Global Conflict & Peacemaking
“Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Psalm 34:14
Special Calendar Dates
- August 6 is Hiroshima Remembrance Day
- August 11, 2024 is the Sunday of Prayer for the Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula
- September 21 is International Day of Peace
- October 13-19, 2024 is Congo Week
- November 25 is International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women
Global Ministries is committed to a “prophetic vision of a just and peaceful world order, joining with God’s concern for the poor and oppressed.” We work closely with global partners to address issues of conflict and systemic violence, to secure human rights and basic human needs, to “seek peace and pursue it.”
Working for Peace with Justice is one of the foundations of Global Ministries. Our core values express Justice as “Living out God’s radical love by confronting powers that deny the fullness of life and the integrity of creation,” and Peace as “Embodying reconciling relationships with God, humanity and creation.”
The term Just Peace has come to identify the concept that true peace is more than simply the absence of conflict. To seek a just peace means we must also seek wholeness and reconciliation, as conveyed in the biblical concept of shalom. Whether called salaam, shanti or paz, a just peace means we must address issues of human security as well as global security, of powerlessness, marginalization, and desperate want as much as national interest or private wealth.
As early as 1985, a UCC Just Peace Church Pronouncement called us “to explore and develop new models of peace and justice ministries globally to address particular situations of injustice, oppression, and real or potential violence, and to develop communication links between Christians in these critical situations and Christians in the United States, developing global partnership and global awareness in the search for a Just Peace.”
The Disciples Christian Unity and Interfaith Ministry is engaging in a process of theological exploration of Becoming a Just Peace-Making Church.
In a 2010 resolution, the National Council of Churches Governing Board wrote, “While the just war position only defines criteria under which the use of force is acceptable, a just peace perspective describes foundations for nonviolent conflict and the building of justice, reconciliation, and abundant life. The engagement of “just peace” is not merely a reaction to conflict. “Just peace” is proactive, requiring governments and other authorities to address in advance those conditions that may lead to future violence: poverty, hunger, economic injustice, climate change and many more.”
What can you do?
- Be a peacebuilder. Learn more about peace and what we all can do, at home, at church, in your community and through government advocacy.
- Policy Advocacy. Contact your elected officials at every level. Tell them that you support promoting policies that strengthen peace and human security around the world.
- Support Global Ministries projects that promote Peace with Justice
Regional Issues
Colombia
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Israel/Palestine
Korea
Philippines
Syria
Other Peace and Security Issues
Drones
Women and Peacemaking
United Nations
Nuclear Weapons
Torture Awareness – Stop Torture
Resolutions
- Global Ministries Resolution on the International Situation, 2003
- UCC Just Peace Church Pronouncement, General Synod 15, 1985
Resources
- UCC Just Peace Church Handbook, June 2015
- Disciples Christian Unity and Interfaith Ministry – Becoming a Just Peace-Making Church
- Disciples Peace Fellowship “Peace Sunday” resources
- August 9, 2020 video sermon by Rev. Bob Moore, UCC Pastor and Director of the NJ Coalition for Peace Action – “Choosing Life in the Nuclear Age”
- World Council of Churches An Ecumenical Call to Just Peace, Kingston, Jamaica, 2011
- National Council of Churches, Pillars Of Peace for the 21st Century: A Policy Statement on the United Nations, November 11, 1999
For more information
- Disciples Peace Fellowship
- UCC Just Peace
- Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI)
- Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice
- Christian Peace Witness
- Fellowship of Reconciliation
- On Earth Peace
- Pax Christi USA
- World Council of Churches, Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace
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