Peacemaking Offering sends toys to Iraq

Tony Golden distributing a stuffed animal at Camp Bucca in Iraq. Photo courtesy of First Presbyterian Church of Maianna, Florida

Tony Golden is a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Marianna, Florida, who is serving with his Army Reserve unit as a chaplain’s assistant in Camp Bucca in Iraq. In a recent letter to the church he indicated that he and his fellow soldiers had all that they needed but that they would appreciate help with giving small stuffed animals and small toys to the parents and children in the neighborhood of their camp. The First Presbyterian Church has recently sent four boxes of stuffed animals and toys for distribution and is continuing to collect items until October 5. The church will be using its 25 percent of the Peacemaking Offering, received on Sunday, October 5, to help with the cost of mailing the stuffed animals and toys to Iraq and to purchase additional ones beyond those donated by member of the congregation. More information on this program may be obtained by contacting Pastor Huw Christopher or by calling (850) 526-2430.

Can Peace Break Out?

Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase spoke at Eastminster Presbytery's celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Peacemaking: The Believers' Calling. Photo by Jane Stoffer.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Peacemaking: the Believers' Calling, the Peacemaking Subcommittee of Eastminster Presbytery organized a "peace fair" for Presbyterians in Northeast Ohio. On March 5, 125 persons attended workshops, heard a keynote address by Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase, and enjoyed a festive benefit supper to support Kent State University students going on service projects.

Envisioning an intergenerational and international event, the committee recruited workshop leaders involved in diverse peacemaking projects. Adults, youth and children participated in informative workshops and hands-on activities such as engaging in interfaith conversations, learning about an interracial evangelism program, creating a replica Hiroshima peace park with origami peace cranes, writing letters to Congress about U.S. military funding in Colombia, creating a peace video by youth and learning about Presbyterian responses to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Moderator Ufford-Chase cited Isaiah's call to true fasting for justice to encourage concrete actions in our time (Isaiah 56). He recounted peacemaking by fellow believers whom he had met in Latin America and challenged Ohio Presbyterians to volunteer for accompaniment of threatened church and human rights leaders in Colombia. The celebration closed with an original song created in a workshop led by the Rev. Kay Roberts, host pastor of the Kent Presbyterian Church. All joyfully sang the refrain, "Can Peace Break Out?"

Peace Is . . .

What does peace look like? What do peacemakers do? Fourteen youth and adults from the Presbytery of Western New York devoted a Friday evening to exploring these and related questions on March 31. They gathered at Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in Buffalo, New York. Participants created a collage entitled "Peace Is" and played Peacemaking Bingo which helped them identify ways to seek justice and peace. Recognizing the Biblical roots of peacemaking, they acted out Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan and the Genesis story of Jacob and Esau's reunion. Discussion of how those and other Bible stories help us understand peacemaking followed. Group members then explored ways they could expand their peacemaking efforts. After prayer, participants made and enjoyed sundaes.

Eyes Wide Open

A portion of the Eyes Wide Open display at Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville. Photo by Andrew Osborne.

During Holy Week, the Peacemaking Program joined other peace groups in Louisville to host Eyes Wide Open, the American Friends Service Committee's exhibit on the Iraq War. The version in Louisville included a pair of boots to honor each U.S. casualty from the National Guard, a field of shoes to memorialize the Iraqis killed in the conflict (each shoe represented approximately 2,000 Iraqi civilian deaths), and interpretive materials. The Peacemaking Program provides a variety of resources related to Iraq.

What's Your Ecological Footprint?

In September 2005, peacemakers in Macomb, Illinois, held their third annual Peacemaking Weekend. The focus was on Making Peace with the Environment. Participants plotted their ecological footprints and discussed the results. Ecological footprints are a way of estimating how much productive land and water are needed to support what we use and discard. The Rev. Nette Estudillo, pastor of Ministerio Hispano Presbeteriano Espiritu de Esperanza in Beloit, Wisconsin, and a member of an organic farm education co-operative, served as a speaker. Other topics addressed were "Driving Green" and "Global Warming."

After the 2004 Peacemaking Weekend, participants organized the Macomb Area Alliance on Peace and Justice. They hope the 2005 event will bear similar fruit as participants explore new ways of making peace with God's creation.