Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) director Dan McFadden today participated in a telephone conference call with the Selective Service System. The Selective Service System hosted the call to update participants about Alternative Service plans in the event that a draft is ever called for by the US Congress. The call was hosted by Cassandra Costley, manager of the Alternative Service Program for SSS.
Tag: Peace
Church Staff Involved in Ecumenical Prayer Service for Peace in Syria
On Tuesday, June 12, at 7:30 p.m. an ecumenical prayer service for peace in Syria was initiated and organized by Nathan Hosler, ecumenical peace coordinator for the National Council of Churches (NCC) and advocacy officer for the Church of the Brethren, in collaboration with Father Fady Abdulahad, a Syrian priest ministering in Alexandria, Va.
MSS Interns Begin a Summer of Service to the Church
The 2012 class of Ministry Summer Service interns have been holding orientation June 1-6 at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. The mentors for each intern joined the orientation for the last two days of the event. Below is a list of interns and mentors, as well as the ministry settings in which they will serve for the next 10 weeks:
BVSers in Hiroshima Help Organize Peace Concert with Brethren Singer
Brethren Volunteer Service workers at the World Friendship Center in Hiroshima, Japan, recently helped organize a concert for peace given by American Brethren folk singer Mike Stern on April 13.
MoR Works on New Network of Conflict Transformation Practitioners
MoR program coordinator Leslie Frye recently invited representatives from Mennonite Central Committee’s Office of Criminal Justice, the Kansas Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution (KIPCOR), and Anabaptist conflict transformation practitioners with a range of ages, colors, and affiliations to join MoR practitioners in conversation regarding the potential of forming a sustainable network for the continuing work of reconciliation.
Department of Defense Contractor Lists Released by BBT, FedEx Moves Up
Honoring the Church of the Brethren’s historic peace stance can be accomplished in many ways, and Brethren Benefit Trust chooses to do so through its investments. BBT does this by compiling lists of publicly traded US Department of Defense contractors each year and prohibiting its investment managers from investing BBT funds in them.
Video Documents Nigerian Brethren Experience of Violence, Peacemaking
A new video has been made about the experience of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN–the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) and its efforts at peacemaking in an environment of conflict and increasing violence.
Christians and Muslims Meet to Pursue Peace and Understanding
On March 10, a meeting of Christians and Muslims took place at Camp Ithiel in the Church of the Brethren’s Atlantic Southeast District. Initiated by the district’s Action for Peace Team, the event was planned with leaders of the Turkish Cultural Center in Orlando. Over 40 people attended, including 35 Brethren along with 8 Turkish who live in the area.
Honoring Those Who Said No to War
The following article by Howard Royer, who recently retired from the denominational staff, was written for the newsletter of Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren in Elgin, Ill.–and may provide a model for how other congregations remember and honor conscientious objectors:
Civilian Public Service Camps Mark 70th Anniversaries
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the opening of a number of the Civilian Public Service (CPS) camps where Church of the Brethren conscientious objectors worked during World War II. Some 15 CPS camps overseen by the Brethren Service Committee opened in 1942.