Presbyterian Peace Fellowship - What needs our attention?

What should we lift up at the Barstow Driver Award Celebration? 2019 Barstow-Driver award recipient Merilie Robertson Now feels more important than ever to continue to connect to one another and lift up the beautiful and courageous guideposts that we see in the world.    We want to hear from you about what will feed your spirit in this time of unraveling in our society. Will you participate in the poll below?   For those of you who have been gathering around the campfire this summer, you’ll know that it’s so important to feed the fire to keep it alive. Amidst the winds, the wet weather, the inattention - we must continually turn back toward the fire and offer it fuel.    This is one of the reasons we celebrate and honor those taking bold and courageous steps toward justice. Each year we gather to celebrate at the Barstow Driver Award recipient(s) to celebrate individual people for their leadership.    And when we gather for this celebration- we also circle around the fire together - to study, sing and celebrate the work we are all doing collectively. To feed our spirits as we continue to step into bold action and take risks together.     Which is why we need your input.    Help us decide what issue to lift up at the next Barstow Driver Award Celebration.   What do we need to learn about together? What do we need to celebrate together? What feels like it needs our attention? Tell us below!   What issue should we lift up at the next Barstow Driver Award? Abolition / Mass Incarceration / Policing Select Christian Nationalism Select Militarism / War Select Reproductive Justice Select Other Select Thanks for helping us discern together. We’ll be in touch soon with details about the next Barstow Driver Award Celebration.  In the meantime - enjoy another s’more before summer turns ‘round the bend!    Gratefully -  Rev. Timothy Wotring  PPF Development Committee & Activist Council Member Presbyterian Peace Fellowship 845-786-6743 | presbypeacefellowship.org Instagram | Facebook | Twitter DONATE

Change.org Petition: Allow backyard Chickens in Fort Mill, SC

Grocery prices are soaring. Families are struggling to keep up with inflation, so they are looking for alternatives. Alicia’s family started to raise chickens in their backyard as a pathway towards self-sustainability. These chickens are now a source of healthy food for her family. But the local government in Fort Mill, South Carolina wants to take these chickens away. Despite overwhelming support from the town to allow chickens, the government refuses. Alicia started her petition because she wants the government to listen to their constituents, and allow backyard chickens. Allow backyard Chickens in Fort Mill,SC 1,631 have signed Alicia Aguilera’s petition. Let’s get to 2,500!

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Given the current economic crisis and the high cost of living, we thought having organic eggs would be a good idea for our family and neighbors since we value self-sustainability and neighborhood cooperation. Soon we realized that our local government had the time and the money to spend on prosecuting citizens like us by sending letters without giving them the right to appeal and harassing our family with inspectors on our property. Backyard chickens have numerous benefits that could benefit our community as listed below, Backyard chickens provide a better alternative to the excessive environmental impact of factory farming. Backyard chickens are pets since they provide companionship to their owners and are able to recognize faces and come when called. They provide an organic and healthy source of food. They are great as pest control for gardens Decrease the use of harmful herbicides since they eat unwanted weeds. They make less noise than the cars that pass by or dogs, so they cannot be a noise problem. We believe that politicians who get paid a high salary from our taxes should have the dignity to review the laws and change them in favor of the people who vote for them. The laws in Fort mill are contradictory, on one hand, they have laws against animal cruelty stated in sec 4.2 of the code of ordinances and they declare themselves as a bird sanctuary, and on the other hand, they prohibit having chickens sec 4.4, and order their removal. Isn’t this "removal" cruel to the hens that have lived with us since they were chicks and live happily and free in our backyard? What i am supposed to do with my hens when they tell me to "get rid of them"? What are they implying with this ordinance? Slaughter of animals? Abandonment? This situation is very hurtful and our family and many others are very affected by this. With this petition, we want to change the Fort Mill ordinance sec. 4-4 since surrounding cities like Tega Cay, Clover, Charlotte, and Rock Hill allow the ownership of backyard chickens. We ask the help of anyone who is reading this to sign this petition to end this ordinance. Thank you!

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At Change.org, we believe in the voice of everyday people. Is there something that you want to change? Start a petition today

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Church discovers key to vitality

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - Church discovers k...: People are seeking to serve August 26, 2022 Franklin Presbyterian Church’s Clothes Closet is one of the many ways the church is answering it...

SojoMail - Why we prayed in Ukraine

Why Our Faith Delegation Went to Ukraine Rose Marie Berger When the front desk clerk at the Ibis hotel in downtown Kyiv heard a large travel party entering the lobby, she glanced up in surprise. It was 20 minutes before the 11 p.m. military curfew. Our delegation of 17 international religious leaders had made hotel reservations in the war zone a few days in advance, but few—including the hotel clerk—thought we would make it over the border from Warsaw, Poland, to Kyiv, Ukraine, a city that six weeks earlier was surrounded by Russian military forces. I smiled at the clerk. American soul singer Sam Cooke’s sweet tenor filled the lobby while we sorted bags and room keys. I was born by the river in a little tent Oh and just like the river I’ve been running ever since After a 14-hour bus ride on a recently demined highway, here we were. [...] When our delegation arrived in May, we were the first to answer the mayor’s invitation [to religious leaders to come to Kyiv to show their solidarity with the Ukrainian people]. Our group of peace pilgrims from Italy, the U.K., Poland, and the United States included high-ranking clerics from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions as well as leaders from faith-based civil society organizations such as Operazione Colomba, the nonviolent peace corps of the Pope John XXIII Community in Italy. READ THE FULL ARTICLE Forward Share

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Our Latest O Solitary Chin Hair, Where Art Thou? (by Jenna Barnett) What gives this smooth-faced woman the right to teach me something from the Bible? Fear not! I have a single hair sprouting from my chin. Christians, It’s Time To Make Wage Thieves Weep (by Matt Bernico) God hears workers crying out for justice against exploitative bosses, and it’s time for Christians to listen up too.  Offering Lament and Thanksgiving for the Inflation Reduction Act (by Adam Russell Taylor) Here’s the bitter and the sweet about the largest investment Congress has ever passed to combat climate change.  Child Hops On Stage As Pope Calls for Dialogue Between Young and Old (by Johannes Neudecker, Deutsche Presse-Agentur) “The little one was brave,” Pope Francis said, smiling at the fact that he had just been talking about exchanges between youth and the elderly.

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From the Magazine A Tipping Point on Nukes? (by Ruth Rohde) People of faith can make a difference in the campaign to abolish nuclear weapons.

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How much money is enough? Are you giving enough? Saving enough for retirement? Faith and Money Network’s study groups meet via video conference to study and discuss faith-driven approaches to daily life’s money choices. New group forming for September 2022!  Senior Pastor for UCC church in Northern Virginia   Little River United Church of Christ is a progressive, open and affirming community of believers in Annandale, Va. We seek a full-time Senior Pastor who can lead us in our faith journey and guide us as we grow and diversify.  The successful candidate will demonstrate strong preaching and leadership skills. Designated Mission Co-worker in El Salvador Our Sister Parish in the Presbytery of Des Moines, IA, is seeking a full-time designated mission co-worker in Berlin, El Salvador. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Exploring evangelicalism's predominantly white cultural identity and history  Dr. Soong-Chan Rah joins the PEACE TALKS Podcast to talk about the persistent narrative of white superiority and the dangers of Western cultural captivity. A well-known pastor, author and speaker, Dr. Rah explores how Christians are called to give up our historical cultural dominance and embrace a greater mutuality, equality and reciprocity. Listen now.

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WCC NEWS: Four new books available on different facets of the WCC Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace

The World Council of Churches and Globethics.net have co-published four new books on different facets of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. Harvesting the insights from the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace process and visits from the WCC 10th Assembly in Busan, this series focuses on a number of geographic and thematic areas. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 23 August 2022 The following are available online, with some available to order as print copies as well. Towards an Ecumenical Theology of Companionship: A Study Document for the Ecumenical Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. Since 2014, the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace Theological Study Group and the Reference Group of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace have been on a pilgrimage, visiting various countries and communities around the world, followed by study and reflection on what it means for churches to be on a pilgrimage of justice and peace today. At each station of the pilgrimage, these two groups—after listening carefully—revisited underlying themes and reflected on them theological in light of an emerging Ecumenical Theology of Companionship. This document—composed by the “pilgrims" in dialogue with the communities—presents these findings and reflections for broader sharing. Seek Peace and Pursue It: Reflections on the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace in Europe. The Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace is intended to be an expression of international solidarity with people, particularly those in difficult circumstances. This publication looks at work done directly within the context of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace in Europe, as well as justice and peace issues promoted by churches that complement the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace agenda. Hate Speech and Whiteness: Theological Reflections on the Journey Toward Racial Justice. During the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, the issue of racism has emerged as one of the pilgrimage's four common themes. The chapters that make up this publication represent a selection of the papers presented at a series of webinars organized in late 2020 by the Theological Study Group of the Pilgrimage. Organized around three major themes—whiteness, including its relationship to slavery, racism, and hate speech—the contributions represent an invitation to the ecumenical fellowship to engage in self-critical examination of how practices, orders, configurations, methodologies, and structures of the church(es) have perpetuated the discrimination, xenophobia, and racism that counter unity in Christ. Our Feet into the Way of Peace: Holistic Approaches to Peace-building in the Context of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. Within the framework of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, this publication is a reflection on the lived experiences of the pilgrimage from the perspective of the people and churches from Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Korean Peninsula, Palestine and Israel, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Colombia. It consists of an overview of the peace-building process in each country since the WCC 10th Assembly and practical steps churches can take together. Towards an Ecumenical Theology of Companionship: A Study Document for the Ecumenical Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace Seek Peace and Pursue It: Reflections on the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace in Europe Hate Speech and Whiteness: Theological Reflections on the Journey Toward Racial Justice Our Feet into the Way of Peace: Holistic Approaches to Peace-building in the Context of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace WCC Assembly resources See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland