Peacemaking Program dinner at General Assembly
Harry Pickens in concert at the 2005 Peacemaking Conference. Photo by David
P. Young Harry Pickens,
internationally renowned jazz pianist and peacemaker, will provide a concert
and engage in conversation at the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program dinner during
the General Assembly on Wednesday, June 25 from 6–7:30
p.m. The dinner will take place at Trinity Cathedral located at 81 N. 2nd Street.
A simple meal will benefit the Green
Belt Movement in Kenya.
Celebrating peace at Afton Presbyterian Church
by Eugenia Peters
The Afton Presbyterian Church in Afton, N.Y. (population
about 1000), has held an evening worship service celebrating peace on International
Day of Peace since 2003. A freewill offering is taken. The offering is divided
into thirds and dispersed into local, national and international peacemaking
efforts. Our intentions are pro-peace, not anti-war. This year we also devoted
the entire day to celebrating the idea of peace. Read
more about this event.
Every child a Peacemaker
“I learned that instead of fighting, you can
talk out the problem using a peace stick. I learned that you shouldn't
solve your problems with violence. You should talk it out. I helped my friends
at day care solve their problems without violence. I hope other kids could
have the experience I had at the Peace Learning Center.” So said a fourth
grade student about The Peace Learning Center of Milwaukee — a project
supported by Presbyterians that gives kids a chance! Read
more about this program.
Offsetting carbon in St. Augustine
The Presbytery of St. Augustine invited Rick Ufford-Chase
to serve as keynote speaker at an educational event the night before and as well
as worship and keynote speaker at its May 2007 meeting. The events were held
at the presbytery’s
Montgomery Camp and Conference Center. The presbytery’s Mission Development
Committee identified ways they could use the gathering to raise awareness about
our responsibilities as stewards of the planet and the possibilities of conserving
earth’s resources. The committee came up with several ideas, such as inviting
a congregation to share how it is recycling ink cartridges to fund one of its
missions, working with the camp and conference center to increase its intentionality
about recycling, and having the film Kilowatt Ours, which documents
one family’s attempt to reduce its energy consumption, available as an
optional activity for those who were spending the night. The committee received
permission to have the special offering at the Presbytery’s worship used
to purchase a carbon offset for the members of the presbytery who attended the
meeting, both for transportation to the site and for energy used during the gathering.
The committee chose to do this through Native
Energy. The presbytery collected $906 to contribute to planting trees and
for research into renewable energy sources. The whole process was an educational
exercise to raise awareness, and having the meeting take place at the camp and
conference center, located in a forest with a lake nearby, spoke volumes as well
to the natural beauty they hoped to preserve for generations to come.
The Listening Room
Pre-presbytery events in Eastminster Presbytery
involve a time of conversation in which participants join as Christian brothers
and sisters to express themselves on critical issues of the day. The Listening
Room offers an opportunity for “Eastminsterites” to
inquire, learn, and reflect on how to live fully in God’s holy realm as
followers of Jesus Christ. The conversations make use of the Respectful Communication
Guidelines developed by Eric H.F. Law.
Participants in the prayer vigil for Darfur included people of all ages. Photo by Susan Webb Vigil for Darfur
The Presbyterian Church of Bowling Green, Ky., hosted
a program on Darfur on October 30. Nick Clooney spoke at the event that was held
on the campus of Western Kentucky University. About two hundred community
members and students attended.
The church followed up this event with
a community prayer vigil for Darfur. The vigil, held on the city square, raised
$2,200 for relief efforts in Darfur.
Flame of Unity
Each week, the congregations of Pacific Presbytery pray for
one of their sister churches. The Flame of Unity serves as a visible symbol of
this spiritual connection. The Flame, specifically made for the presbytery, is
in the shape of the seal of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) with a candle. The
Flame is rotated to a different church each Sunday. When a church "has" the
Flame, the other congregations of the presbytery are encouraged to include that
particular church in their prayers — remembering and celebrating its
gifts, life, and ministries.
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