Going to the Garden

Fall is here and many of us are reaping the rewards of a Summer of hard work in the garden.

For myself, the primary reward is in the work and planning of gardening.  Spending a hot and sunny afternoon in the garden is one of my favorite hobbies and there are few places where I'd rather be. However as I plan and prepare meals for my family, I find new appreciation for my garden.  Our harvest has provided homemade spaghetti sauce and salsa, vegetable soup, wonderful salads and pumpkin pie...all made from vegetables grown just 35 feet from my back door.  I know these home grown vegetables are free from pesticides and man-made fertilizers and they help to reduce our weekly grocery bill.

In the latest publication (Sept. 19, 2012) of "Called to Witness", a Brethren Peace Witness Ministries Newsletter published by Nate Hosler, Advocacy Officer and Ecumenical Peace Coordinator for the Church of the Brethren, you will find some good information on the subject of Peace and Justice.  Included in this issue is an article entitled "Going to the Garden" which encourages congregations to think about ways in which they may help to provide food to the hungry through nutrition education, environmental stewardship or possibly by organizing a community garden. 
I encourage you to read this newsletter and act to help the hungry in this world.  The following is an excerpt from the original article by Nate Hosler.

WAYS THAT YOU CAN ACT:
Contact Advocacy and Peace Witness Ministries to make a suggestion on potential projects or to express interest in beginning or expanding a community garden project at your church.

Suggest people who have skills that would support this work.  Write to suggest online or published resources that you have gained in similar work.

Write to let us know about an existing project.  We are interested in learning from stories and insights you have gained in similar work.

Contact information for Nathan Hosler
E-mail:  nhosler@brethren.org
Phone:  (202) 481-6943

Postal Mail:
110 Maryland Ave.  NE, Suite 108
Washington, DC 20002

History of “My 2¢ Worth”

History of “My 2¢ Worth”

In 1983, Church of the Brethren General Board staff challenged the denomination to raise $1,000,000 for hunger relief in the Horn of Africa through “2¢ a meal clubs.” Labels for soup cans were designed to encourage people to collect 2¢ per meal per person per day. The denomination met and superseded this challenge. This effort gave rise to a “My 2¢ Worth” concept, which has become a main source of funding for the Global Food Crisis Fund. Since 1983, the Global Food Crisis Fund has dispersed more than $5,000,000 in grants for food-related relief and development projects all over the globe.

To request “My 2¢ Worth” labels or envelopes, contact

Global Food Crisis Fund Manager, Jeff Boshart:

jboshart@brethren.org (847) - 429 - 4332

Resources for Conflict Resolution

Is your congregation a family? 

Sisters and Brothers, supporting and loving each other? 

Brothers and Sisters, disagreeing and occasionally in conflict with each other?

Do you need resources which will assist with the resolution of those conflicts?  To locate them you need look no further than our own Bethany Seminary website.  There you will find three webinars prepared by Stan Dueck and Celia Cook Huffman. 

Part One “Understanding Patterns of Congregational Conflict.”  

Part Two “Strategies for Responding to Congregational Conflict.”

Part Three “Take Charge. Resolve the Conflict.”

Why not access this site and their expertise as you seek to minister to those congregations or individuals desiring the peace of God in their corporate or personal lives?

To do so:

Go to www.bethanyseminary.edu 

Go to Resources.  

Go to Webcast Vault.

Scroll down to Developing Conflict Healthy Congregations.

Click on Read More and View the Recordings.

Questions?  Please contact a member of the District Peace and Justice Committee.

Seeking Social Justice?

Problems like poverty, addiction, and homelessness are serious and complex.  Passion alone won’t solve them.  

Seek Social Justice is a six-lesson DVD small group study guide that provides a framework for understanding and engaging human need.

Rethinking Social Justice

What’s the best way to seek social justice?  It’s a popular idea, but often little understood.  That can lead to efforts that fail to help – and can even hurt – those in need.  What’s really going on here?  That’s the first question to ask when we meet people in need.  Understanding and identifying the real roots of poverty and social breakdown.

Cultivating Justice from the Ground Up
How can broken relationships be restored?  Better yet, how can we prevent brokenness in the first place?  To cultivate social justice, we must begin at the ground level.  Effective strategies must target brokenness in the foundational relationships that are essential for individuals and communities to succeed, especially marriage and family.

Serving the Whole Person
What happens when a need simply overwhelms a family?  Or when someone in need has no family to lean on?  Churches and ministries can offer a comprehensive set of resources to help cultivate and restore all the foundational relationships of human life.  They are well-equipped both to prevent and overcome human need.

Restoring Dignity and Purpose
What creates economic opportunity for those in need?  A key dimension of human well-being is the freedom and ability to work, earn, and give, and a just society encourages hard work and economic growth for job opportunities.  Treating people with justice means relating to them as beings created to work, with something to contribute to society.

Maintaining the Social Conditions for Justice

Government plays an important role in a just society, but it doesn’t bear sole – or even primary – responsibility for justice.  Relationships need secure conditions to flourish.  Government has a responsibility to sustain an environment of safety, freedom, order and peace.  By doing so, it ensures that healthy relationships can grow and thrive in the context of family, church, and community.

Breaking Ground
After exploring the roles of family, church, government and work, how do all these fit together?  And what’s our place in seeking social justice?  It begins with knowing the circumstances and opportunities around us and applying the right solutions to particular needs.

If you are interested in knowing more about Seek Social Justice please visit http://www.seeksocialjustice.com/ or contact the ANE Peace and Justice Team and one of our team members will be happy to discuss this program with you.

Choosing Love in Difficult Times

The choices we make in our lives provide direction and define who we are as unique individuals. We often make our decisions spontaneously, perhaps instinctively, without considering the far reaching implications into our lives and those who we know.

I have read a small portion of the life of Ted Studebaker in the February 29, 2012 eBrethren online publication. It is clearly evident that in his life, Ted Studebaker chose to love and allow this "fruit of the Spirit" to be shared. A simple and ordinary thing to do in extraordinary and difficult circumstances. I encourage you to take the time to know Ted's story and many others by visiting http://www.brethren.org/bhla/hiddengems.html.

God's Blessings and may the Spirit work through you!

"Breaking Bows and Arrows"

Set on the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea, Breaking Bows and Arrows explores the
challenging emotional terrain of personal reconciliation after a bloody civil
war.
"Winner of the United Nations Media Peace Award for Best Television for 2002"Screened at the Margaret Mead International Film Festival New York 2002Screened at the Commonwealth Film Festival Manchester 2002

On the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea, victims and perpetrators are coming together in traditionally based reconciliation ceremonies after a decade long civil war left the community bitterly divided. In the largest reconciliation ceremony yet to take, BBA follows fighters who
have killed each others families as they come together to break bows and arrows in a traditional gesture of peace.
On a more personal journey Francis Boisivere retrieves the bones of a chief he
killed, ceremonially returning them to the bereaved wife, Immaculate Atorevi. He
seeks forgiveness, she a release from the hatred she harbours.

1 x 52 minute documentaryCompleted in 2001
Producer: Ellenor Cox Writer / Director: Liz Thompson DOP: Joel Peterson & Liz ThompsonEditor: Stewart Young Composer: Felicity Fox Production
Co: Firelight Productions & Tiger Eye Productions
Screened: SBS TV
Australia, Vision TV Canada
Produced with the assistance of: AFC, NSW FTO, FFC and Soros
Foundation

Sales and Video sales contact: Ellenor Cox
at Firelight Productions. ellenor@firelight.com.au

QuickTime 1'
34"TRAILERUp to 5 min download timeFile size - 2.1 Mg


Director's Statement - Liz Thompson
I was inspired to make Breaking Bows and
Arrows after meeting Blendine Sisio, a widow whose husband was shot during the
decade long Bougainville Crisis. Blendine spoke of her desire to meet with her
husbands killers and the hope that together they could retrieve his bones and
give him a proper burial. Blendine was haunted by the fact her husbands remains
had not been brought to their rightful resting place and by the anger she felt
towards the killers. She wished not only to free herself from the bitterness she
carried but also to release the killers from the guilt and alienation she
believed they were experiencing. Her extraordinary desire to reconcile typifies
the sentiment of so many Bougainvilleans who have lost loved ones during the
war. Freeing themselves from hatred and the cohesion of the community is of
greater importance than revenge. This basic premise seemed to portray such a
message of hope and demonstrate the tremendous human capacity to forgive – it
struck me as a potent message and an example not only for other communities
traumatised and divided by war but for all of us. As the film unfolded the
largest inter-district ceremony yet to take place on the island was about to
take place after nearly three years of preparation. Key fighters from both sides
came together in a traditionally based reconciliation ceremony which included
thousands of spectators. Men who had killed each others’ families shared betel
nut, broke bows and arrows in a traditional gesture of peace, shook hands and
exchanged traditional wealth. Finally a stone was buried as a monument to the
strength of the commitment to end the fighting. Francis Bisivere, one of the
participants, then went on an even more challenging emotional journey. He dug up
the bones of a chief he murdered during the crisis and ceremonially returned
them to Immaculate Atorevi, the bereaved wife and relatives. During this process
he tells of how he seeks forgiveness and a release from guilt. As the wife and
family grieve over the coffin Francis is clearly moved….. the emotional legacy
of war is painfully evident and the pain and suffering he has caused are hard
for him to bear. After the ceremony Francis speaks of a new sense of freedom, a
release from ‘ the heaviness’ and a commitment not to ‘re-offend’. Immaculate
tells of the great relief she experiences at having buried her husbands bones in
their rightful place and that she now feels peace will gradually return to her
heart. Breaking Bows and Arrows is a powerful testament to the importance of
genuine healing after painful and bloody conflict so that not only those
directly involved can move forward but the legacy of hatred will not be passed
on to the next generation.

Brethren Serving as Chaplains in the US Armed Service

Does the work of military chaplains passively support the system of war?

It is clear that the military has established a special place for leaders of faith to support the spiritual needs of men and women in the United States military, but why haven’t the Brethren taken part in this ministry. It is an unconventional combination of skills and training which would prepare a person for such a call, but a combination that obviously exists. Answering a call to minister to the very needy…men and woman in the military who may be exposed to absolutely dreadful circumstances, seems to be as valid a call as any.
Ministering to individuals who are facing their mortality every day. Ministering to individuals whom are required to follow orders, which they may or may not agree with. Providing ministry to individuals who may have taken a life in war does not overtly seem to support the system of war. However, there are a lot of questions still to be answered. How else would an individual get to the “front line” to provide such ministry? Are military chaplains required to train with weapons? Are military chaplains required or expected to bear arms if or when confronted by the “enemy”? Are chaplains permitted to demonstrate passive non-resistance?

Currently, the US military is in great need of chaplains from ANY denomination. Citing an article from the 2/5/08 USA Today, “To persuade more ministers to enter the military, the Guard started a special recruiting program two years ago. Recruiters troll for prospects at church conferences, seminaries and major ministries. The Guard offers new chaplains a $10,000 signing bonus and $20,000 to repay student loans. There's also a $30,000 bonus for chaplains who stay in for a second six-year tour.” At a time when jobs are difficult to find, one that offers a signing bonus is hard to pass up.

And so in the absence of chaplains from denominations which openly support war and military service, it appears that some Brethren have considered answering this call. The Brethren enjoy a rich tradition of stepping up as volunteers in times of hardship and misfortune in addition to the rich tradition of “peace witness”. So, why not answer the call to military chaplaincy? If an individual has studied and understood the Brethren example of peace witness and still feels compelled to serve as a Chaplain, how can one argue that this individual is wrong? A common analogy to this dilemma is that we do not condone drug abuse, but we do minister to drug abusers. Although tarnished by their actions, they are not unforgiveable. Expressing love and compassion will likely help them to heal and to understand their misgivings, however, this ministry may be provided by a public citizen or a “civilian”.

Many Brethren have or are serving in the military and may, at worst, get the “cold shoulder” from fellow congregants upon their return from service. But this is the exception. Most will smile, hug and express gratitude for the service to our county, without hinting at our personal disapproval if it does exist.

However, could it be that we Brethren, do not want to encourage individuals to join the military with the comfort of knowing that a caring pastor will be there to help during difficult times. Is it a “tough love” mentality in which Brethren are making a statement by their absence? “If you choose to fight, we will not stand by to give you support for the fight.” Brethren have instead demonstrated peace witness, through conscientious objection or through alternative service.
As an alternative to military chaplaincy, why not provide ministry to the youth who are considering joining the military, prior to their induction. There is currently no draft system in the United States, so those who are fighting in wars are “conscientiously accepting” the concept of war as they have volunteered to be part of the system.

It is my personal opinion that one who decides to become a military chaplain is supporting the military machine as it has come to be known. They will undoubtedly become one more mouth to feed, one more unarmed officer to protect and one more uniform to be made and cleaned, and cleaned and cleaned. In addition to the salary paid, each active service member costs about $2100 per day. That is one expensive ministry.