Peace With Justice
Central Pennsylvania Annual Conference
Peace with Justice Sunday:
- One of the six church-wide Special Sundays with Offering
- Celebrated the first Sunday after Pentecost or the best Sunday for each congregation
- Free materials (bulletin insert/envelopes and posters) are available in English, Spanish
and Korean from United Methodist Communications at 1-888-862-3242
- Fifty percent of the offering remains in the annual conference to fund peace and justice ministries. The other half is used by the general church to provide free offering materials, funds grants, produce resources and provide trainings.
Peace with Justice Program Grants
- Application attached
- $1,000 - 5,000 one-time grants available
- Priority given to United Methodist ministries
- Download Peace with Justice Grant Application (PDF)
Interested in working in the areas of Peace and Justice? We are currently seeking to put together a Peace with Justice Committee with representatives, lay and clergy, from throughout the Central Pennsylvania Conference. Requirements would include a commitment to working for peace and justice issues at the local church level as well as throughout the conference and larger church, including meeting at least 4 times a year as a committee. Times, locations, and details are still being worked on...but if you are interested in participating or would like more information, please let me know!
Please direct any questions or comments to:
Pastor Mark F. Reisinger, Peace with Justice Coordinator
931 East Third Street
Williamsport, PA 17701
570-322-0091 (office)
markreisinger2@yahoo.com
Statement on North Korea's Nuclear Test
- United Methodist General Board of Church and Society
Response to the Crisis in Darfur
- United Methodist General Board of Church and Society
United Methodist bishops urge immediate Iraq withdrawal
Nov. 9, 2007 By Linda Green
LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS) - Declaring war "incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ," the bishops of The United Methodist Church called on leaders of all nations to begin an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
The bishops also urged against deploying additional troops to Iraq and against establishing permanent military bases in the Middle Eastern country.
"This resolution is long overdue," said retired Bishop Clifton Ives before the Council of Bishops voted its approval on Nov. 9.
The action came during the council's semi-annual meeting at a United Methodist retreat center in western North Carolina. The council represents 11.5 million United Methodists in the United States, Africa, Europe and the Philippines. About 125 active and retired bishops from across the globe attended the Nov. 4-9 gathering.
In addition to calling for the immediate safe and full withdrawal of troops, the bishops called on the United States and other Coalition Force nations to initiate and support a plan for the reconstruction of Iraq, giving strong priority to the humanitarian and social needs of the Iraqi people. They urged increased support for veterans of the Iraq war and all wars.
The bishops said their position is based on Jesus Christ's call for "his followers to be peacemakers."
The resolution is the council's latest action questioning the Iraq war. In November 2005, the bishops urged U.S. President George W. Bush, who is United Methodist, to create a timeline to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.
Casualties of war
Before the latest vote, the council wrestled with turning the resolution from having a U.S.-centric focus into one with global emphasis to care for all people impacted by the war.
The bishops cited the deaths of more than 3,843 U.S. soldiers, 171 members of the United Kingdom military, 132 members of other Coalition military, the wounding of 28,385 U.S soldiers and the deaths of at least 76,241 Iraqi civilians. They noted the war has displaced 2 million people and made refugees of 1 million others.
"Every day that the war continues, more soldiers and innocent civilians are killed with no end in sight to the violence, bloodshed and carnage," the resolution says.
The bishops called on United Methodists throughout the world to pray for peace; hold regular prayer vigils for congregations and communities; and care for all impacted by the war, including honoring the dead, healing the wounded and calling for an end to the war.
'Moral issue'
The council discussed the resolution over the course of two days before approving a final version on Nov. 9.
Retired Bishop Jack Meadors, of Edisto Beach, S.C., noted that 2007 has been the deadliest year for the U.S. military since the Iraq war began in 2003. He predicted the 4,000th American combat death will occur between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
"The Iraq war is not just a political issue or a military issue. It is a moral issue," Meadors said. "War is sin. It is evil. War is incompatible with the teachings of Jesus."
Calling the resolution "a faith-based statement," Meadors said Christians must be "peacemakers that we might be known as children of God."
Bishop James Swanson of the Holston (Tenn.-Va.-Ga.) Conference said President Bush's intentions for entering the war may have been noble but that the results have been deadly.
"We as bishops are concerned about the loss of lives and any resulting effect once the war ends and the troops are removed," Swanson said. He added that, once the troops leave, "the church needs to be about helping the Iraqi people rebuild their lives."
# # #
*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn. Stephen Drachler, media consultant for the Council of Bishops, contributed to this report.
News media contact: Linda Green, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Tell Burger King, "Farm workers deserve fair wages!" - Sojourners/Call to Renewal
Dear Friends,
Farm workers who pick tomatoes for Burger King's sandwiches earn 40 to 50 cents for every 32-pound bucket of tomatoes they pick, a rate that has not risen significantly in nearly 30 years. Workers who toil from dawn to dusk must pick two tons of tomatoes to earn $50 in one day.
Worse yet, modern-day slavery has reemerged in Florida's fields; since 1997, the U.S. Department of Justice has prosecuted five slavery rings, freeing more than 1,000 workers. As a major buyer of Florida tomatoes, Burger King's purchasing practices place downward pressure on farm worker wages and put corporate profits before human dignity.
Click here to send a message to Burger King: "Farm workers deserve fair wages!"
Last year, Sojourners supporters like you sent over 25,000 letters in support of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' (CIW) campaign to urge McDonald's to do right by Florida farm workers.
Together, we helped to win an important victory, as McDonald's recently committed to work with the CIW to improve wages and enforce a code of conduct for conditions in the fields. And YUM! Brands, corporate parent to such chains as Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut, has made the same commitment.
But Burger King -- the second-largest hamburger chain in the world -- has so far refused to work with farm workers and heed the call of the faith community to improve wages and working conditions for those who pick their tomatoes.
Burger King is able to pool the buying power of thousands of restaurants to extract the lowest possible tomato prices from its suppliers. But these artificially cheap tomatoes come at a high cost for farm workers.
Tell Burger King to clean up its act and ensure fair wages for farm workers.
As people of faith, we believe all workers have the right to a safe and productive work environment, including a wage that allows them to support their families with dignity:
"Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts." (James 5:4)
Send a letter to Burger King CEO John Chidsey to call on Burger King to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to ensure fair wages and human rights for farm workers in its tomato supply chain:
http://go.sojo.net/campaign/burgerking/5ed5ewrldnd6i8?
Thank you for taking action in solidarity with Florida farm workers.
Blessings,
Yonce, Amy, Bob, Kim, and the rest of the team at Sojourners/Call to Renewal
P.S. Can you forward this message to five of your friends or family, asking them to join you in sending a message to Burger King?
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
 Tell-a-friend!
If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Sojourners.
Senators Statements on Iraq During Recent Debate
- Wondering where your Senators stand on Iraq? Or what Senators considering running for President in 2008 are saying? Clinton? McCain? Feingold? Frist? Kerry? Biden? CLICK HERE TO VIEW STATEMENTS FROM 68 OF THE 100 MEMBERS OF THE SENATE FROM THE PAST TWO WEEKS.
- Check out their arguments and then respond to your Senators. Tell him or her how you feel. Use your own words. CLICK HERE TO SEND A NOTE TO YOUR SENATORS.
- Thirteen Senators voted for the Kerry (D-MA), Feingold (D-WI) and Boxer (D-CA) amendment to mandate the completion of the troop withdrawal from Iraq by July 1, 2007. They deserve praise. Click here to see the vote.
- Thirty nine Senators supported the Levin (D-MI) - Reed (D-RI) amendment to urge the U.S. to begin the phased deployment of American forces from Iraq in 2006. Although this weaker amendment did not set a date for total withdrawal, these Senators should receive both thanks and a prod to go further to get American troops out of Iraq. Click here to see the vote.
- To find out how your Senators stand, click on the link above for your state to view the Senators' statements. The statement from the Congressional Record may extend beyond one page; if so, click on "next page" at the bottom of the pdf file. Where the Senator did not give a statement on the Senate floor, a link to a press statement is sometimes included.
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