wfn.org | Ecumenical Peace Conference slated July 28-31

["Philip Jenks" <pjenks@ncccusa.org>]

July 28-31 'Peace Among the Peoples' Conference
prepares to affirm Decade to Overcome Violence

Elkhart, Ind., July 16, 2010 -- The World Council of Churches' Decade to  
Overcome Violence (DOV) was launched in 2001, the year the September 11  terror 
attacks in New York and Washington led the U.S. and its NATO  allies to go to 
war against Al Qaeda terrorists and Afghanistan.

The subsequent war against Iraq, and murderous confrontations in Sri  Lanka, 
the Sudan, the Congo and elsewhere, have made the first decade of  the 21st 
century one of history's most violent.

But that doesn't necessarily mean the Decade to Overcome Violence was a  
failure.

"The goal of the Decade was to strengthen existing efforts and networks  for 
preventing and overcoming violence, as well as inspire the creation  of new 
ones," said the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of  the National 
Council of Churches USA. "The events that followed 9/11  make those efforts all 
the more important."

Kinnamon is one of the organizers of "Peace Among the Peoples,"  
(www.peace2010.net) a DOV-related ecumenical peace conference aimed at  
"overcoming the spirit, logic and practice of violence" slated for July  28-31 
at Associated Mennonite Bible Seminary here.

Participants in the conference expect to play a role in developing the  agenda 
of the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation next May in  Kingston, 
Jamaica. (See  http://www.overcomingviolence.org/en/peace-convocation.html)

The Kingston meeting will be the official culmination of the Decade to  
Overcome Violence.

"From the very beginning the ecumenical movement has been a peace  movement," 
Kinnamon said. "I hope that this year the churches of North  America will 
recommit to this ecumenical vision of peacemaking."

Speakers and presenters at the "Peace Among the Peoples" conference  include:

Paul Alexander, Pentecostals and Charismatics for Peace and Justice;  Andy 
Alexis-Baker, Marquette University; Gail Allan, United Church  of Canada; Rita 
Nakashima Brock, Faith Voices for the Common Good;  Stanley Hauerwas, Duke 
Divinity School; Scott Holland, Bethany  Theological Seminary; Richard Hughes, 
Messiah College; Mark Johnson,  Fellowship of Reconciliation; Matthew Johnson, 
Every Church A  Peace Church; and Colonel Herm Kaiser, United States 
Army (Retired).

Also, Itonde Kakoma, Wartburg Theological Seminary; Guillermo Kerber,  World 
Council of Churches; Mary Jo Leddy, Regis College and Romero  House Community; 
Philip LeMasters, McMurray University; Jan Love,  Candler School of Theology; 
Jarrod McKenna, Anabaptist Association of  Australia and New Zealand; Brian 
McLaren, Author of A New Kind  of Christianity; Logan Mehl-Laituri, 
Centurion's Purse; Rich Meyer,  Christian Peacemaker Teams; and Weldon Nisly, 
Salem  Mennonite Church.

Also, Rodney Peterson, Boston Theological Institute; Margaret Pfeil,  
University of Notre Dame; Dan Philpott, Kroc Institute for  International 
Peace Studies; Gerard Powers, Kroc Institute for  International Peace Studies; 
Ernie Regehr, Project Plowshares; John  Rempel, Associated Mennonite 
Biblical Seminary; Carol Rose, Christian  Peacemakers Teams; Gerald Schlabach, 
University of St. Thomas; and  Tim Seidel, Mennonite Central Committee.

Also, Glen Stassen, Fuller Theological Seminary; André Gingerich  Stoner, 
Mennonite Church USA; Michael Trice, Evangelical Lutheran  Church in America; 
Craig Watts, Disciples Peace Fellowship; and Kent  Yoder, University of Hamburg.

In addition to the National Council of Churches, sponsors of the event  are: 
Bridgefolk; Catholic Peacebuilding Network; Church of  the Brethren; Historic 
Peace Churches - Fellowship of Reconciliation  Consultative Committee; Indiana 
Partners for Christian Unity  and Mission; Institute of Church Life at 
University of Notre Dame;  and Institute of Mennonite Studies.

Also, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies; Malankara Mar  Thoma 
Syrian Church; Mennonite Central Committee; Mennonite  Church Canada; Mennonite 
Church USA; Orthodox Peace Fellowship;  United Church of Christ; and University 
of Notre Dame - Department of  Africana Studies.                 

Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of  Christ in 
the USA has been the leading force for ecumenical cooperation  among Christians 
in the United States. The NCC's 36 member faith groups  -- from a wide spectrum 
of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical,  historic African American and 
Living Peace churches -- include 45  million persons in more than 100,000 local 
congregations in communities  across the nation.

NCC News contact:  Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228 (office),  646-853-4212 
(cell), pjenks@ncccusa.org Return to NCC Home Page