Friends,
Across the country, the Fellowship of Reconciliation is sponsoring, supporting, and attending some exciting interfaith peace events. Join us and other FOR members in Washington State, Florida, Washington D.C., and North Carolina this summer and fall!
Seabeck, WA: Living the Dream of Justice and Peace, June 29-July 2
 The Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation and Oregon Fellowship of Reconciliation have partnered for 54 years to conduct one of the largest peace conferences in the Pacific Northwest, the Seabeck Conference. We have nationally known speakers as well as numerous workshop options for those interested in gathering to discuss current peace and justice concerns in our local communities, the nation, and the world.
 The first keynote speaker is Dr. Aaron Wolf, a professor of geography in the department of geosciences at Oregon State University, who will speak on "Healing the Enlightenment Rift: Rationality, Spirituality, and Shared Waters." Dr. Wolf's work focuses on negotiating transboundary water treaties, where his training combining environmental science with dispute resolution theory and practice have been particularly appropriate. He discovered that commencing the negotiations with each group's spiritual needs for the water allows for clearly seeing the other as spiritual people, as fully human, and leads to successful treaties.
 The second keynote address will be given by Rev. Lucas Johnson, a member of FOR-USA's National Council as well as the International FOR's International Committee. Rev. Johnson served this past school year as a teaching assistant with Vincent Harding at Morehouse College in Atlanta, focusing on a course “The Last Years of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Life and the Future of American Democracy.” He is also involved with the King Center Imaging Project, digitalizing the archives at the Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Rev. Johnson has worked extensively with the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America and other Baptist programs, as well as serving as Atlanta director of Lutheran Volunteer Corps in 2010 and 2011.
 Seabeck will also host participant activists from various Occupy groups around the region. A conference-wide discussion starting with these panelists will take the place of one of the four usual workshop periods. Please come with your own stories and perspectives to share in the discussion!
Registration is $60, plus lodging if desired. Day rates are $30. There are discounts and scholarships for low-income individuals, residents of Washington and British Colombia, and those under 18. Carpooling may be available from your city.
Register online for the 54th annual Seabeck peace conference!
Miami, FL: Veterans for Peace convention, Aug. 8-12
 Veterans for Peace will hold its 27th annual convention this summer, "Liberating the Americas: Lessons from Latin America and the Caribbean," in Miami, Florida. FOR's John Lindsay-Poland, director of research and advocacy, will speak on a plenary panel on Latin America and U.S. foreign policy, and he will also lead a workshop on "The Pentagon in Latin America and the Caribbean." Other featured speakers include:
- Fr. Roy Bourgeios, founder of School of the Americas Watch
- Col. Ann Wright, U.S. Army veteran and former State Department official in Afghanistan and other countries
- Camilo Mejia, U.S. Army veteran and past board chair, Iraq Veterans Against the War
- Alice Walker, poet, writer, and Buddhist Peace Fellowship member
- Marleine Bastien, founder of Haitian Women of Miami and past candidate for U.S. Congress
Join military veterans, anti-war activists, and others at this important gathering. Register online for the 27th annual Veterans for Peace conference!
Washington, D.C.: Evangelicals for Peace, Sept. 14
FOR Executive Director Mark Johnson will attend this summit on Christian moral responsibility in the 21st century, held at Georgetown University.
Are you concerned about war and terrorism? Troubled by increasing violence in our streets and among the nations? Burdened that those who say they follow the Prince of Peace have not been an effective force for peace? We think it’s time to change this!
Speakers include:
- Geoff Tunnicliff, CEO of the World Evangelical Alliance, representing 600 million evangelicals
- Dr. David Gushee, Professor of Ethics at Mercer University and co-author of Kingdom Ethics
- Jim Wallis, CEO of Sojourners and author of numerous books, including God’s Politics
- Douglas Johnston, President of International Center for Religion and Diplomacy
- Lisa Sharon Harper, director of Mobilizing at Sojourners and co-author of Left, Right and Christ: Evangelical Faith in Politics
- David Beasley, former Republican Governor of South Carolina and National Prayer Breakfast activist
- Dr. Glen Stassen, Professor of Ethics at Fuller Seminary and editor of Just Peacemaking
- Dr. Chris Seiple, President of the Institute for Global Engagement
- Dr. Martin Accad, Professor of Islamics at Fuller Seminary
Registration is $96 before Aug. 1, and $126 after Aug. 1.
Learn more about the event and register online.
North Carolina: Lake Junaluska Peace Conference, Nov. 8-11
 The fifth annual Lake Junaluska Peace Conference, "Love in Action: the Transformative Power of Nonviolence," will draw upon the lessons of nonviolent campaigns and their leaders who discovered a force that can change the world. Participants will explore the principles and learn the applications of nonviolence as taught by Gandhi, King, and many spiritual leaders who offered this alternative paradigm for resolving conflict, achieving justice and building peace.
Speakers include:
- Leymah Gbowee, Liberian peace activist and 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner
- Rev. Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Jr., distinguished scholar-in-residence, Candler School of Theology and civil rights leader
- Michael Nagler, founder and president, Metta Center for Nonviolence
- Alan Storey, Central Methodist Mission in Cape Town, Africa
Participants will have a unique opportunity to become a part of an ongoing multi-faith community of peacemakers who practice nonviolent witness to societal and global transformation. Through the addresses, panels, and workshops, the conference provides peacemaking skill building experience that will empower and sustain us individually and in community as we do the hard work of peacemaking in a world broken and corrupted by systemic violence.
Early bird registration, before Sept. 10, is $95; registration is $125 after Sept. 10. Scholarships are available for current college and seminary students. Meals and lodging are available for additional fees.
Learn more about the conference and register online. |
