| Social
Statements | For Peace in
God's World | Study
Guide Index
Using the Social Statement in
Your Congregation
Suggestions for
Additional Activities and Projects
Focusing on a Particular Policy Issue
Participants may wish to focus on one particular policy issue in
Section 5 ("Tasks") for study and discussion.
Possibilities could include the role of the United Nations, control
of the conventional arms trade, nuclear non-proliferation or foreign
aid. The choice you make should be shaped by the group’s interest
as well as by current events at the time you are doing the study.
The Lutheran Office of Governmental Affairs in Washington D.C. and
the Lutheran Office for World Community at the United Nations (see
Resources and Organizations section) can help with suggestions and
resource materials.
An Additional Session
The process which follows is an outline for an additional
one-hour session focused on U.S. foreign aid, using Handout #6--
"Ten Myths and Realities of Foreign Aid," reprinted from
the Legislative Backgrounder of the Lutheran Office of
Governmental Affairs.
1. Begin by asking the participants to share their
impressions and concerns about U.S. foreign aid. Note these on
newsprint.
2. Distribute Handout #6--"Ten Myths and Realities of
Foreign Aid." Look at the ten myths and see which, if any of
them, correspond to concerns or impression in the initial sharing.
For each myth, look at the "reality" presented in the
handout.
- Give the group an opportunity to ask questions as you go
along. When you are finished, ask participants which realities
most surprised them. Return to the initial list of concerns and
impressions and see if participants wish to delete any that they
previously raised or add any concerns.
3. Turn to Section 5, B. page 16 of the statement and the
section, "Revitalize Aid." Ask participants to spend a few
moments reading it. What kinds of aid does the U.S. provide to
other countries? (humanitarian, development assistance,
military) What are the avenues for this aid? (bilateral,
government-to-government; multilateral through organizations such as
the UN) What adjustments or revisions in aid policy does the
statement advocate?
4. Invite the participants to share their views on what
kind of U.S. aid is most important and why it is important.
Listening to People’s Stories
Identify people in your study group, congregation or another
congregation whose present (or past) work or volunteer commitments
relate to the issues of war and/or peace. If possible, include a
person for the following categories:
- served in the armed forces, particularly during an armed
conflict;
- worked in a military industry;
- protested a specific war or wars;
- been involved in conflict resolution at a local, national or
international level.
Select three or four of the people identified to invite to your
study session to share their reflections on the questions which
follow. If they are not part of the study group, share with them the
statement, For Peace in God’s World, and the purposes of
the study process. If they are unable to share in person, ask them
if they would be willing to be interviewed on tape.
You may structure the session either as a panel discussion
with an interviewer asking the questions of the group as a whole,
giving each person an opportunity to respond to each question or as
a series of presentations, giving each person 5 to 10 minutes to
address all the questions.
General Questions for Discussion or Presentation: (You may
want to refine these for each presenter.)
- What is your work or your volunteer commitment related to
war/peace?
- What contributed to your decision to undertake that work or
commitment?
- How did your religious and/or ethical values affect your
choice?
- Do you feel that you make a contribution to peace through this
work or activity? If yes, in what ways? If no, why not?
- How has your work/activity presented you with moral dilemmas?
Can you explain?
- Have you felt the support of your church in the choices you
have made? If yes, how? If no, what might be the reasons why?
- In what ways do you think the church could be more supportive
to its members who are making choices similar to yours?
When the presenters have concluded, invite the participants to
ask further questions and to offer their own reflections on what
they learned from the presentations. Remind the group that the ELCA
statement affirms a variety of different personal approaches to our
vocation of peacemaking.
Organizing a Peace Sunday
Consider organizing a Peace Sunday in your congregation
involving your pastor, Sunday school, Worship and Music Committee,
WELCA, Social Ministry Committee and other groups.
Plan an intergenerational Sunday school hour focused on peace. (A
variety of ideas are available in the Mission 90 Resource-Our
Children at Risk: Hope for Our Future Together. The resource is
out of print, but may be available from resource centers.) Pick a
Sunday when one or more of the lectionary texts relate to peace. Ask
the pastor and Worship Committee to emphasize peace in the prayers,
hymns and the sermon. (You will find helps in the Peace Worship
Resources Packet-- see Resources section.)
Organize a Coffee Hour and Peace Fair after worship, inviting the
WELCA, the Youth, the Sunday school, the Social Ministry Committee,
and other groups to set up a display about peace. Highlight specific
opportunities for peacemaking activities. You may wish to also
invite community groups working for peace. Show the video, Green
Shoots of Peace.
Next section
Index of Sessions
Session One
Through this session’s study, participants will:
- Become aware of each participant’s personal connections to
the issues of war and peace;
- Become familiar with the ELCA’s social statement: For
Peace in God’s World.
- Explore biblical images of God related to war and peace.
Session Two
Through this session’s study, participants will:
- Develop understanding of the church’s divine calling to be a
community for peace and encounter the various ways that it
carries out this calling;
- Begin considering what it means for each participant in the
group to be a peacemaker.
Session Three
Through this session’s study, participants will:
-
Consider the Christian’s responsibility for their neighbor;
-
Deepen awareness of a Lutheran understanding of good
citizenship;
-
Look at the role of governments in restraining conflict and
promoting peace;
-
Consider some of the individual choices that confront us in
war and peace.
Session Four
Through this session’s study, participants will:
- Consider differing views about when it is (or is not)
appropriate to use military force in conflict situations;
-
Get an overview of the tasks involved in building, making and
keeping peace.
Session Five
Through this session’s study, participants will:
-
Look more closely at their own congregation’s
role as peacemaker, by reviewing past and current activities;
-
Generate ideas for strengthening the congregation’s peace
witness.
Suggestion for Additional
Activities and Projects
You are currently
viewing this section of the guide.
|
