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
- Indigenous food sovereignty
- What I Have Been Through Is Not Who I Am
- Only a glimpse
- Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church follows Jesus into the public arena
- Education and Indigenous Youth: Melanesians and Quechuas
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Posts with tag: faith
October 1, 2012Presbyterian engagement at the United Nations General Assembly
Last week, New York City welcomed world leaders to the 67th United Nations General Assembly. The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations was active in raising the voice of Presbyterians from here in the United States as well as those of our partners in the World Communion of Reformed Churches.
- Worshiped with world leaders at the opening prayer service for the United Nations General Assembly.
- Empowering Youth dialogue with the President Lobo of Honduras and the Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations.
- Official NGO observer to the General Debate with heads of state or government.
- Met ...
July 11, 2011
A visit to the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations
Rev. Balázs ÓDOR, Ecumenical Officer for the Reformed Church in Hungary visited the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations on Friday. We had the opportunity to share how the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Reformed Church in Hungary are engaging in faith and public policy advocacy.
The Reformed Church in Hungary engages the European Union on advocacy issues driven by their faith and policy. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) with the World Communion of Reformed Churches advocates at the United Nations in New York and in Washington, DC.
Presbyterians can trace the joining of public policy ...
June 28, 2011
July 17 - International Justice Day
International Justice Day - July 17 - marks the birthday of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Faith and Ethics Network of the International Criminal court suggests several ways congregations could observe this day:
• Discuss the importance of the ICC;
• Draw attention to ongoing atrocities where the ICC could make a difference.
• Encourage the United States to join and ratify the ICC.
The 211th General Assembly (1999) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) passed the following resolution supporting the creation of the ICC and encouraging the United States to sign on to and ratify the ICC:
- Commend ...
June 15, 2011
PC(USA) Middle East Monitoring Group releases Kairos Palestine Study Guide
From the Presbyterian News Service:
Fulfilling a portion of its mandate by the 219th General Assembly (2010) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Middle East Monitoring Group (MEMG) has finished its work on a study guide for the Kairos Palestine document.
According to the MEMG’s preamble to the study guide, it “is designed for ordinary Presbyterians, who may have little experience with the plight of Palestinian Christians or the dynamics of the larger Israeli-Palestinian struggle, to better understand what our sisters and brothers in Christ from that region are experiencing and saying about faith and life in ...
April 29, 2011
Setting a budget consistent with our faith
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness is concerned about the impact of the House approved Ryan budget on persons living in poverty across the globe, including the U.S. Although many congressional arguments are framed as partisan politics and...
April 22, 2011
A trip down memory lane
There were gulls in the background - or so they told me. I could only see a building. This evening brought my second Skype presentation on behalf of the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations. The Agape House Campus Ministry...
December 5, 2010
Advent Devotion - December 5, 2010
Scripture - Romans 15:4–13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) There was a point in my...
December 2, 2010
Advent Devotion - December 2, 2010
Scripture - 1 Thessalonians 3:1–13 “We sent Timothy . . . to strengthen and encourage you for the sake of your faith, so that no one would be shaken by these persecutions.” (1 Thessalonians 3:2–3) I remember reading Peacemaking: The...
November 27, 2010
Sudan bishops give message of hope before vote
Sudan bishops give message of hope before vote Caritas Internationalis, partner of the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, has posted a message from the Catholic bishops of Sudan in which they reflect on the upcoming referenda in their country....
April 18, 2010
Election status - Sudan
Our colleagues in the Sudan Advocacy Action Forum have issued the following situation report that addresses the status of the election.Dear Sudanese Friends and Friends of the Sudanese, This update specifically addresses the current status of the elections, the results...
April 8, 2010
Affording Hope
The Affording Hope Project presented Leaps and Bounds tonight in Louisville. This one woman show explores the intersection of faith, ecology, and the global economy. Developed and performed by Tevyn East, this show is being presented in a variety of...
April 3, 2010
Hope, encouragement and perseverence
Alleluia! Christ is Risen. He is Risen Indeed. Alleluia! We, the Heads of the Churches in the Land of the Holy One, share with you the Good News of the life of our local Christian Church as one Body in...
April 2, 2010
The Lynching of Jesus and the Silent Christian Indifference
The Rev. Jerrod Lowry, ministry member of the Presbytery of New Hope preached a powerful sermon on Passion Sunday. The whole sermon is on Facebook. His sermon suggests that we make the crucifixion of Jesus too clean and tolerable and...
March 30, 2010
Face the displaced: Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia
Barranquilla, Colombia Here's the ask: Participate in the Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia. This year's focus is on Colombians who are internally displaced. Here's the background: Those of us who have gathered to discuss the Colombia Accompaniment Program,...
March 22, 2010
Stated Clerk writes churchwide letter on conscientious objectors
By request of the 218th General Assembly (2008), Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons has written a letter to “every congregation and presbytery in the denomination” in response to referral 11-22, “On Supporting Those Who Feel Called to Seek Status as Conscientious...
January 19, 2010
Hunger Justice Leaders
Two years ago, 75 young leaders came to the nation’s capital for intensive training in advocacy for hungry and poor people. Since then, they have served as powerful agents of change in their communities. Now Bread for the World is...
November 3, 2008
An Act of Faith
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