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.
In addition to the joys and concerns that are on your heart, the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations suggests prayers for:
Libya
Prayers for people of Libya as they struggle to find nonviolent, positive, and constructive ways to express themselves in the midst of armed attacks on their governmental infrastructure.
The situation at Guantanamo Bay prison facility
Prayers for President Barack Obama as he attempts to find a resolution to the hunger strike in the Guantanamo Bay prison facility that has reportedly spread to over 100 inmates; for leaders who make decisions concerning the facility; those who serve at ...
From Chicago they came in mid-December, a bold crew sailing the pirate ship Revenge to adventures at Turtle Bay and nearby points of interest. They made anchor at Old Bergen Church in Jersey City and clambered aboard the local trains to make their way to their berth at Jan Hus Presbyterian Church. They spent two days engaged in variety of activities with the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations.
To put it another way:
On December 18 and 19, a group from the Agape House Campus Ministry at the University of Illinois Chicago drove by van to New York for ...
The opening prayer for the presentation by Germán Zárate and the Rev. Mamie Broadhurst on working for human rights with the displaced people of Colombia:
A Prayer for Refugees
Almighty and merciful God,
whose Son became a refugee
and had no place to call his own;
look with mercy on those who today
who are fleeing from danger,
homeless and hungry.
Bless those who work to bring them relief;
inspire generosity and compassion in all our hearts;
and guide the nations of the world towards that day
when all will rejoice in your Kingdom of justice and of ...
Below is an announcement from the U.S. Department of State announcing an increase in funding for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
The United States is pleased to announce its third contribution this fiscal year toward the 2012 operations of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). With this contribution of more than $41 million, the United States is providing to-date approximately $720 million to the organization, including more than $100 million toward emergency appeals for vulnerable populations from Syria, Sudan, and Mali. These contributions are funded through the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration ...
by Elodie de Bethmann
On Monday, July 30, the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations had the pleasure of spending the day with members of The House of Hope Presbyterian Church of St. Paul, MN. The group joined us to learn more about human movement and related issues. We started the day with each seminar participant sharing her or his own family’s history of movement before being joined by our Ghanaian sisters and brothers from Trinity, Bethel, and Emmanuel Presbyterian Churches in New York. In the afternoon, we listened to the Ghanaians’ stories and how issues of human movement ...