{"id":1193,"date":"2019-10-02T18:37:51","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T18:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.presbyterianmission.org\/weekly-offerings\/?p=1193"},"modified":"2019-10-02T19:04:08","modified_gmt":"2019-10-02T19:04:08","slug":"peace-global-witness-peace-at-all-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/weekly-offerings\/2019\/10\/02\/peace-global-witness-peace-at-all-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Peace & Global Witness: Peace at All Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cNow may the Lord of peace \u2026 give you peace at all times in all ways.\u201d \u2014 2 Thessalonians 3:16<\/h4>\n

Sunday is World Communion Sunday, which celebrates our oneness in Christ with our brothers and sisters around the world. It\u2019s perhaps the most appropriate day of the year to receive the Peace & Global Witness Offering \u2014 to think about what it means to be peacemakers, to be witnesses and advocates for compassion, peace and justice.<\/p>\n

Celebration of World Communion Sunday, as it was originally known, was adopted\u00a0 as a denominational practice in the Presbyterian Church in 1936. Churches in other denominations were invited to celebrate with us, extending the celebration to a large number around the world. World Communion Sunday is a gift of the Presbyterian Church to the larger ecumenical church, and today it is being celebrated around the world by many denominations.<\/p>\n

Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, invites us to the table. It is a big table and we share it with many.<\/h4>\n

We share our table with those around the nation and the globe who are united in their belief that a culture of rape is not acceptable. Our Peace & Global Witness Offering supports a multitude of ministries and programs on the local and national level to\u00a0 address the fact that one in every three women has suffered gender-based violence. \"\"<\/p>\n

We share our table with those who are currently incarcerated, and those who were previously incarcerated. Congregations and mid councils around the nation are\u00a0 choosing to use their share of the Peace & Global Witness Offering to help lift up those who seek a better path.<\/p>\n

We share our table with those seeking refuge and reconciliation arising from conflict. Our Peace & Global Witness Offering allows many to work for Christ\u2019s peace on local and regional levels, as well as to extend their witness to more distant and war-torn places.<\/p>\n

We share our table.<\/p>\n

We open our doors.<\/p>\n

We answer God\u2019s call, expressed in 2nd Thessalonians, to seek \u201cpeace, at all times in\u00a0 all ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

And we do this with open hearts. We do it together. On World Communion Sunday, please think about all those with whom we share our table \u2014 with all those with whom we share a commitment to \u201cpeace at all times, in all ways.\u201d Please give\u00a0 generously to the Peace & Global Witness Offering. For when we all do a little, it adds up to a lot.<\/p>\n

Let us pray<\/h4>\n

We come at your invitation,\u00a0 to be nourished at your table. We are nourished, restored, and\u00a0 reconciled in your feast, so that\u00a0 we might become reconciled\u00a0 to one another and to you. May the gifts we give to the\u00a0 Peace & Global Witness Offering\u00a0 create tools for the whole Church\u00a0 to engage in your mission to make\u00a0 peace, at all times, in all ways. Amen.<\/p>\n

Join us<\/h4>\n

For more information and resources related to the Peace & Global Witness Offering, visit\u00a0presbyterianmission.org\/peace-global.<\/a>
\n<\/u> This post is based on a regional Minute for Mission which can be found on our\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0as a\u00a0script<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Please give generously to the Offering:<\/p>\n