"Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it." Psalm 34:14

We are all trying to respond to the events of September 11, and the bombing of Afghanistan, in a way that is worthy of Jesus' followers. On Earth Peace has received requests for help and guidance from many persons in the denomination. Our board and staff feel a call to serve the church in a very active way in this crisis. We have implemented a project called "Seeking Peace" which is outlined below. With God's help the Church of the Brethren can be not only a historic peace church but also one with a living witness to the gospel message of peace in this place and time.

January-July 2002

By Annual Conference 2002, On Earth Peace will. . .

Support, nurture, and finally be able to relate stories about new acts of Spirit-led nonviolent witness carried out by Church of the Brethren individuals, groups or congregations

Provide assistance and support for creative and bold Spirit-led nonviolent witness or peace education carried out by local congregations who have not done so before and local congregations that are doing something different from before

Share about On Earth Peace-initiated or co-sponsored conversations and awareness-raising about peace witness and peace activism in Church of the Brethren districts across the country

Celebrate formal or informal action & support networks that emerged more strongly among Brethren peace workers, leading to deeper analysis, spiritual sustenance, mutual relationship, and public nonviolent witness

---

There are four emphases for the Seeking Peace Project:

1. Prayer and reflection – In these difficult times, we return to our faith in God as the source of our strength. We look to the example of Jesus who modeled forgiveness, nonviolence, and love. Prayer needs to be the center of our response, which will lead us in our actions and guide us in Christ's way of peace.

2. Information and networking – On Earth Peace will provide information, either directly or by references to other sources, about the world situation and the efforts of churches and others who are carrying out a nonviolent response to acts of violence. Most important, we will serve as a source of information about what Church of the Brethren members can do to witness to peace in this time. We will also be a center for communication among Brethren who want to work together in making that witness.

This is taking place through telephone calls, correspondence, and local visiting across the denomination. The Seeking Peace website, located here, provides information about Brethren peace witness heritage and peace action across the denomination.

3. Congregational support – We know that congregations continue to struggle in their response to the attacks and the U.S. reaction to them. Brethren Press has initiated an effort to collect important resources and make them available, and we are contributing to that effort. Together, we hope to provide worship resources, Bible studies, church school curricula, basic information on the peace and non-resistance testimony of the church, and other helps to pastors and congregational leaders. The Brethren Witness office can provide information to youth facing the draft about their options in this time of uncertainty. On Earth Peace will offer or sponsor programs and workshops with topics as varied as "How to help our children cope with what is happening", "Preaching in a time of war", "Sharing our beliefs with neighbors and co-workers", or "How to deal with congregational divisions over war and peace issues".

As of December 2001, two gatherings of pastors and other church leaders have been co-sponsored by On Earth Peace as an opportunity to reflect on our leadership in this time of war. In addition, mediators and facilitators from the Ministry of Reconciliation are available for consultation with congregations struggling with internal differences regarding this situation.

4. Peace witness – Many members are seeking to respond to the current crisis in ways that witness to Jesus' way of peace. We will work with congregations and individuals by offering ideas and examples of faithful witness in a variety of forms. These might include standing with or providing refuge for persons in our communities who are now at risk (such as Muslims or people of Middle-Eastern background); planning and/or taking part in peace vigils, demonstrations or prayer walks; writing letters to newspapers or government officials; standing for our beliefs in the midst of community pressures; initiating dialogue and more thoughtful discussion of alternative responses to violence; and many other options.

The staff and board of On Earth Peace are committed to giving an extra measure of service to the church in this crisis. This project is a high priority and we have hired Matt Guynn of Richmond, Indiana to provide direct coordination. All of us will be working to support and equip the church as it responds to God's call in this difficult time. For more detailed information, call or e-mail Matt at 765-962-6234, mguynn@alumni.nd.edu or the On Earth Peace office at 410-635-8704, oepa_oepa@brethren.org. Information is also vailable on our web site. We will be updating and adding information, ideas and resources frequently in the coming weeks and months.

Last Updated: January 7, 2002

---

Thanks to West Richmond Friends Meeting for providing office space for the Seeking Peace Project! Visit their website at www.infocom.com/~jjbrown/welcome.htm.

Thanks also to Ron Gordon for providing web support! Visit Ron at: www.cob-net.org.