Newsline: Conference considers 'Peace Among the Peoples'

[CoBNews <CoBNews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service, News Director Cheryl

Brumbaugh-Cayford, 800-323-8039 ext. 260, cobnews@brethren.org

CONFERENCE CONSIDERS 'PEACE AMONG THE PEOPLES'

(Aug. 13, 2010) Elgin, IL -- The Church of the Brethren was one sponsor

of Peace Among the Peoples, along with a number of churches, national

and state ecumenical groups, peace and justice organizations, and

>educational institutions.

Peace Among the Peoples is part of the Decade to Overcome Violence,

an initiative of the World Council of Churches (WCC) culminating on

May 17-25, 2011, in an International Ecumenical Peace Convocation to

>be held in Jamaica.

Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary hosted the event. Other

sponsors were Bridgefolk, Catholic Peacebuilding Network, First

Presbyterian Church of Elkhart, Historic Peace Churches-Fellowship of

Reconciliation Consultative Committee, Indiana Partners for Christian

Unity and Mission, Institute of Mennonite Studies, Kroc Institute for

International Peace Studies, Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church,

Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite Church Canada, Mennonite

Church USA and its Peace and Justice Support Network, Mennonite

Mission Network, National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA,

Orthodox Peace Fellowship, United Church of Christ, and the University

of Notre Dame's Institute of Church Life and Department of Africana

>Studies.

Just over 200 people attended, including 18 Brethren members and

special guest of the Church of the Brethren, Jarrod McKenna from

Australia, who a week before had been a speaker at National Youth

>Conference.

Most registrants were from the US, but others came from Canada, Europe,

South America, Africa and Australia, representing Peace Church, Orthodox,

Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Free Church traditions.

Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren, served on

the Advisory Committee and Scott Holland, Bethany Seminary's director of

peace studies, served on the Steering Committee.

Among a host of speakers were Mary Jo Leddy, Catholic writer, speaker,

theologian, and social activist, who addressed the opening worship service.

"Our daily summons is to build peace among the people in our home, city,

country, and universe," Leddy said. Christians are summoned "to preach

with our lives the good news that we can, should, must love our enemies.

If we simply hate our enemies, we become like them."

Also speaking were Rita Nakashima Brock, founding co-director of the Faith

Voices for the Common Good. who addressed the opening plenary on

"Alternative Approaches to Christians and War"; Linda Gehman Peachey,

who directs the Mennonite Central Committee US Women's Advocacy

Program, addressed sexual violation, intimate partner abuse, and abuse of

children; theologian and author Brian McLaren, who used the metaphor of

story to show what peacemaking may look like in the future; and Stanley

Hauerwas of Duke University and Gerard Powers of the University of Notre

Dame, who dealt with "Just War and Pacifism in Dialogue."

One session reviewed the Decade to Overcome Violence and reported on

plans for the peace convocation in Jamaica next year, which will revolve

around four themes: Peace in the community, peace with the earth, peace in

>the marketplace, and peace among the peoples.

In addition, the WCC is working toward an Ecumenical Declaration on Just

Peace, said a staff member who explained the concept: a multifaceted,

collective, and dynamic process of ensuring that human beings are free from

fear and from want; are overcoming enmity, exclusion, and oppression; and

are establishing conditions for right relationships that include the most

vulnerable and respect the integrity of creation.

Conferees affirmed plans for a continuation committee of 12 people who will

consider findings, recommendations, and next steps; work at ways to support

the 2011 peace convocation; consider creation of a peace center; and review

>potential for a global peace network.

For more about the conference see www.peace2010.net<http://www.peace2010.net> . 
Photos are at

www.ambs.edu/programs-institutes/IMS/consultations/peace/photos<http://www.ambs.edu/programs-institutes/IMS/consultations/peace/photos>
 .

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing

the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in 
community.

The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is

one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated its 300th anniversary in

2008. It counts some 125,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico,

and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic,

>Haiti, and India.

(John Bender of Elkhart, Ind., contributed the bulk of this report.)

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

>Director of News Services

>Church of the Brethren

>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120

>800-323-8039 ext. 260

>cobnews@brethren.org