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
- Hold Sudanese Human Rights Violators Accountable!
- US remarks at high-level talks on trafficking
- Three Prayer Concerns - May 16
- Three Prayer Concerns - May 9
- A New Method of Healing for a Wounded World
Categories
- Peace (524)
- United Nations (500)
- Prayer (471)
- Human Rights (417)
- Justice (387)
- View all categories →
Archives
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- View all archives →
January 2013
January 25, 2013International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations joins colleagues today recognizing the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, and conveyed the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s statement on the Commemoration. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) issued the following statement to the United Nations community:
Statement by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, January 27, 2013
The United Nations recognizes 27 January as the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
The Presbyterian Church ...
January 18, 2013
New Approaches to Peacemaking and Nonviolence for the 21st Century
Across the Presbyterian Church (USA), congregations and presbyteries are being asked to participate in a church-wide Peace Discernment conversation to “seek clarity as to God’s call to the church to embrace nonviolence as its fundamental response to the challenges of violence, terror,and war; and to identify, explore, and nurture new approaches to active peacemaking and nonviolence.”
January 18, 2013
Discerning Peace: Seventeen Reflections from the Montreat College Conference 2013
At the 2013 Montreat College Conference, I provided interested students and leaders two questions to respond to in writing. The responses are compiled below.
Where do you see violence in your community and world?
Emotional violence, especially against youth. In ourselves. My high school with fights between peers. Wars between religions. A shooting at my kids' high school. Demonstrations by hate groups. Fighting at sporting events. Various wars around the world. Frankly, where do we not see violence?
January 15, 2013
Children are children, not soldiers - 11 years on
‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’ – Matthew 19:14
February 12, 2013 marks the eleventh anniversary of the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.
Find worship resources, ideas for participating in the Red Hand Campaign, and suggestions for further study for this occasion. 
They may be used at any time.
UNICEF estimates that more than 300,000 children – boys and girls under the ...
January 13, 2013
Rescue during the Holocaust: The Courage to Care
In 2005 the UN General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Through this commemoration, the UN system and member states of the UN honor the victims of the Nazi era and provide and develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.
This year's 2013 observance is built around the theme “Rescue during the Holocaust: The Courage to Care”. Through exhibits, film, educational activities and the annual memorial ceremony, the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme and the global network ...