wfn.org | Newsline: International Day of Prayer for Peace campaign to focus on economic crisis

[cobnews <cobnews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service, News Director Cheryl Brumbau gh-Cayford, 800-323-8039 ext. 260, cobnews@brethren.org

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR PEACE CAMPAIGN TO FOCUS ON ECONOMIC CRISIS

(April 24, 2009) Elgin, IL -- On Earth Peace, a Church of the Brethren agen cy, is calling on churches and organizations to join its annual campaign to  participate in the World Council of Churches' International Day of Prayer  for Peace (IDOPP) on Sept. 21.

This year, a special emphasis is being given to the ways in which the curre nt deep recession is affecting local communities. "Times like these remind  us that peace is always a local issue," said Matt Guynn, Peace Witness coor dinator for On Earth Peace. "A severe recession is the economic equivalent  to war. Families are being destroyed, and community life is disrupted. God  calls us to lift up and pursue a positive vision of life that has community  and family at its center."

The campaign is an ecumenical effort open to all faith traditions. Particip ating groups will have a variety of ways to observe the International Day o f Prayer for Peace, depending on their demographics, energy, and experience  with peace and social justice issues.

"This is our third year for conducting a campaign around the International  Day of Prayer for Peace," said Michael Colvin, Peace Witness associate for  On Earth Peace. "Our experience has taught us that churches and other commu nity groups come to the campaign with a wide variety of expectations, and s o we have geared our training and support to meet a variety of different ne eds."

On Earth Peace is providing group registration, information, training, reso urces, and other assistance at http://idopp.onearthpeace.org. Questions may  be directed to idopp@onearthpeace.org.

The International Day of Prayer for Peace was first proposed in 2004 during  a meeting between World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Samu el Kobia and then-United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan as one of the  initiatives of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence. It is celebrated ann ually on Sept. 21, or the closest Sunday to the UN International Day of Pea ce. In 2008, more than 160 congregations and organizations from the United  States, Puerto Rico, and four other countries took part in the second year  of the On Earth Peace campaign.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continu ing 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 t raditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated it s 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts more than 125,000 members across the  United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nig eria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

># # #

>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