Brethren Board Issues Resolution Against Drone Warfare

A Resolution Against Drone Warfare was issued by the Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board on March 11. Proposed by the denomination’s Peace Witness Ministry based in Washington, D.C., the resolution will be sent on to the 2013 Annual Conference for its consideration in early July. The resolution addresses the use of drones in warfare in the context of a reaffirmation of the Church of the Brethren’s longstanding assertion that “war is sin.”

Agape-Satyagraha Program Now at Six Sites Across the Country

The On Earth Peace program to teach nonviolence and Christian peacemaking to youth, called Agape-Satyagraha, is now active at six sites across the country. Reports Marie Benner-Rhoades, Youth and Young Adult Peace Formation director for On Earth Peace: “Agape-Satyagraha Leadership Training helps junior and senior high youth learn to deal with conflict without using violence by presenting concepts and skills training through the completion of five levels.

‘3,000 Miles for Peace’ Campaign is Underway

On March 1, On Earth Peace kicked-off “3,000 Miles for Peace,” a national campaign of riders and walkers that is raising funds and awareness for violence-prevention in honor of Paul Ziegler, a McPherson (Kan.) College student who had a dream of biking across the country for peace. Tragically, he died in a bicycle accident in September and never got the chance to make his journey. So far, there are over three dozen events planned in 15 states and 3 countries.

Peace Witness Ministries Staff Organize Webinar on ‘Just Peace’

As part of his work as joint staff with the National Council of Churches (NCC), Nathan Hosler has organized a webinar on March 19 at 12 noon on the “Ecumenical Call to Just Peace.” Hosler is director of Peace Witness Ministries for the Church of the Brethren, working out of Washington, D.C. This webinar will feature presenters from four distinct streams of church life.

Proposals to Reduce Gun Violence: Church Representative Attends Senate Subcommittee Hearing

Last week, I represented the Church of the Brethren by attending a hearing held by the US Senate’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights. The hearing was entitled “Proposals to Reduce Gun Violence: Protecting Our Communities While Respecting the Second Amendment.” The event was presided over by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and it provided an array of incredibly informative testimony regarding the effectiveness of certain gun laws, the human cost of gun violence, and what lessons from the past we can apply to our present problems.

Now Is the Time: A Photo Essay from Martin Luther King Day 2013

Cat Gong provides photos of a Martin Luther King Day food collection hosted at the warehouse at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Youth from across the city of Elgin came together to sort the collection, an estimated 4 tons of donated food.

Church of the Brethren Joins in Religious Coalition Working to End Gun Violence

The Church of the Brethren has been collaborating with a coalition of over 40 religious groups as a part of Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence, alliance of religious groups that bases its work in the belief that, “Gun violence is taking an unacceptable toll on our society, in mass killings and in the constant day-to-day of senseless death. While we continue to pray for the families and friends of those who have perished, we must also support our prayers with action” (www.faithsagainstgunviolence.org ).

Litany of Commitment: A Worship Resource on Gun Violence Using the Words of Martin Luther King Jr.

This Litany of Commitment includes words of Martin Luther King Jr., from a speech to Clergy and Laity Against the Vietnam War, delivered less than a month before his death. Written by pastor Dolores McCabe and Susan Windle, it was first published in the Heeding God’s Call newsletter before the most recent school shooting at Newtown, Conn. Newsline shares it here as a resource for celebrations of Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 21.

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