On Nov. 20, I attended a congressional hearing on the redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern.” Coming from a different meeting, I arrived 10 minutes before the start. The room was so full that there was a line down the hallway. This was the most interest in Nigeria that I’ve witnessed on Capitol Hill since the abduction of the schoolgirls from Chibok more than 10 years ago. I am hopeful to see this much attention on Nigeria, but the focus of this attention on potential military action is troubling.
Nathan Hosler
Church of the Brethren Peace Conference is held in Tanzania
On Aug. 15-17, a Church of the Brethren Peace Conference in Mwanza, Tanzania, brought together church leaders as potters of hope, molding visions of amani (peace) and tumaini (hope) into forms that can serve their communities.
Imagine a future that is different: Office of Peacebuilding and Policy joins delegation to Israel/Palestine
Over the last eight months, it has felt, at least to me, difficult to imagine constructively and hopefully. While the work of the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy continues to cover a range of topics and organizational partners, we have spent considerably more time than usual in relation to Israel and Palestine.
New book emerges from new international Anabaptist peace network
A new book titled A Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace: Global Mennonite Perspectives on Peacebuilding and Nonviolence, edited by Fernando Enns, Nina Schroeder-van ’t Schip, and Andrés Pacheco-Lozano, is related to the emergence of the new Global Anabaptist Peace Network.
The Holy Spirit is the first firefly
This year I caught a glimpse of the first firefly next to a pile of refuse near our back gate, blinking beautifully and hopefully in an abandoned place. When we celebrate Pentecost we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. The disciples gathered in prayer, hidden in a room, in fear. While there may have been hope and expectation, it was likely tentative. I imagine it felt like an abandoned place. Into that place of fear and disorientation came a blinking light. A flicker of flames amidst a rush of wind.
Heifer International board welcomes new CEO Surita Sandosham
Last week the Heifer Project International board gathered in Little Rock, Ark. Though I have been representing the Church of the Brethren on this board for two years, this was the first time I met fellow board members and most of the staff. In addition to physically meeting board members and staff, who I’ve been with for many hours of Zoom, I met the new CEO, Surita Sandosham. Having joined the board only 20 days earlier, Sandosham was still in intense listening mode.
Brethren and the National Farm Worker Ministry: 50 years of service
In 1971, the coalition officially rebranded as the National Farm Worker Ministry (NFWM) in order to expand their mission to include supporting farm worker movements and attracting other communities of faith to their cause. The Church of the Brethren proved to be one such faith community that walked alongside the NFWM following its establishment, and it is in the spirit of celebration that we recognize 50 years of good work by the NFWM and their partners.
Churches are asked to help with COVID-19 vaccination effort
Churches are being asked to help support COVID-19 vaccination efforts across the United States. A COVID-19 Community Corps has been launched, inviting churches among other community groups to help build vaccine confidence in their communities. Also, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is collecting a list of churches and other community organizations that can help support the national vaccination effort.
Hosler is presenter for the Durnbaugh Lecture of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies
“Weapons Transfers as Foreign Policy: Theological Ethics, Economics, and Strategy” is the subject of an upcoming online lecture to be given by Nathan Hosler, director of the Church of the Brethren Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. This is the 2021 Durnbaugh Lecture of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College.
Treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons receives 50th ratification
By Nathan Hosler On Oct. 24, the United Nations received its 50th ratification for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). As a result, the treaty will “enter into force” in 90 days, on Jan. 22, 2021, and become international law. While this will not immediately eliminate the threat of nuclear war, it