© Church of the Brethern/Photo by Cherl Brumbaugh-Craford

Gathering for Peace

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Church of the Brethren, and Mennonite Church USA meet annually in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This year the three historic peace churches planned an event to bring together individuals and groups working for peace: “Heeding God’s Call: a Gathering on Peace.”

The event, which ran January 13–17, invited Community of Christ. Sue Sloan, Kelly Guinan, and Gail Mengel attended as delegates for our denomination.

The original hope of drawing a broad spectrum of Christian communities to the Gathering became a reality. About fifty faith communities and nonprofit organizations from across North America came. They explored our common commitment to peace, learned from others’ efforts, and discerned steps we might take together. It seemed especially fitting to meet in the historic part of Philadelphia near the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

Delegates were encouraged to re-turn to their denominations with a deeper commitment to God’s call of nonviolence and peace-building. They challenged us to be more attentive to the Spirit within us that calls us to restore God’s world for all. They sent us forth to share and commit to creating new ways to build peace through goodness, compassion, and efforts to understand and meet the needs of others.

—Gail Mengel and Sue Sloan reporting