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 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!

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. 21 is:

The global “Day of Prayer for Peace” plus “The Largest Climate March in History," and Nonviolent Actions in over 130 communities that connect reversing climate change with ending war and poverty.

The coming together of these efforts offers a significant opportunity to educate and encourage congregation members, and to energize and strengthen efforts on the crucial issues of climate change and peace.

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.
• The People's Climate March (billed as the "Largest Climate March in History"): they offer posters and other resources and a long list of supportive groups. 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. “Over 110 nonviolent actions are planned across the country during the week of Sept. 21-27 … 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!

From Ferguson to Real Change

There has been a deluge of reporting and commentary on the killing of an unarmed black teen in the Ferguson suburb of St Louis, and on the protests that followed.  Yet the way forward has been clouded by inadequate attention to at least four important issues:

1. Militarization of Police – A growing problem, visible to activists for years, has finally broken through to the media and the public.  Police have been purchasing (and receiving free from a major Pentagon program) large quantities of military style weapons. It’s gear that looks more like a Transformers movie than legitimate police equipment. It ranges from body armor and armored personnel carriers, to sniper rifles and 2nd generation tear gas.  (What Military Gear Your Police Department Bought) 

Such gear separates police from protesters, undercuts legitimate “protect and serve” orientation and programs, and often makes confrontations more lethal. It also equips, emboldens, and legitimizes the Rambo-style officers in most police depts.  Most people are shocked to learn that “roughly 137 times a day, a SWAT team assaults a home and plunges its inhabitants and the surrounding community into terror.”  (One Nation Under SWAT.)

2. Racism – Like minority communities in scores of other cities, Ferguson protests build on the frustration of people of color who have faced decades of poor education, lack of jobs and resources, and discriminatory policies that have been the root of unrest since the 1960's. (See an activist’s view of Unresolved Race and Economic Issues, or the views of this pastor or another activist.) 

One example: Blacks are pulled over by police in far greater numbers and received larger tickets than whites, and are a key reason why US incarceration rates are the highest in the world. (See the middle section of In Ferguson or Exposing the Toolbox of Racist Repression.)

3. Budget Priorities – The huge expense of race- and class-skewed policies cited above siphon money from sorely needed programs that would address underlying problems of prejudice and inequality. The list is familiar and includes greatly expanded jobs, social service, and community-building programs.

Funding for such programs must come from reducing military spending – which like all too many police and urban spending efforts emphasizes violent, 11th hour interventions that are ultimately ineffective, instead of major (but ultimately cheaper) programs to address underlying causes…. Moreover, those problems are at the heart of the ability of radical groups to find recruits.  (See From Gaza to Ferguson or Ferguson, Gaza and Luhansk, or 90-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor Arrested in St. Louis.  For clear data on spending, see tables 2 or 7 or use the full LPF Budget Priorities computer-based activity.)

4. The Essential Contribution of Nonviolence – Ferguson also exposes the still rampant illusion that nonviolent responses to conflict are nice but don’t ultimately work: “Real” problems require “real” (violent) responses.  But as Desmond Tutu put it, nonviolence is “a force more powerful” than military  – or militarized police – responses to conflict, as history repeatedly shows in both arenas.  (See LPF Nonviolence resources  from a Shalom discussion essay to an AV-rich Nonviolence Forum.)

But Ferguson also reveals inadequacies of efforts to organize and deploy nonviolence campaigns.  Activist groups have been too complacent and isolated from younger generations who lack experience with the power of nonviolent responses to conflict.  Ferguson must be a wake-up call to activist groups as well as police forces, urban planners, state and federal budget officials. (See In Ferguson, young demonstrators are finding it’s not their grandparents’ protest  and Nonviolent Protest and Accountability in Ferguson.  All this points to the importance of efforts like Campaign Nonviolence - LPF is a member - which is highlighting over 125 nonviolent actions around the US in the week following Sept. 21, the ”International Day of Prayer for Peace” – see our next blog post.  And consider participating! )

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

Advocacy Alert: Renewed Fighting in Israel-Palestine

The news media in recent days has been awash with stories about teen killings and military action in Israel-Palestine. Media coverage has often been sensationalist, one-sided, or superficial. We've heard from LPF members asking for help in moving beyond those depictions, to connect with root causes, and explore options for both de-escalation and lasting solutions.

In fact, this crisis urgently calls for a response from us – in particular, it is important for us to reach out to others, both those who are active on such issues, and those on the sidelines or who haven’t known how they might actually help in such a complex situation. (The basics are straightforward. As one commentator put it, "you can't bomb your way to peace.")

The best of our sister organization agree that a crucial need is for us to share information that would "change the public discourse on the conflict."

We can also be calling for specific responses including disinvestment to put pressure on the Israeli government -- a strategy which played an important role in ending apartheid in South Africa. The World Council of Churches has announced its support for divestment from corporations responsible for global warming. We can be asking our church leaders to take such a stand on this issue.

Our own government needs more encouragement to play a positive role. The message can be quite simple. As Rabbi Michael Lerner of the Jewish group Tikkun puts it "My fervent prayer: Stop all the violence, end the occupation, and create a lasting peace and a reconciliation of the heart." Challenging the enormous US subsidies for Israel gives us tremendous leverage. The threat of significant reductions could make a big difference.

Below are links to several sources of reliable and balanced information, from Lutheran and other sources. They can help us explore – and share with others – how the current struggle fits into the continuing spiral of violence, key underlying causes, and what the US can do to help move things in a positive direction.

We are called to respond and to encourage others to do so. Please don’t let this one pass by! Here are some good links to help us deepen our understanding of those crucial underlying issues, help others do so, and do our part to address this important challenge:

Tikkun: "End the Violence in Israel/Palestine: Cease Fire NOW!"
http://www.tikkun.org/nextgen/end-the-violence-in-israelpalestine-cease-fire-now

American Friends Service Committee: "Ending oppression to end violence: The Gaza escalation in context"
http://afsc.org/story/ending-oppression-end-violence-gaza-escalation-context
*also the source of the image used above

Lutheran World Federation: "Israel-Palestine Peace Agreement Would Be a Sign of Hope to the World"
http://www.lutheranworld.org/news/israel-palestine-peace-agreement-would-be-sign-hope-world

Democracy Now!:
"After Palestinian Unity Deal, Did Israel Spark Violence to Prevent a New "Peace Offensive"?"
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/7/15/after_palestinian_unity_deal_did_israel
"Pressuring Israel, Presbyterian Church Divests from Firms Tied to Occupation of Palestinian Land"

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/6/23/pressuring_israel_presbyterian_church_divests_from

LPF's Holy Land Resources (dozens of more links)
http://lutheran_peace.tripod.com/holyland.html

Jewish Voice for Peace
http://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/

ELCA campaign working for justice and peace in Palestine and Israel: http://www.elca.org/Resources/Peace-Not-Walls

Please share this alert and links with friends and congregation members by email and printed copies. The situation is urgent, and it also offers an opening to help break through the misinformation and stereotypes, better understand the issues, and advocate for responsible U.S. action.

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.


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

Say No to Another War in the Middle East

We urge LPF members to tell President Obama and your members of Congress that you oppose the U.S. engaging in any form of military action in response to the growing conflict in Iraq. The peace community is united around this position, and for good reason. A wide range of experts agree that military action would not be an effective and constructive response to the conflict. In fact, it could easily make a bad situation worse -- "like pouring gasoline on a fire" is how one Peace Action leader put it. So please contact your elected leaders today!

A little background: In the past decade, the US invasion of Iraq, other military action, and taking sides in regional differences (and demonizing others a "terrorist") have played a major role in deepening existing conflicts. Instead, as we have been saying for years, the US needs to join with other nations to use diplomacy and address the roots of these conflict(s) such as poverty and discrimination. At the same time, we need to help ease tensions and move toward reconciliation among the various groups (Shia, Sunni, Kurd, etc.). Such a longer-range approach has its own challenges, but imagine if a decade ago, we had begun spending even a tenth of what the war cost on development aid, supporting democratic initiatives, working with other nations.

We need to put a barrier in front of the push for military action; and move the US toward collaborative action with other nations on strategies that have a chance of success over the long-term. Contact your elected officials today!

Diplomacy Not More Arms Needed in Iraq and Syria
http://davidcortright.net/2014/06/12/diplomacy-not-more-arms-needed-in-iraq-and-syria/

As Obama Considers Drone Strikes in Iraq, Could U.S. Military Action
Worsen Sectarian Conflict?
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/6/16/as_obama_considers_drone_strikes_in

"5 Principals for Iraq," by Thomas Friedman, NY Times, 6-15-14
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/15/opinion/sunday/thomas-friedman-5-principles-for-iraq.html?ref=opinion

"Stay Out of Sectarian Civil Wars" -------could be in 2nd section
http://tomhayden.com/home/stay-out-of-sectarian-civil-wars.html

other useful links:
"The Almighty Mess in Iraq"
http://ericmargolis.com/2014/06/the-allmighty-mess-in-iraq/

"7 talking points you need for discussing the Iraq crisis" ---------could be in 1st section
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/06/talking-points-iraq-crisis

"The Iraq Mess: Place Blame Where it Is Deserved, by John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 6-13-14 blog post
www.newyorker.com%2Fonline%2Fblogs%2Fjohncassidy%2F2014%2F06%2Fthe-iraq-mess-place-the-blame-where-it-is-deserved.html

"Report from Iraq: U.S. Invasion in 2003 Helped Set Path for Crisis Pulling Nation Apart"
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/6/13/report_from_iraq_us_invasion_in