Swords into plowshares
About this blog
Swords into Plowshares is the blog of the Peacemaking Program and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations of the Presbyterian Mission Agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Seeking peace. Striving for justice. Together.
Recent posts
- Three Prayer Concerns - May 23
- Summer 2013 intern at the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations - Brendan Welsh
- Summer 2013 intern at the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations - Marissa Costello
- Hold Sudanese Human Rights Violators Accountable!
- US remarks at high-level talks on trafficking
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Three Prayer Concerns - May 23
The Jahalin Bedouin people
Pray for the Jahalin Bedouin people in the West Bank who have been displaced from their homes, marginalized by the governing authorities in their region, and terrorized by individuals who wish to do them and their children harm. Pray that there would be policies enacted to protect and serve them, and that no new legislation would be passed that would either force them to leave their land, or abandon their chosen lifestyle of raising and herding animals.
All indigenous children
Pray that the Lord would strengthen and protect indigenous children all over the world, and that they would have access to plenty of food, healthcare, clean water, safe housing, and education. Pray that the local governments of indigenous children would endeavor to meet the unique needs of these young people in our global society. The Twelfth Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues meets from May 20-31, 2013.
Earth care
May 22 marked the International Day for Biological Diversity; pray that humanity would care well for God’s Earth, and in so doing, would protect creation more effectively so that all people and all life might benefit more equally from all the rich resources of the varying ecosystems on our planet. Learn more about the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Environmental Ministries.
What prayers do you lift this day and this week?
Thanks to Brendan Chase for this post.
May 22, 2013
Summer 2013 intern at the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations - Brendan Welsh
Hello. My name is Brendan Welsh, and I just completed my first year at Princeton Theological Seminary. I went to Episcopal Academy where I grew up, in a suburb of Philadelphia, after which I went to Hamilton College in upstate New York, where I met my wife. In January of 2012 we were married in California, and I went to work for the FOCUS youth ministry in Philadelphia, where I worked for 2½ years. My wife and I come from different denominational backgrounds, but we both joined Narberth Presbyterian Church a little over a year ago, a wonderful community that ...
May 22, 2013
Summer 2013 intern at the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations - Marissa Costello
My name is Marissa Costello and I’m an intern at the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations. I wanted to intern here for two reasons specifically. One of those reasons being that I am now going into my senior year as an undergraduate at Saint Francis College but I’m still not sure what career I would like to pursue in my future. I’m a sociology major with a concentration in social work but I don’t know what specific field I would like to pursue. I’m hoping that working with this ministry and being exposed to ...
May 16, 2013
Hold Sudanese Human Rights Violators Accountable!
From our colleagues in the Office of Public Witness
Ask the State Department to Deny Entry to Dr. Nafie Ali Nafie
In 1989, Farouk Mohammed Ibrahim, a former science professor at the University of Khartoum, was arrested for his outspoken criticism of the Sudanese government. For twelve days, he was held in one of Sudan’s notorious “ghost houses,” where he was interrogated and tortured. “I was tortured, beaten and flogged in his presence,” Ibrahim toldLA Times reporter Edmund Sanders in 2008. “He was administering the whole thing. He did it all in such a cool manner, as if ...
May 16, 2013
US remarks at high-level talks on trafficking
Remarks by Luis CdeBaca, Ambassador-at-Large Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the high-level meeting on the Appraisal of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons.
AS DELIVERED
Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I’m pleased to join so many partners and stakeholders today to discuss progress and the path forward on our shared commitment to combat modern slavery, what we also call trafficking in persons. We’re here today because modern slavery is a crime that hurts our countries and communities. It rips families apart, undermines the rule of law, creates instability ...
May 15, 2013
Three Prayer Concerns - May 16
Pibor town, South Sudan
Pray for the people of Pibor town in Jonglei State of South Sudan where violence, looting, and displacement are increasing. Pray for the Government of South Sudan and the United Nations Mission of South Sudan as they seek to address the situation. Learn about Presbyterian partners in South Sudan.
Families
On the International Day of Families, give thanks for your family. Pray for strength and all that families need for the living of these days.
Religious Freedom
Pray that all people in might have the opportunity to practice their faith in freedom.
What prayers do you ...
May 9, 2013
Three Prayer Concerns - May 9
In addition to the joys and concerns that are on your heart, the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations suggests prayers for:
Pakistan
Prayers for the people of Pakistan as they struggle for democracy in the midst of violence surrounding their elections. On Tuesday, a bombing killed 15 at a campaign rally in Northwest Pakistan
Sudan and South Sudan
Prayers for the people of Abyei who face escalating violence in the territory dispute between Sudan and South Sudan. The recent killing of Tribal Chief DengKoul Deng has left the situation in the region more unstable and uncertain than ever.
Tanzania ...
May 6, 2013
A New Method of Healing for a Wounded World
By Teo Ufford-Chase
On May 1, I attended another event on climate change and the environment entitled Aphrodite and the Landfill. The event was co-sponsored by several organizations, most notably the Temple of Understanding and the Committee of Religious NGOs at the UN. The speaker for the event was a woman named Trebbe Johnson, the founder of the organization Radical Joy for Hard Times. When I arrived at the event, I had certain expectations put in place by the first event I had attended on climate change about small island states. This event completely defied those expectations. I didn't ...
May 3, 2013
Pray for Peace, Reconciliation and Democracy in Madagascar
The Christian Council of Churches in Madagascar (FFKM) has launched a process of broad-based national reconciliation to enable the Malagasy people to find a way out of the political crisis that has gripped the nation for more than four years.
Representatives of more than 200 political parties and civil society organizations are meeting in Antananarivo, the capital, May 3 to 5 to seek consensus on a way forward. Please support this initiative by praying for:
- A continued sense of cooperation and goodwill among all of the participants;
- Humility for Madagascar’s past and present political leaders, that they may acknowledge ...
May 2, 2013
A Joint Statement on the Peace of the Korean Peninsula
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Presbyterian Church of Korea
Presbyterians in the United States and Korea have a long history of shared mission as followers of Jesus Christ. Leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Presbyterian Church of Korea gathered from April 17 – 19, 2013 to pray and think together about future directions our shared mission might take.
The mission consultation occurred at a time of increased tension on the Korean Peninsula. Out of a shared faith and concern, the gathered group wrote a joint statement on the peace of the Korean Peninsula.
While each communion ...