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.
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- Three Prayer Concerns - May 16
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Posts with category: Worship
April 9, 2013Prayer of Confession from Compassion, Peace and Justice Training Day
God of grace and goodness,
what we claim as our own,
you create and give to us.
What we would use for ourselves alone,
you entrust to us for the blessing of all.
Where we perceive scarcity,
you provide enough for all.
Where we grasp and hoard,
you invite us to share.
Where we privilege some at the expense of others,
you endow all with value, worth and dignity
Where we divide and exclude,
you invite and welcome all to the table.
When we turn from your way,
you love us still.
When we fall short,
you make possible new ...
April 8, 2013
Peacemaking Travel Study Seminar in Northern Ireland: Reconciliation in the Celtic Context
Post by Rev. Carl Horton, Presbyterian Peacemaking Program staff member
On the first Sunday after Easter, our peacemakers set off in small groups to worship with 7 different congregations in the Belfast area. Some went to the "leafy suburbs" to worship with congregations surrounding the city and mostly removed from the contexts of violence. Others, went to congregations in the Shankill Road area, places highly impacted by the sectarian bombings and violence of their neighborhoods. One congregation at the epicenter of the Troubles, still to this day locks its doors during the service with a posted sign in the narthex that reads: "These doors to remain locked at all times. Abductions have occurred from this church."
March 12, 2013
The Tragedy and Triumph of An Empty Stomach
... as my grandmother used to say there is always a BUT ...
Those words serve as a pivotal moment in a powerful sermon of hope preached by the Rev. Laetitia Wells at Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church in New York on Sunday. Using Jesus' familiar story of the prodigal son as her text, the Rev. Wells explored the role of hope in our lives.
Supply pastor of St. Paul Presbyterian Church in High Point, NC and works as a mental health counselor at the Hughes Center for Exceptional Children, the Rev. Wells is in New York as part of the Presbyterian delegation ...
March 5, 2013
Something about the stones
by Rochelle Rawls-Shaw
Presbyterians from the United States and Aotearoa New Zealand prepared to lead this morning’s Ecumenical Women (EW)’s worship service at the 57th Session of the Commission for the Status of Women (CSW) for over a month.
As we met and got to know each other on conference calls, we shared our nicknames and their origins; we identified our special talents (or talents we wished we had). We shared what friends or family would say to describe us to a complete stranger. Our conversations were a great beginning for a group of women who were ...
February 1, 2013
World Interfaith Harmony Week
Observe World Interfaith Harmony Week We live in an interfaith world. This brings challenges and opportunities. Respectful Presence: An Understanding of Interfaith Prayer and Celebration from a Reformed Christian Perspective, a document commended to congregations and governing bodies of the...