Welcome to the February 2008 Equipping for Peacemaking Network E-Newsletter. Our hope is to help bring attention to resources that relate to the work of the ELCA Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence (2001-2010). Included in this monthly e-newsletter are events and resources that can be used at the small group, congregational and individual level. Thank you for being part of the network! Forward this to your friends and encourage them to sign up for the network as well. You can find additional resources and sign up for the network at /nonviolence/.

In this E-Newsletter you will find information about:      

• 2008 ELCA Global Mission Events: "God's Work, Our Hands"
• Growing the E4P Network
• Bishop Bouman Participates on Interfaith Delegation
• Notre Dame Establishes New Doctoral Program in Peace Studies
• United Church of Christ "100,000 for Peace" Campaign
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration in Racine, WI
• 2008 Church Women United Ecumenical Women's Gathering

2008 ELCA Global Mission Events: "God's Work, Our Hands"
Connect with your worldwide Lutheran family, energize your congregation and gain practical skills for mission by participating in a Global Mission Event or a Global Mission Formation Event. Learn how changes in the world are transforming the way the ELCA proclaims and serves, meet leaders from the fast-growing center of Christianity in the Southern Hemisphere, participate in exciting worship including global voices, and learn to give, receive, receive and serve more effectively.

Register now to attend a 2-1/2 day Global Mission Event July 17-20 at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. GMEs begin on Thursday evening with an opening celebration and conclude on Sunday morning with global worship. In between, participants choose a variety of Global University Sessions that interest them, and gather twice a day for global music and a thought-provoking plenary session. Through special programming for children, junior high school students, and senior high school students, young participants learn how they can live as faithful Christians in a global culture.

Or, participate in a regional Global Mission Formation Event in Wausau, WI (2/29-3/1), Des Moines, IA (4/18-4/19), or Golden Valley, MN (5/2-5/3).  Registration fee for these 1-1/2 day events is $35. Attend as an individual or bring a team from your congregation. This is an exciting opportunity to gain new insights, acquire helpful resources and strengthen team ministry.

For more information about these events, to register or to view video clips from 2007 events, see the ELCA Global Mission Events webpage. 

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Growing the E4P Network
Although the snow, cold and ice make it hard to believe right now, spring, a time of new growth, is just around the corner!  Why not help grow the Equipping for Peacemaking Network by sharing the following item in your congregational or organizational newsletter next month:

ELCA Equipping for Peacemaking Network
Sign up today to become part of the ELCA Equipping for Peacemaking Network and receive a free monthly e-newsletter!  This informative newsletter contains stories relating to peacemaking activities, links to peace and justice organizations, schedules of events and training opportunities, information about new resources and much more.  The mission of the Equip4Peace Network is to connect, inform, encourage and inspire all who are working for peace. For more information, visit the website at www.elca.org/nonviolence or contact Jean Morehouse, Equipping for Peacemaking Network Coordinator at jean.morehouse@hotmail.com.

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Bishop Bouman Participates on Interfaith Delegation
Bishop Stephen Bouman from the ELCA New York Metropolitan Synod, participated n an interfaith delegation that traveled from the United States to Lisbon, Portugal, to dialog with Iranian religious, political and academic leaders Dec. 6-9, 2007. He led a similar delegation last year in Geneva. The delegation included former Sen. Chuck Hagel, U.N. ambassador John Danforth and several interfaith religious and political leaders. The theme was "Statecraft in the Abrahamic Traditions." The Bishop presented on Luther's "Two Kingdoms" doctrine, a direct descendant from Augustine's "City of God and City of Man." The talks were sponsored by the International Peace Research Institute (PRIO) in Oslo, and the Vatican, through the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC. Click here to view an abstract of his presentation.

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Notre Dame Establishes New Doctoral Program in Peace Studies
From the University of Notre Date website: The University of Notre Dame has established a doctoral program in peace studies in its Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. One of the few of its kind in the world, the program is a partnership between the institute and the departments of history, political science, psychology and sociology. 

Among peace and conflict doctoral programs worldwide, the Kroc Institute program is unique for two reasons. First, it integrates “discipline-based” knowledge – such as history, political science, psychology, and sociology – with interdisciplinary learning and research in peace studies. Second, it is intended to produce scholars who not only deepen understanding of the causes of war, genocide, ethnic cleansing, terrorism, religious conflict, gross violations of human rights, and other forms of violence, but who also generate and contribute to new ways to build a just and sustainable peace.  
The program will admit its first students this fall.

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United Church of Christ "100,000 for Peace" Campaign
During the holiday season, the United Church of Christ launched its "100,000 for Peace" campaign, an effort to collect 100,000 prayers for U.S. military personnel serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places in the world. Visit the website to add your prayer or read those already posted.

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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration in Racine, WI
Sr. Brenda Walsh, a member of the Equipping for Peacemaking network, reports that for the past twenty-two years, the Senior Companion Program, a sponsored ministry of Racine Dominicans, and St. Paul Baptist Church, have celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a program for residents at St. Paul Gardens, a facility for low-income older adults and persons and disabilities. The program includes discussion, readings, prayer and a meal.

For more information about the 2008 celebration, please contact Sr. Brenda Walsh at bwalsh@racinedominicans.org.

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2008 Church Women United Ecumenical Women's Gathering
The 2008 Church Women United Ecumenical Gathering will be held June 19-22 in Independence, MO. Speakers include Glory E. Dharmaraj, Rev. Cynthia Hale, Dr. Trinette McCray, Kikanza Nuri Robins, and Nancy Sehestad. The celebration will include worship, small group communities, and workshops. Issues to be addressed include the following: peace and justice, diversity, racism, reconciliation, ecology, healthcare, family, theological perspectives, and outreach opportunities. Click here for more information and to access the registration form.

According to the website, Church Women United, which was founded in 1941, is a "racially, culturally, theologically inclusive Christian women's movement, celebrating unity in diversity and working for a world of peace and justice. See the Church Women United website for more information about the organization.

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Go in peace and serve the Lord!