Presbyterian Peace Fellowship - Getting Ready for General Assembly - 6 Months Out!

Dear Peacemakers, Presbyterian Peace Fellowship has a long history of finding and forging creative paths towards peace. We believe what we do matters - whether that's with our time, presence, polity, money, or actions. At General Assembly, we have the opportunity to once again remind our denomination and ourselves exactly who we are and whose we are, and I hope you'll join in the planning to maximize our impact at this year's GA. One creative and effective tool PPF has put to great use in the building of a more peaceful world is BDS - Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. It's one way of holding ourselves and our denomination accountable to the principle that, if we name our belief that we are called to build peace, we cannot at the same time directly fund the machinery of war and destruction. In the 220th General Assembly (2012), the PC(USA) voted to support BDS against Israeli products produced in occupied Palestine. PPF supported this overture and has built on this work since. I'm proud of the faithful stance that PPF has taken to insist that no economic gain is worth more than peace. To that end, we encourage you to faithfully read the overtures attached and discern how you, your church, and your Presbytery might become involved in this work. Please reach out to me at laurie@presbypeacefellowship.org if you would like to join in. with joy, Laurie Join Our December 30 Brainstorming Call The 226th General Assembly of the PC(USA) will be June 25 to July 4, 2024 in Salt Lake City. What issues will PPF advocate on and how? That's up to you. Come to our kick-off brainstorming call on Saturday, December 30 at 11:00 AM Eastern / 8:00 AM Pacific. Register here. Overtures to Support So Far Right now, some overtures have made it through some Sessions, but none have made it to a Presbytery meeting for a vote yet. If you get overtures through your Session and to the Presbytery, your Presbytery may become the originating presbytery if it acts before another presbytery does. Take a look at these overtures below and consider whether your community's session and Presbytery might be good homes for originating these important overtures. Calling for Action so that Children May Live Free from Gun Violence Call upon every congregation in the PC(U.S.A.) to take some specific action of love and responsibility for children as part of the movement to prevent gun violence. Call upon the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness and the Presbyterian Decade to End Gun Violence to include secure gun storage and the other safety measures in their ongoing gun violence prevention actions, advocacy and resources. Read the full text here. Confessing our Complicity in Christian Zionism Today Update and expand on the Resolution confronting Christian Zionism approved in 2004. Specifically, we call upon the General Assembly through the Office of Theology, Formation and Evangelism to:  Reject Christian Zionism in all its forms Issue a study document that illustrates the expansion of Christian Zionism Call upon people of faith to advocate for a just peace with full and equal human rights for all the people in Palestine and Israel. Read the full text here. Direct MRTI to Begin Focused Engagement with General Electric and Palantir Technologies with Possible Divestment Recommendations Direct the Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) to begin focused engagement with General Electric (GE) and Palantir Technologies, Inc. in the 2025 and 2026 proxy seasons and to report back to the 227th General Assembly (2026) with possible divestment recommendations for the companies that are not moving toward compliance with established General Assembly policies.  Read the full text here. Educational Resources for Seeking Ways to End Israeli Apartheid Inform members, congregations, presbyteries, and national staff of the following two educational resources that can be used to equip PCUSA members and entities on understanding Israeli apartheid in the broader framework of European colonialism. Urge members, congregations, presbyteries, and national staff, including the Office of Interfaith Relations, to seek appropriate ways to bring an end to Israeli apartheid, including equipping Presbyterians with knowledge of the Israeli laws and policies that constitute apartheid.  Direct the Stated Clerk to communicate this action to all PC(USA) agencies, mid-councils, and congregations.  Read the full text here. P.S. Support PPF's work to be a voice for peacemaking with the PC(USA). Donate now towards out Advent campaign! We're 38% of the way towards our $80,000 goal to reach by December 31 and we need your help to support this advocacy. Presbyterian Peace Fellowship 845-786-6743 | presbypeacefellowship.org Instagram | Facebook | Donate