Peace church conference approves final document from meeting in Santo Domingo

[CoBNews <CoBNews@brethren.org>]

Peace church conference approves final document from meeting in Santo 
Domin go

Dec. 3, 2010 -- A final document was approved at the close of the 
Historic  Peace Church conference in Latin America, held in Santo 
Domingo, Dominican  Republic, Nov. 27-Dec. 2. The conference gathered 
77 Mennonites, Church of  the Brethren, and Friends (Quakers) from 17 
countries.

The document will be made public in the next few days. It represents 
a "sen se of the meeting," with an approval process.conducted in the 
consensus tra dition of the Friends.

The paper was formulated by a committee that had the job of reducing 
severa l days of presentations, testimonies, reports, and stories 
into a document  of common understandings. The committee included 
César Moya, Delia Mamani , and Alexandre Gonçalves.

Written in 13 sections, the document gives an overview of the 
conference an d shared theological understandings on peace; expresses 
special concern for  victims of violence in vulnerable populations 
such as women, children and  youth, migrants; expresses concern about 
particular national situations inc luding the ongoing war in Colombia 
and relationship between Dominicans and  Haitians, and natural 
disasters in Chile and Haiti; lists areas for intensi fied effort 
including the environment; pledges to participate in building p ublic 
policy; commits the peace churches to continue to work together and g 
et to know each other better, and to plant seeds of peace in homes 
and nati ons; and invites all churches of Latin America and the world 
to come togeth er in a movement to overcome violence.

Before the document was approved, participants had an opportunity to 
sugges t changes or corrections, or to raise concerns. After 
responses were receiv ed, the writing committee retired to another 
room to make final changes to  the document and the rest of the 
conference supported their work in prayer  through moments of silent 
worship.

The final morning of the conference opened with silent worship in the 
tradi tion of the unprogrammed Friends, followed by separate meetings 
for the thr ee denominational groups. Each group reported to the 
whole a summary of the ir conversations.

The Brethren focused their conversation and concern on a difficult 
situatio n of conflict within Iglesia de los Hermanos (the Church of 
the Brethren in  the Dominican Republic). Brethren also expressed a 
desire for their world  movement to become one of equals--in terms of 
national groups--in which the  US church is not regarded as the one 
leader.

The Quaker delegation listed several action points, including 
development o f a special report about the conference for use by 
Friends, a new respect f or their diversity and the understanding 
that differences between Quaker gr oups are an advantage rather than 
a disadvantage, seeking continued interac tion with other peace 
churches, and working to address drug use in their ho mes, churches, 
and communities. Several presentations during the conference  had 
linked the violence in a number of countries to drug use and 
trafficki ng, and related gang activity.

The Mennonites listed priorities of maintaining lines of 
communication by m eans such as the Internet and shared resources, 
and maximizing dialogue and  discernment on a number of points 
including sustainability, understandings  of peace, and deeper study 
of social and political realities. They also na med commitments as 
well as challenges and obstacles, among them a commitmen t to work at 
a concrete proposal to the World Council of Churches.

The closing worship service of the conference that evening was at 
Mendoza N ew Anointing Church of the Brethren, a Haitian-Dominican 
congregation. Litu rgical dance and two choirs enriched the 
standing-room-only service, attend ed by a crowd of hundreds that 
spilled out into the street.

Marcos and Suely Inhauser of Igreja da Irmandade (the Church of the 
Brethre n in Brazil) gave the message standing together at the 
pulpit. They preache d on the story of the resurrected Christ 
appearing to his disciples while t hey were in hiding from the 
authorities, relating the text to the experienc es of Haitians who 
suffer oppression and discrimination in the DR.

In a sermon that did not minimize the risks of peacemaking, and that 
openly  stated hesitations and questions listeners might have about 
their own well being and safety, they challenged the congregation to 
confront violence and  oppression head on.

"I really love this Jesus of ours because he was so courageous," the 
Inhaus ers preached, pointing out that after the resurrection Jesus 
returned to th e same city in which he had suffered torture and 
death. Nothing can be done  about violence and oppression if we run 
away, they said, "We have to face  it with a witnessing presence." 
They called believers to move out of shelte r and hiding and into the 
world as disciples of Christ. "I need you to get  out and spread the 
peace."

A service of footwashing, held with a small group of representatives 
from t he congregation and peace church traditions, and a lively time 
of passing t he peace ended the service. Singing, music, and dancing 
continued, however,  and was still going on as the conference 
participants left the sanctuary.

>(Spanish translation to come.)

-- Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford is news director for the Church of the 
Brethren . Contact: 800-323-8039 ext. 260 or 
cobnews@brethren.org<mailto:cobnews@bre thren.org