In armed conflicts around the world, the combatants include tens of thousands of children who were conscripted to serve against their will. They are snatched away from their childhood innocence and from the nurture and comfort of their families.
While they come from different generations and different continents, Ravo Vonialiosa and Lucy Janjigian are both shaped by histories of hardship that nurture their passion for peace and justice.
Like millions of people around the world, Presbyterian elder Bill Campbell was moved by the heartbreaking image of a drowned Syrian boy whose body washed up on a Turkish beach in 2015. Three-year-old Aylan Kurdi was among thousands of Syrians who drowned while trying to escape the violence gripping their country.
In a speech celebrating the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, former President Jimmy Carter said, “Peace, like war, is waged.” These words were a thoughtful turn-of-phrase and a challenging declaration spoken at an auspicious moment. However, they did not originate with Carter or his speechwriters. They came from the pen of Carter’s fellow Georgian Walker Knight, a Christian journalist, poet and peacemaker. Since Carter uttered these words, they have turned up in various places where peace is promoted. For example, actor George Clooney repeated the phrase in a statement praising the work of United Nations peacekeepers.
A shared faith and joint worship are building a bridge that is helping two Denver congregations cross a racial divide. Central Presbyterian, a predominantly white congregation, and Peoples Presbyterian, a predominantly African American one, began this journey on Martin Luther King Day this year. Central members traveled the 2.3 miles that separate the two congregations to worship with Peoples. The following Sunday, Peoples visited Central.
The 2016 Season of Peace is under way, with the theme “Come to the Table of Peace.” The emphasis is designed to encourage congregations to seek or enhance their focus on becoming peacemakers.
The Season of Peace leads up to World Communion Sunday, the first Sunday in October. Various denominations observe World Communion Sunday, which promotes Christian unity and ecumenical cooperation. In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) the Season of Peace culminates with the receiving of the Peace & Global Witness Offering on the first Sunday in October.
