Newsletters

Date: April 7th 2008

Friends,

It has been a busy transition from winter to spring, and I apologize that it has been so long since you’ve heard from me. I hope you’ve had an opportunity to read about our experience in Washington DC with the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq and the Olive Branch Interfaith Peace Partnership in early March. The weather, once again, was lousy. However, the worship, the witness in Upper Senate Park, and the nonviolent action in the Hart Senate Office Building that resulted in 42 arrests were all quite moving. More than a third of those arrested were Presbyterian, which made me very proud. For a first-hand account of the events, please see Matt Black’s article on our website at www.presbypeacefellowship.org.

You may have heard that there are big changes on the horizon for the Peace Fellowship and for my family. My wife Kitty and I have agreed to become the Transitional Co-Directors (sharing one, full-time position) of the Stony Point Center just north of New York City. I will continue as the Director of the Peace Fellowship half-time, and our offices will move to Stony Point. We will be leaving Tucson in early June, then settling into our new home and getting started at Stony Point in August. There is a great deal of dreaming that has gone into this plan, and there are exciting implications for the Peace Fellowship. I’ll fill you all in with another email in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, I want to be sure that you have some of the following, important dates and opportunities at your fingertips. This summer is full of opportunities for renewal, and training. There are some things on the horizon that I’ll hope you’ll consider being a part of:

High Desert/River Trip Training for Counter-Military Recruiters:

May 23 - 26 at Ghost Ranch. We’re focusing on 16 to 20 year olds who want to offer an alternative to military recruitment on their high school or college campuses, though we’ll consider applicants as young as fourteen or older folks as well. Please help us spread the word. We’ll stay in the campground at Ghost Ranch, and the experience will include hiking on the Ranch and an afternoon of whitewater rafting on the Chama River. Check it out at www.presbypeacefellowship.org. (Cost: if you can get to Albuquerque, we’ll pay the rest.)

General Assembly Peace Fellowship Breakfast:

Wednesday, June 25: Palestinian Human Rights attorney Jonathan Kuttab will be our keynote speaker. 2007 Peaceseeker Award recipients are Anita David and Beth Pyles, and Gary Cozette is receiving the award in 2008. (Tickets are $19 if you purchase them in advance – email us at ppfwitness@gmail.com)

The Church Unbound:

July 1 – 5: There will be amazing speakers, and Rick will be among them, for this important conversation to be held at Montreat Conference Center. Go to http://www.montreat.org/current/2008-church-unbound for details.

2008 Peacemaking Conference: Sowing Mustard Seeds: Working for God’s Justice – Confronting Poverty

July 15 - 18 at Chapman University in Orange, CA – This is going to be another amazing event! Join Mark Lomax, Lisa Schirch, Roberto Jordan, Cindy Edwards, Anuradha Mittal, Patrick Evans and Diana Wright for a week of inspiration and renewing your energy for the task at hand. More information at www.pcusa.org/peacemaking.

High Desert Spiritual Quest:

July 21 - 27: Some of you know that I now co-lead this week-long seminar with my close friend Brandon Wert. In many ways, this experience of wilderness is what grounds me in my work for peace and justice throughout the year. The week is entirely experiential, including hikes on Ghost Ranch, a sweat-lodge experience, and three days rafting and kayaking on the Chama River. The last two years, we never entered a classroom for the entire week. If you’re interested, go to http://www.ghostranch.org/index.php?option=com_oscommerce&osMod=product_info&cPath=34&products_id=358 for more information. (The cost is $710 including room and board, gear, and the river trip.)

Paths toward Peace and Justice at Ghost Ranch:

July 28 to August 3: This event grows every year! Our time is centered on evening worship in the beautiful new worship space that looks out on the Chama River Valley. This year, there is an effort to integrate the “arts” and the “peace and justice” sides of the program for the week. Keynote preachers will be John Fife and Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, who will also co-lead one of the many seminars. Music by Tim and Tom Zehnder and last year’s high school piano virtuoso Eric Choate! Go to http://www.ghostranch.org/index.php?option=com_oscommerce&osMod=index&cPath=93 for information about registration. (Cost: $250/person plus room and board – Gail Brown and I will reprise the popular “camp community” in the Ghost Ranch Campground for those who need a lower cost option or who just want to be a little closer to the wilderness.)

Colombia Accompaniment Training:

September 11 - 15 at Stony Point Center: Please consider joining us for a weekend of discernment, orientation and preparation to serve with the PPF as a volunteer accompanier in Colombia. If you’d like more information about this event, please contact sarah@presbypeacefellowship.org.

Gun Violence and Gospel Values at Stony Point Center, NY:

September 15 – 17: Co-Sponsored with Stony Point, The Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, and the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, this colloquium at Stony Point will begin to unlock ways in which the church must respond to growing gun violence in all of our communities across the United States. Registration isn’t open yet, but save the dates and stay tuned to the Peace Fellowship website for more information!

Rick