All Saints Advocate for Peace - ASAP

All Saints Lutheran Church has had an active peace team since 2003. Commonly referred to as ASAP, All Saints Advocates for Peace promotes peacemaking through prayer, fellowship, forums, community involvement, advocacy, and outreach.

Mission Statement

All Saints Advocates for Peace (ASAP) is a team of All Saints Lutheran Church members who seek to continue Jesus’ ministry of peace and social justice.

We support the ELCA Social Statement “For Peace in God’s World”

ELCA Statement on Peace*

"We affirm that earthly peace is built on the unity and goodness of created existence, the oneness of humanity and the dignity of every person…
We also advocate an earthly peace that builds on freedom and responsibility, encourages compassion, and embraces justice and care of the earth…
an earthly peace provides security from violence and aggression, seeks just order, and defends and enhances the life of people who are poor or powerless…"
*From ELCA Social Statement on “For Peace in God’s World” 1995
http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Social-Statements/Peace.aspx)

All Saint’s Peace Team Activities

Participation

• Every Church A Peace Church (ECAPC) (http://www.ecapc.org)
  Bi-monthly Potlucks
• Twin Cities Peace Campaign (http://mapm.pjep.org/organizations/Twin-Cities-Peace-Campaign)
  Candlelight Service for Child Victims of War
• Peace with Justice Committee of the ELCA Minneapolis & St Paul Area Synods (http://pwjc.wordpress.com/peace-with-justice-congregations/about/)
  Monthly Peace with Justice Forums
• Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia (http://www.witnessforpeace.org/article.php?id=1066)
  

Education

• Peace Book Discussions (see below)
• Adult Forum Series
• Fall 2005 “Nonviolence: a More Powerful Path”
• Spring 2006 “Peace in Our Time”
• Spring 2007 “Blessed are the Peacemakers”
• Spring 2008 “Caring for God’s Creation”
• Fall 2009 “Power of Forgiveness”
• All Saints Scribe & Bulletin Articles
• Caring for God’s Creation Scribe Articles
• Conscientious Objection Resources (see below)

Advocacy

• ELCA communication on The Peace Alliance (link to section below) and the U.S. Department of Peace
– Resolution ELCA to Support US Dept of Peace (link to section below) – Summer ‘07
• Sal Y Luz and Colombia (see below) Peace Chuches
– Meetings with State and National Legislative Representatives
• ELCA Advocacy Alerts (see below)
• Lutheran World Relief Advocacy (see below)
• Nonviolent Peaceforce (see below)
• Christian Peacemakers (see below)
• Voices for Creative Nonviolence

• Lutheran World Relief Advocacy Site/resources: http://www.lwr.org/advocacy/index.asp

• ELCA Advocacy Site/resources:
http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Advocacy/Congregational-Resources.aspx

• Nonviolent Peaceforce: http://www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org/

• Christian Peacemakers: http://www.cpt.org/

• Every Church a Peace Church: http://www.ecapc.org/

• Voices for Creative Nonviolence: http://vcnv.org/

Past Forums and Speakers

“NONVIOLENCE:
A MORE POWERFUL PATH”

• Nov 13, 2005: Chante Wolf
- Patriotism and Militarism”
• Nov 20, 2005: PBS Documentary
“A Force More Powerful”
• Dec 4, 2005: Professor Duane Cady
- Resisting Violence
• Dec 11, 2005: Pastor Bill Chadwick
- Underpinnings of Nonviolence
• Dec 18, 2005: Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer
- Hope, a Force More Powerful

“PEACE IN OUR TIME”
• April 23, 2006: Mel Duncan
- Nonviolent Peaceforce, Sri Lanka
• April 30, 2006: John Hildebrand
- Colombia Peace Sanctuary Churches
• May 7, 2006: Chuck Lutz
- Palestine
• May 14, 2006: Jeanette Clark
- Mexico and El Salvador
• May 21, 2006: Greg and Sue Skog
- U.S. Department of Peace

“BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS”

• April 15, 2007: Led by Pastor Tim
– Veterans Forum
• April 22, 2007: Anne Picard
– “Peace and Pancakes” children practicing peacemaking
• April 29, 2007: Pastor Natanael Lizarazo, Irma Rodriguez
– Overview of Colombia Conflict and Hope for Peace
• May 6, 2007: Mary Jane LaVigne
– US Department of Peace Bill
• May 20, 2007: Bishop Lowell Erdahl
– Jesus’ Way of Peace

CARING FOR GOD’S CREATION

• March 2 and 9, 2008: Terry Gips
- Saving Money, Time, your Health and the Earth: What’s Possible with Sustainability
• April 13, 2008: Al Carp
- How can All Saints Improve Sustainability
• April 27, 2008: Rosemary Gonzales
- Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia

• October 11 2009
- The Power of Forgiveness

• October 3, 2010: Becca Timm
- Remember Me: Voices of the Silenced in Colombia

• November 7, 2010: Reverend Lowell Erdahl
- Just Policing: An Alternative to Redemptive Violence

• April 10, 2011:
- Peacemaking in Colombia: What Can US Citizens Do?

Peace Team Book Discussions

Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, Saving Christianity from Empire

Jim Wallis, God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong
and the Left Doesn’t Get It

Walter Wink. Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way

Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love

Paul Loeb, Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time

Desmond Tutu: God Has a Dream

Gary Simpson: War, Peace and God, Rethinking the Just War Tradition

Paul Hawken: Blessed Unrest

References to Peace in Scripture

“Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.”
Matthew 5:9

“Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. ”
2 Corinthians 13:11b

“Seek peace and pursue it.”
1 Peter 3:11b

All Saints and Colombia

Conflict has raged in Colombia for more than 50 years. The participants are the left wing guerillas, the right wing paramilitary and the Colombian military. The victims are the small farmers and landholders, ethnic Afro-Colombians, human rights workers, labor leaders, clergy and countless others who are trying to prevent the violence against the voiceless from happening.

More than 4 million people have been displaced-forced to leave their land and livelihoods or have fled the violence. Many of the displaced are children and single mothers.

In the last 20 years 70,00 Colombians have died as a result of the conflict-many of them innocent victims. In recent years Colombian soldiers have murdered nearly 1000 innocent victims while thousands of others continue to suffer an the hands of the combatants.

Over the past 10 years or so the US has provided $6 billion in aid to Colombia. Most of it is military aid to help curb the drug industry and end the conflict, but the drug trade has not diminished. In addition the spraying used to destroy the coco crops has ruined fair trade coffee farms, good crops and the health of innocent farm workers. The violence has not diminished and human rights abuses continue.

In 2006, ASLC joined with LWR in a project called Sal y Luz (Salt and Light) to give support through prayer, education and advocacy to Peace Sanctuary Churches in Colombia. These churches help hundreds of the displaced find jobs, get food and shelter and they advocate for them to the government.
In 2008 the Sal y Luz project officially ended, but ASAP decided to continue its support, in conjunction with LWR, to find peaceful solutions for Colombia.

Over the past 3 ½ years All Saints has had victims of human rights abuses speak at forums; heard Colombian pastor Nathaniel Lizzarazo preach here; met with Rep. Jim Ramsted, and with aids from the offices of Sen. Klobuchar, former Sen. Coleman and Rep. Paulsen. An ASAP member has attended 3 LWR sponsored retreats with tortured and abused human rights workers from Colombia.

Due to political and other pressures, the stories of the victims are largely untold, not just in the US, but also in Colombia. Because of the suffering of the silenced, ASAP invites you to join in advocating and praying for the victims of the unjust actions in our South American neighbor.
GIVE PEACE A CHANCE!

To learn more see the Lutheran World Relief’s website: www.lwr.org/colombia

Conscientious Objection

All Saints Advocates for Peace respects and supports persons who sincerely declare conscientious objection.

Definition: Conscientious Objection is a sincere conviction, motivated by conscience, that forbids someone from participation in war. This objection may apply to all forms or to particular aspects of war.

Recognized conscientious objectors by federal law:
1. Conscientious Objector to all forms of military service: These are persons who, by reason of religious, ethical, or moral belief, are “conscientiously opposed to participation in war in any form.” These people may be discharged from the military. In the event of a draft, if called up, they would perform alternate service as civilians.
2. Noncombatant conscientious Objector: These are persons who, by reason of religious, ethical or moral belief, are conscientiously opposed to killing in war in any form but who do not object to performing noncombatant duties (such as being a medic) in the armed forces. These people are reassigned to non-combatant duties in the Armed Forces or, in the event of a draft, are trained without weapons and assigned to noncombatant service.
Unrecognized conscientious objectors by federal law:
1. Conscientious Objectors to paying for war.
2. Selective Objectors.
3. Nuclear Pacifists.
4. Non-Cooperators with the Draft.
Are you a conscientious Objector?
It is important to give this question serious thought. You may want to consult your relatives, friends, teachers, or religious advisors. It may take some time to come to a conclusion. The important thing is to start thinking about this now. What do you believe about war?
What to do?
All young men at age 18 must register for the draft. Go to the post office and fill out the registration card. Write somewhere on the face of the card, “I am a conscientious objector”. Make a photocopy before submitting it to the postal clerk. Prepare a statement of your beliefs. Get it on file with your church or other religious body, CCW or another counseling agency. Follow up with: Center on Conscience & War www.centeronconscience.org ,
Committee for Conscientious Objectors (CCCO) www.objector.org or AFSC-Youth and Militarism Program, 215-241-7176. These places will share all needed information.

US DEPARTMENT OF PEACE

United States Department of Peace
In the House of Representatives there is a bill to establish a United States Department of Peace. All Saints Advocates for Peace supports this bill. We have proposed a resolution to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to endorse this bill; asking the ELCA to educate and share information about a Department of Peace with the Lutheran Community here and abroad. We feel that the more people that know about the bill, the sooner it will be passed.
Here are the highlights of the bill:

~ to educate, research, facilitate, and articulate nonviolent solutions to resolve domestic and international conflicts.
~ to appoint a Secretary of Peace to advise the President and lead the Department.
~ to create a Peace Academy; a sister organization to our military academies.
~ to fund the creation and expansion of proven domestic peace-building programs in our communities.
~ to support our military with complementary approaches to ending violence.
~ to teach violence prevention and mediation to U.S. school children.
~ to effectively treat and dismantle gang psychology.
~ to rehabilitate the prison population.
~ to build peacemaking efforts among cultures both in the U.S. and abroad.
~ to fund these activities with 2% of the defense budget.


“Be at peace with one another.” Mark 9:50

Please visit www.ThePeaceAlliance.org for further information.