.S. suffering from gun violence.http://bit.ly/bA9l5n

11am est – This hour, take some time and hold your family in prayer. Pray that they may find peace – each as individuals, and with one another.

10am est – Take the peace you find within, and begin to move it beyond you. Look around you and find someone else. Pray that they, too, may find peace.

9am est – Start this IDOPP by seeking your own peace. Begin this morning by praying for peace within. Loving your enemies begins with loving yourself.

Youth Peace Travel Team

Reflections on Camp LaVerne

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Eight weeks ago at Ministry Summer Service orientation Mary Jo Flory-Stuery reminded us that no matter where we go this summer, a ministry is already present and working there. There are many ministries at Camp La Verne, but I believe one of the most important is Capture the Flag. Despite the competitiveness, Capture the Flag was a blessing to me and the entire camp. As I was jokingly trying to intimidate the other team or encouraging my own team, I grew closer to campers, more so that I did even at meal times or campfires. Whether someone was watching the game, guarding the jail, or making a mad dash for the flag, relationships were built and made stronger. The game brought me closer to nature (I have the scratches to prove it), closer to the campers, and closer to God. Capture the Flag as a ministry at Camp La Verne bring everyone laughter, joy, excitement, and friendship.
-Hannah

Camp La Verne! Returning to a home camp after a long hiatus is like watching your favorite television show after it has been off the air for years. The memories start flooding in and you cannot help that little smile that slowly starts spreading across your face. The sights are familiar, the smells are familiar, and the people are wonderfully familiar. It is camp! It is home! Returning to Camp La Verne was an amazing treat for me. I remembered the wonderful summer weeks that I spent there. The little hike up and down that steep hill to the kitchen three times a day, going back to the basics and trekking up the mountain to sleep under the stars, and the great campfire talent/skit show where we can go on and on for hours! I loved being able to experience this wonderful week with the Junior and Senior High youth. The directors always have such an awesome time planned and I loved being able to relive those moments with new people and fresh faces to Camp La Verne. I loved showing my team my home camp and taking part in camp history in a whole new way – as a teacher of Peace. It was an incredible week and I am so glad we were able to be there. Thank you to campers, counselors, and directors alike for opening your arms and hearts and letting us in and welcoming us home! Kiyikiyikus, nobody like us! We are the kids from Camp La Verne!
-Cambria

If you desire more toned and defined muscles, visit Camp La Verne. We did some heavy leg-work this week through hiking and extreme games of capture the flag. These activities, for me, were great opportunities to bond with the campers. Getting to know them, laughing together, sweating together, walking together, singing together, etc., all helped make that connection I needed to be called their friend. On day one we took a hike to watch a beautiful sunset. It was gorgeous. As time passed us by, the rays of the sun slowly began hiding off behind the mountains, and the moon arose as we hiked back to camp. One of many memorable moments this week was when we led our peace workshops with the Senior High campers. They engaged and responded with what was on their hearts, answering: who they think are marginalized (left out, forgotten about) in their communities and daily lives, why they thought peace is important, and why loving our neighbors is a form of peacemaking. In our last workshop with this group we even received questions that went way beyond what we were expecting, like, “How can some Christians read the Bible but come out with an interpretation in support of war?” The campers were thinking – thinking big. Overall, I enjoyed myself this week!
-Marcus

One of the highlights of the week for me was the opportunity to go on an overnight hike. This was something I had never experienced before, so I approached it with a bit of apprehension, but it turned out to be a wonderful time. It was definitely the part of the week where we bonded most with the campers. We hiked about 2 miles out into the forest and set up camp in a large clearing. We cooked dinner, played a few games of capture the flag, then slept out under the stars (which were incredible!). The next morning we woke up, cooked breakfast, played a few more games of capture the flag, then hiked back to camp. It was a great experience that allowed us to experience God in a new way and get to know each other a little better.
-Tim