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Brethren,
Mennonite, and Quaker Organizations and Websites
American
Friends Service Committee [Quaker]
http://www.afsc.org/about/default.htm
The American Friends Service Committee is a practical expression
of the faith of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Committed
to the principles of nonviolence and justice, it seeks in its work
and witness to draw on the transforming power of love, human and
divine.
AFSC Work:
We seek to understand and address the root causes of poverty, injustice,
and war. We hope to act with courage and vision in taking initiatives
that may not be popular.
We are called to confront, nonviolently, powerful institutions of
violence, evil, oppression, and injustice. Such actions may engage
us in creative tumult and tension in the process of basic change.
We seek opportunities to help reconcile enemies and to facilitate
a peaceful and just resolution of conflict.
We work to relieve and prevent suffering through both immediate
aid and long-term development and seek to serve the needs of people
on all sides of violent strife.
We ground our work at the community level both at home and abroad
in partnership with those who suffer the conditions we seek to change
and informed by their strength and vision.
We work with all people, the poor and the materially comfortable,
the disenfranchised and the powerful in pursuit of justice. We encourage
collaboration in social transformation towards a society that recognizes
the dignity of each person. We believe that the Spirit can move
among all these groups, making great change possible.
Seeking to transform the institutions of society, we are ourselves
transformed in the process. As we work in the world around us, our
awareness grows that the AFSC's own organizational life must change
to reflect the same goals we urge others to achieve.
We find in our life of service a great adventure. We are committed
to this Spirit-led journey, undertaken "to see what love can
do," and we are ever renewed by it.
Brethren
Volunteer Service
http://www.brethren.org/genbd/bvs/
Brethren Volunteer Service is a program of the Church of the Brethren.
BVS has been a major program in this Christian denomination since
1948. We invite you to participate in the BVS family and a new adventure
in service.
Christian
Peacemaker Teams [CPT]
http://www.prairienet.org/cpt/
Christian Peacemaker Teams is a program of Brethren, Quaker and
Mennonite Churches and other Christians that support nonviolence.
CPT Mission Statement:
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) offers an organized, nonviolent
alternative to war and other forms of lethal inter-group conflict.
CPT provides organizational support to persons committed to faith-based
nonviolent alternatives in situations where lethal conflict is an
immediate reality or is supported by public policy.
CPT seeks to
enlist the response of the whole church in conscientious objection
to war, and the development of nonviolent institutions, skills and
training for intervention in conflict situations. CPT projects connect
intimately with the spiritual lives of its constituent congregations.
Gifts of prayer, money and time from these churches undergird CPT
peacemaking ministries.
Every
Church a Peace Church (Mennonite)
http://www.ecapc.org/mainframe.asp
This website is intended to provide a platform for discussion, to
encourage the dissemination of ideas and concepts, and to become
a powerful communications tool for the Every Church A Peace Church
concept.
Friends
Committee on National Legislation [FCNL]
http://www.fcnl.org/
FCNL, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, is a Quaker
lobby in the public interest. FCNL seeks to bring the concerns,
experiences and testimonies of the Religious Society of Friends
to bear on policy decisions in the nation's capital. FCNL's small
staff works with a nationwide network of thousands of Quakers and
like-minded people to advocate social and economic justice, peace,
and good government. Since its founding in 1943, FCNL has witnessed
from a basis of spiritual and ethical purpose, as we seek change
in both national policy and public opinion.
FCNL's multi-issue advocacy connects historic Quaker testimonies
on peace, equality, simplicity and truth with peace and social justice
matters which the United States government is or should be addressing.
FCNL advocacy encompasses a wide range of national and international
concerns. These include:
- Promote arms control and disarmament initiatives and oppose the
expansion of military alliances
- Promote nonviolent dispute resolution and the peaceful prevention
of armed conflict and genocide, through the United Nations and appropriate
governmental and non-governmental organizations
- Shift budget priorities away from military spending and toward
providing for human needs and a healthy environment at home and
abroad
- Address economic, social, and racial disparity through such measures
as adequate, comprehensive, and universal health care; progressive
taxation; affirmative action; educational opportunities; a living
wage; affordable housing; and assistance for and empowerment of
the most vulnerable of society
- Reform the criminal justice system, emphasizing the principles
of restorative justice and crime prevention, and eliminate the death
penalty.
Mennonite Central Committee
http://www.mcc.org/
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is a relief, service, and peace
agency of the North American Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches.
MCC Mission
Statement:
- MCC seeks to demonstrate God's love by working among people suffering
from poverty, conflict, oppression and natural disaster.
· MCC serves as a channel for interchange by building relationships
that are mutually transformative
.
- MCC strives for peace, justice and dignity of all people by sharing
our experiences, resources and faith in Jesus Christ.
Peace
& Justice Support Network
http://peace.mennolink.org/
The Peace & Justice Support Network strengthens Mennonite Church
USA's commitment to peace and justice by equipping persons called
to this ministry and by encouraging the church to embody and communicate
Christ's reconciling way. Our voice speaks words of healing and
hope and calls for an organized response to the violence and brokenness
in our world.
The
Mennonite Mission Network
http://www.mennonitemission.net/Work/Service/MVS/
Mennonite Voluntary Service provides a way for people (age 20 and
up) to live out their faith through deeds of service in more than
20 communities throughout the United States. Started in 1944, Mennonite
Voluntary Service is the oldest continuing voluntary service program
in Mennonite circles. MVS has been a powerful influence on the church.
Thousands of Mennonites (and increasingly people from other denominations)
have served the marginalized people of America in the past five
decades. In the process, they themselves were served and transformed
by the people among whom they lived.
Peace
and Justice Support Network Mennonite Church USA
http://peace.mennolink.org/
The Peace & Justice Support Network strengthens Mennonite Church
USA's commitment to peace and justice by equipping persons called
to this ministry and by encouraging the church to embody and communicate
Christ's reconciling way. Our voice speaks words of healing and
hope and calls for an organized response to the violence and brokenness
in our world.
The Peace and Justice Support Network (PJSN) of Mennonite Church
USA was created during the spring of 2002. This inclusive group
is open to anyone who wants to support in a special way Mennonite
Church USA's work of peace and justice. Tasks of the support network
include:
- Creating and keeping clear the vision of peace and justice in
Mennonite Church USA,
- Promoting the expansion of peace and justice through gatherings
for inspiration,
- Providing counsel to Mennonite Church USA agencies and Executive
Board,
- Sharing and publicizing resources for congregations,
- Communicating peace and justice work to the wider constituency.
St.
Louis Mennonite Peace Center
http://www.slmf.org/PeaceCenter/StlPeaceCenter.htm
The St. Louis Mennonite Peace Center was jointly established by
Bethesda Mennonite and the St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship in January,
1999. We are in the process of incorporating and establishing non-profit
status with the state of Missouri. Initially, the vision of a St.
Louis Mennonite Peace Center was held by individuals in both of
the supporting congregations. In 1998, Mark Hochstedler, a MVS Peace
Worker with the Fellowship, did much of the research and laid the
foundation for the Peace Center. Momentum grew, and after a year
of research, planning, meetings and prayer, Bethesda Mennonite and
the St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship commissioned the Peace Center
and the Peace Center Board of Directors who in turn have embraced
their call to guide and energize the work of the Peace Center. Our
initial services will be in the area of conflict resolution for
congregations. The curriculum we will use was developed by the Lombard
Mennonite Peace Center in Chicago, IL. LMPC has provided much-valued
consultation and moral support to us over the last year as we developed
our mission and purpose as an organization. Their guidance has been
invaluable.
Building on
the successful model of the LMPC, in the near future we will extend
mediation services to the St. Louis community. In doing so, we will
establish relationships with congregations in serious conflict who
need the services of professionals in the field of mediation. It
is our desire to reach out and offer this service to people of all
faiths.
The
Third Way Café
http://www.thirdway.com/peace/
A thorough brew exploring the many aspects of peace plus stories
of creative and courageous peacemakers added monthly. It include
an historical overview of Mennonites and war, with answers to key
questions.
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