Peace Must Be Sought

A Letter from Sarah Henken, serving in Colombia

Fall 2023

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Dear friends,

“Peace must be sought from different spaces,” he said, “family, community, church, workplace, nation, region and the world.” And we who wish to be peacemakers must stay focused on that purpose, coordinate and collaborate with others, and also keep in mind at which level we can best contribute. The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Mtata, World Council of Churches Program Director for Public Witness and Diakonia, preached a clear and stirring word at the closing worship service for an international ecumenical encounter on reconciliation and peacebuilding held in Bogotá last August. The event was organized by the Interchurch Dialogue for Peace (DiPaz), which is an ecumenical platform supporting the peace process here in Colombia.

I was part of the organizing team and made arrangements for interpretation. Thankfully, DiPaz had funding available to hire a professional interpreter to work alongside me, and the Presbytery of the North Coast loaned us the simultaneous interpretation headsets they recently received from their partners in Seattle Presbytery, so we were able to provide quality services for the entire three-day event.

Rev. Sarah Henken interprets for the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Mtata, Director of Public Witness and Diakonia for the WCC, at the closing worship service in Bogota. Photo by Ellen Sherby

Communication is always miraculous. With our varied life experiences, neurotypes, regionalisms, professional jargon, generational lingo and pop culture references, it’s astonishing that we understand each other as often as we seem to! Add to these the nuances of widely different cultures and entirely different languages and it takes quite an effort to communicate meaningfully. That effort takes time and other resources and is essential whenever we seek to build more diverse and inclusive communities.

I consider it a privilege to facilitate that communication across languages and cultures, and it’s been one of the ways I’ve gotten to know various ecumenical leaders from Colombia and around the world. At the ecumenical encounter in Bogotá, we had guests from the PC(USA) and from a number of other international partner organizations, including the World Council of Churches and the World Communion of Reformed Churches.

Representatives from the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba shared with joy and tears about their nation’s commitment to supporting Colombia’s peace process even though it has brought increased hardship and pressure to the island’s inhabitants through U.S. foreign policy.

Muna Nassar, Executive Secretary for Mission and Advocacy for the World Communion of Reformed Churches, spoke powerfully from her own experience as a young woman growing up in a context of oppression and military occupation in Palestine. She illustrated why justice must be at the center of discussions about peace, and in regard to the Colombian context, said, “Peace is not just a concept but a reality that people are living without.”

As Dr. Mtata put it, “There is no peace when people are hungry and dispossessed.” He shared his perspective from his home context of Zimbabwe and his ecumenical work in peacebuilding in places like the Middle East and South Sudan. He said, “The successful resolution of the Colombian conflict will serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration for other conflict-ridden regions worldwide.”

Participants at the international ecumenical encounter on reconciliation and peacebuilding

The journey of peacebuilding in Colombia has many obstacles still to be faced. One of these is the challenge of interpreting and understanding the realities not only from an incomplete and partial perspective but looking at the life of all the people of Colombia and of the land itself. Monseñor Héctor Fabio Henao of the Latin American Episcopal Conference said, “There is no clear dividing line between victims and victimizers. In the communities the people know that the armed actors have also suffered.”

The Colombian government includes statistics on the reduced rates of deforestation in describing its efforts at violence reduction. Rural communities, churches, human rights defenders, unions, and various criminal organizations are coming to the table to see what a livable future for all could look like and what it will require.

Raúl Rosende, Deputy of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, identified some of the key elements. Addressing inequality is one. Colombia is the third most unequal nation in the Americas, and if we look specifically at the rural areas, it is the most unequal. Government action to formalize a land registry is slow moving but should improve security for those whose lands have been stolen or are at risk.

Another requirement is the fulfillment of the 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian state and the FARC insurgent group. In order for other groups to continue coming to the negotiation table and agreeing to lay down their weapons, they must have reason to trust that the government will honor its commitments. And programs to support the effective reintegration into civilian life for former combatants of all armed groups are an essential component as well. As Rosende said, “Without effective programs for reincorporation, the warriors keep fighting.”

Peace is a promised reality where there is room for all. The tables are not turned, there is no retribution. Instead, there is healing and justice and we find ways to dwell together without fear. As I shared in my last letter, I hold fast to hope in the transformation of our present reality that may take shape if we have the audacity to believe, however haltingly, God’s words that Isaiah proclaimed: “The wolf will live with the lamb…. They won’t harm or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain.”

Thank you for your time and care and for supporting me in this call, and for the ways you are acting and praying for peace here and in other places near and far around the world. The future outcomes are still uncertain, but for now we continue the course, committed to act in the ways that are within each of our grasp to contribute to meaningful communication and active work for God’s shalom, which is wellbeing with justice and peace for all creation.

Sarah