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.
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 ...
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 ...
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?
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 ...
As far back as I can remember I have always questioned the motives of why things happen in a certain way. Events in our lives are woven together to form a mysterious path that only God understands. Nativity sparks interest in our hearts because we think about what God’s plans were with the gift of an only child, given as a gift of grace.
Every time we honor Jesus’ name during this period of Advent, we honor love. In a world where materialism, consumerism, and individualism have become our focus, God’s everlasting love challenges ...