World Day of Prayer and Action for Children - November 20

What if all the religions of the world devoted one day a year to prayers and visible actions to promote the well-being of children? It would make an enormous difference for peace, and send a potent message worldwide.

This international movement is already happening! In 2008, Arigatou International launched the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children. Every November 20, people of faith and secular partners organize a community festival at a house of worship or public place. They follow up with a concrete project that will improve the lives of children in their area. See www.dayofprayerandaction.org for more info.

World Day Convening Chair Kul Gautam gives a video message. He is standing at the UN Assembly Building in New York City, in front of a monument to non-violence donated by Luxembourg.

UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake says, "Peace and security are the foundation of a world fit for children. Wars not only kill children, they breed disease and destroy economic hope. And in the end, real peace is not found in a piece of diplomatic paper. It is found in the secure and healthy lives of girls and boys." Mr. Lake played a key part in shaping policies that led to peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Northern Ireland, among other hotspots. (From

http://www.unicef.org/about/who/index_53462.html.)

St Martin of Tours - Feast Day

St Martin of Tours is known as the first conscientious objector and a great peacemaker in the Christian church. His feast day of 11 November (or the nearest Sunday) which is also observed as Remembrance Day for remembering those killed in wars (it was called Armistice Day following the First World War).
Lutherans have had a long history of responding to the gospel call to be peacemakers. One of the initial motivations for the formation of a Lutheran peace movement in the US was the need to support those resisting the draft through conscientious objection to military solutions to conflict. LPF traces its roots to this movement dating back to 1940.

For more contemporary information on current issues relating to the military service, see LPF's resource: Youth and the Military

For further information on St Martin of Tours, here are several links:

Martin of Tours

St. Martin's Day

St Martin — patron saint of conscientious objectors

November 11th. St. Martin of Tours.

SAINT MARTIN OF TOURS BISHOP, CONFESSOR—316-400

St. Martin of Tours

World Food Day

World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945.

LPF Hunger Resources, LPF Hunger and Development Links, LPF Advocacy Alert: 2012 Farm Bill

World Food Day Website
Wikipedia article
World Food Day USA Directory of Organizations
World Food Day Sunday Dinner
Bread for the World
ELCA World Hunger Program
Healthy food and food systems, Vibrant farms and rural communities
"Taking Root" five-part congregation education program on hunger.
Greenhorns - recruit, promote and support the new generation of young American farmers.
Via Campesina - International Peasant's Movement
Food First - Institute for Food and Development Policy

International Day of Nonviolence and the Birthday of Mahatma Gandhi

International Day of Nonviolence was declared by the United Nations to be marked on October 2nd, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and a pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence. Check out our video series on Gandhi's philosophy and its impact, this video series on Nonviolence for the Violent by Walter Wink, and LPF´s many other Resources on Nonviolence.

International Day of Prayer for Peace

What do you think could happen if churches everywhere prayed and acted together to nurture lasting peace? . . . among individuals, families, communities and societies? Well, that opportunity is here! And we invite you to join us in this collective effort, now held annually on and around September 21, and this year, emphasizing climate change.

In 2004, the World Council of Churches and the United Nations proposed the idea of an International Day of Prayer for Peace (IDPP) every September 21. Since then, this has become a special day of festive activity in virtually every denomination worldwide. LPF played a special role from the start: LPF leaders wrote the worship resource for the very first IDPP in 2004, used in 10,000 churches across the globe! From early on, we saw the advantages of getting involved in larger efforts like Campaign Nonviolence that both draw in lots of people, and visibly show the potential of the growing  LPF/religious peace movement.

Campaign Nonviolence reveals a growing sense that it is time to nurture a broader… longer-term… ecumenical movement…  grounded in nonviolence. And we’ve talked a lot about "connecting the dots" --  and bringing together people working on efforts to end war…climate change… violence against women… poverty… racism… and the epidemic of violence (even police violence) in our communities

LPF has ideas and resources to help you and your congregation make the most of this occasion to share in meaningful worship, build understanding and encourage action toward planet nurturing. This year, Sept. 20-27 is: the global week of action around the “Day of Prayer for Peace.” Check out the list of actions happening around the world. Consider organizing one and add it to the list.

A good place to start is to invite your pastor or worship committee to include a prayer in the service on the Sunday before or after Sept. 21. There is a wealth of resources to help.

Another possibility is to invite your social justice committee (or a few members with peace and justice interest) to share advocacy materials during the coffee hour after church. Again there are a variety of options. Here are resources and links on all of the above:

• Many groups are offering prayer and worship resources. Here are a few from several religious traditions: Education for Justice, Climate Crisis Coalition, Climate Prayer, Catholic Climate Covenant, Christian Aid, to mention just a few.
• For the connection between climate change and peacemaking, here’s a link to LPF’s blog on the subject.
• Campaign Nonviolence members are planning actions that connect reversing climate change with ending war and poverty. Actions are planned across the country during the week of Sept. 20-27 … and that's just the start!”
• Lutheran advocacy possibilities: We can start with the ELCA's climate change conversation and urge Lutheran institutions to do what other denominations have done, divest from industries responsible for greenhouse gas emissions tied to global warming. We could also call on our leaders to follow the example of these Swedish Lutheran Archbishops, including their first female archbishop. 

We’d be happy to hear from you to discuss this further. And we’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions. This has considerable potential and offers many opportunities. Let’s make the most of it!

August 6 - Hiroshima Day

On this day we remember the anniversary of the atomic the bombing of Hiroshima, August 6, 1945.
We invite Christians to pray for peace.

From the LPF Archives

For People of Faith: AN URGENT CALL (2003)

Hiroshima-Nagasaki Day of Prayer for Peace, Bulletin Insert (2005)

Other Resources
Global Zero – A World Without Nuclear Weapons

Countdown to Zero

Animation of Nuclear History

Simplicity Day

“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.”
-- Henry David Thoreau

Simplicity Day on July 12th celebrates the birthday of Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) who encouraged us to simplify our lives.

Here is a great video from this website on the "Story of Stuff" The Story of Solutions explores how we can move our economy in a more sustainable and just direction, starting with orienting ourselves toward a new goal.

Check out all our many other resources about this remarkable movement: Simple Living Resources from LPF