Presbytery Peacemaker

Ten Ways to Initiate or Invigorate Your Church’s Peacemaking Program

Promote the Peacemaking Offering this fall. Use the many resources included in the packet sent by the PC (USA) Peacemaking Program.
If your church has not adopted the Commitment to Peacemaking, introduce and promote it. If your church has already adopted the Commitment to Peacemaking, renew and celebrate it. Subscribe to the Commitment to Peacemaking Congregational Newsletter.
Regularly visit the Presbytery Peacemaking Blog to keep up to date on social justice issues and events. Sign up for the PC (USA) “Peacemaking in Congregations E-Newsletter” by contacting Mark Koenig.
Be courageous in encouraging discussion of difficult social issues. Use the resource “Seeking to Be Faithful Together: Guidelines for Presbyterians during Times of Disagreement” to facilitate a respectful dialogue.
Educate your congregation about the violence of poverty by holding a Children’s Sabbath on a Sunday in October to raise awareness of the needs of children. Study issues related to poverty, and how people of faith can respond to them, through the JustFaith or Just Neighbors programs.
Choose an area of conflict (e.g., Iraq, Colombia, the Middle East, Sudan) and devote your congregation’s resources to making a difference. Contribute funds, including your portion of the Peacemaking Offering, to an organization working in that area of the world; write letters to elected representatives; use materials from the PC(USA) Peacemaking Program to educate yourselves and to pray for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Hold a fair trade sale, or commit to using fair trade coffee during church functions.
Learn more about the daily realities of injustice by hosting a speaker who recently traveled to the Middle East; join an immersion experience such as a visit with local migrant laborers, a trip to U.S./Mexico border, or a ride on the Reality Bus to get a closer look at urban poverty.
Start a conversation about peacemaking with a scripture study, book club or video night. The Resource Center has a wealth of materials perfect for this!
Invite Presbytery Peacemaker to your committee meeting, to an adult education class, or to speak to your congregation.