There are many organizations that provide excellent peace and justice resources.
This is a short list–especially for folks in eastern Pennsylvania.
This list was originally compiled for a Mennonite Peace and Justice gathering in October 2003.
Peace Sunday
Peace Sunday is now customarily observed on the Sunday closest to United Nations International Day of Peace (September 21 – every year). In 2015, “Peace Sunday” can be observed on Sept. 20 – or another Sunday of one’s choosing.
Worship Resources for Peace Sunday 2015:
- The Mennonite Worship Resources (MCUSA and MCC) on the theme “How Can We Be Silent” are available at mcc.org/media/resources/3099 and www.pjsn.org/Resources/congregations/Pages/Peace-Sunday-2015.aspx. Materials may be downloaded in PDF format from either location.
Worship Resources for Peace Sunday 2014:
- www.pjsn.org (Peace & Justice Support Netowrk, MCUSA) 2014 resources; also see related resource:
Prayer, action for Gaza, by Timothy Seidel (The Mennonite: Sept. 1, 2014) - mwc-cmm.org (Mennonite World Conference)
- Pace e Bene — there will be many nonviolent marches, rallies, vigils and other forms of peaceful, public action across the US and internationally September 21-27, 2014 to build a culture of peace. Related peace and nonviolence resources are posted here.
Mennonite Church USA (MCUSA)
Peace and Justice Support Network
The Peace and Justice Support Network (PJSN) was created in 2002 in conjunction with the birth of the Mennonite Church USA. The PJSN is charged with creating and supporting the vision of peace and justice in MC USA.
Mennonite Peace Resources: the PJSN website includes resources for worship, reflection, and public policy advocacy on Peace and Justice issues: http://www.pjsn.org/.
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)
MCC maintains more than a dozen offices across North America which offer a variety of resources for peace and justice work.
Audio-Visual and Printed Resources: MCC publishes a resource catalog with videos, DVDs, posters, periodicals, etc. which are available for loan or purchase at nominal cost. The catalog is available on the web at www.tng-secure.com/scripts/mcc/catalog/ or contact the MCC librarian for a printed catalog:
Mennonite Central Committee, 21 South 12th Street
P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 17501-0500
Phone: (717) 859-1151; Fax: (717) 859-2171
Phone toll-free: (888) 563-4676 Email: mailbox@mcc.org
Also contact MCC for information about the Damascus Road anti-racism program, and youth, military, and conscientious objector resources.
MCC Peace Office Newsletter
Mennonite Central Committee’s Overseas Peace Office addresses and interprets international peace and justice issues from a peace church perspective. The Peace Office promotes discussion of peace issues within the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ constituency and also encourages interchurch peace theology dialogue. The Peace Office produces the Peace Office Newsletter quarterly and distributes Occasional Papers and other statements as the issues arise.
www.mcc.org/whatwedo/peace/pon
MCC Washington Office guides MCC’s public policy witness:
920 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20003
Phone: 202-544-6564 Email: mccwash@mcc.org
Web: washington.mcc.org
Quarterly newsletter, “Washington Memo” which interprets U.S. national legislation and policy and seeks to reflect biblical concerns for peace and justice.
washingtonmemo.org
There are also occasional Washington E-Memo electronic newsletters, and Washington Memo Blog.
Annual High School Essay Contest
(Check with MCC Washington Office for list of topics for this year’s contest.)
Entry deadline is November 30 each year. First prize is $500 and other prizes are awarded.
For contest details, contact MCC at mccwash@mcc.org or the PJC.
- Sojourners magazine (Washington, D.C.): www.sojo.org
- Also see MCC publications, described above.
National / International Peace and Justice Organizations
The national and international organizations listed below have a variety of printed and web-based resources, as well as peacemaking activities and training programs.
Christian Peacemaker Teams
Mission Statement: Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) offers an organized, nonviolent alternative to war and other forms of lethal inter-group conflict. CPT provides organizational support to persons committed to faith-based nonviolent alternatives in situations where lethal conflict is an immediate reality or is supported by public policy.
CPT seeks to enlist the response of the whole church in conscientious objection to war, and the development of nonviolent institutions, skills and training for intervention in conflict situations. CPT projects connect intimately with the spiritual lives of its constituent congregations. Gifts of prayer, money and time from these churches undergird CPT peacemaking ministries.
Christian Peacemaker Teams is a program of Brethren, Quaker and Mennonite Churches and other Christians that support nonviolence.
CPT P. O. Box 6508 Chicago, IL 60680
Ph. (773) 277-0253; Fax: (773) 277-0291
E-Mail peacemakers@cpt.org Web: www.cpt.org
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Mission Statement: “The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) seeks to replace violence, war, racism, and economic injustice with nonviolence, peace, and justice. We are an interfaith organization committed to active nonviolence as a transforming way of life and as a means of radical change. We educate, train, build coalitions, and engage in nonviolent and compassionate actions locally, nationally, and globally.”
[In years past, FOR held Peacemaker Training Institutes several times a year for young adults (17-25) to teach nonviolence as a way of life and a tool for radical change.]
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Box 271 (521 N. Broadway), Nyack, NY 10960
845-358-4601 FAX: 845-358-4924
Email: FOR@forusa.org Web: www.forusa.org
American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a practical expression of the faith of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Committed to the principles of nonviolence and justice, it seeks in its work and witness to draw on the transforming power of love, human and divine. AFSC provides many resources for peace and justice work.
American Friends Service Committee
1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102-1479
(215) 241-7000 Web: www.afsc.org
PEACEWORK magazine
Peacework is a monthly journal published since 1972 by the New England Regional Office of the AFSC. Originally it covered resistance to military conscription and war tax resistance, but after the war in Southeast Asia it branched out to coverage of other issues, from nuclear power to the freedom movement, from disarmament to economic justice, from simple living to community organizing. Today it covers the full range of “Global Thought and Local Action for Nonviolent Social Change,” with a special focus on the northeastern United States. www.peacework.org
Friends Committee on National Legislation
The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) is a public interest lobby of the
Religious Society of Friends. FCNL seeks to bring the concerns, experiences and testimonies of Friends (called Quakers) to bear on policy decisions in the nation’s capital. People of many religious backgrounds participate in this work. FCNL”s staff and volunteers work with a nationwide network of thousands of people to advocate social and economic justice, peace, and good government.
Friends Committee on National Legislation
FCNL, 245 Second Street, NE, Washington, DC, 20002-5795
phone: (202) 547-6000 Fax: (202) 547-6019
Email: fcnl@fcnl.org In the U.S. (800) 630-1330
Web: www.fcnl.org
Witness for Peace
Mission Statement: “Witness for Peace (WFP) is a politically independent, grassroots organization. We are people committed to nonviolence and led by faith and conscience. Our mission is to support peace, justice, and sustainable economies in the Americas by changing U.S. policies and corporate practices which contribute to poverty and oppression in Latin America and the Caribbean. We stand with people who seek justice.”
WFP organizes study tours and delegations to Latin America and the Caribbean, and also brings Latin Americans for speaking tours in the U.S.
Witness for Peace, 1229 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20005
(202) 588-1471 FAX: (202) 588-1472
witness@witnessforpeace.org www.witnessforpeace.org
Mid-Atlantic region (NJ,DE, MD,PA, DC,NY)
Email: wfpma@witnessforpeace.org”
National Peace Tax Fund
The National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund, a national non-profit organization located in Washington, D.C., advocates for US federal legislation enabling conscientious objectors to war to have their federal income taxes directed to a special fund which could be used for non-military purposes only. This fund would be called the Peace Tax Fund and the bill we seek to pass is called the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Act.
National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund / Peace Tax Foundation
www.peacetaxfund.org
Peace Brigades International
Peace Brigades International (PBI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) which protects human rights and promotes nonviolent transformation of conflicts.
When invited, we send teams of volunteers into areas of repression and conflict. The volunteers accompany human rights defenders, their organizations and others threatened by political violence. Perpetrators of human rights abuses usually do not want the world to witness their actions. The presence of volunteers backed by a support network helps to deter violence. We create space for local activists to work for social justice and human rights.
Currently, we have volunteers protecting human rights activists in Colombia, Indonesia, and Mexico, as well as a project restarting in Guatemala and a joint project with other organizations in Chiapas, Mexico.
PBI-USA. 428 8th St. SE, 2nd fl, Washington DC 20003
(202) 544-3765 Fax: 202 544 3766 Email: info@pbiusa.org
www.peacebrigades.org
United Nations Association
The United Nations Association of the United States of America is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that supports the work of the United Nations and encourages active civic participation in the most important social and economic issues facing the world today. As the nation’s largest grassroots foreign policy organization and the leading center of policy research on the U.N. and global issues, UNA-USA offers Americans the opportunity to connect with issues confronted by the U.N., from global health and human rights to the spread of democracy, equitable development, and international justice. Through our work, we educate Americans about the work of the United Nations and encourage public support for strong U.S. leadership in the U.N.
UNA-USA New York Headquarters
801 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Ph. (212)-907-1300 Fax: (212)-682-9185
Email: unahq@unausa.org Web: www.unausa.org
UNA-USA Washington Office
1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 610, Washington, DC 20036
202-462-3446 Fax: 202-462-3448
Email: unadc@unausa.org
Alternative Online Gift Sources
by J. V. Connors
In anticipation of gift buying season in Western Society, here are some links for buying gifts that benefit charities, peace groups and 3rd world indigenous artisan projects instead of corporations. All the links were last checked and found operational as of August 2011.
PEOPLink: Handmade gifts from international grassroots artisans, nonprofit, many items under $15 (They have an announcement that they are changing formats to take you directly to artisan groups, but are still using the old system now. The new format will use the same link.)
www.peoplink.com/EN
Novica: Handcrafts and arts from all over the world sold with the philosophy of using the internet to provide better prices to third world artisans. With 1700 artists, selected by region or product
www.novica.com
Marketplace Handwork of India: clothing, linen and gifts made by women’s cooperatives in India–includes stories of the artisans’ lives and struggles.
www.marketplaceindia.com
Afghan women’s crafts, linens, clothing, made in Pakistan by women refugees from
Afghanistan-100% of profits go to Afghani women.
store.feminist.org — then select “Afgan Crafts.”
Ten Thousand Villages: nonprofit that markets indigenous artisan crafts
www.tenthousandvillages.com
Fair Trade Federation: is an association of fair trade wholesalers, retailers, and producers whose members are committed to providing fair wages and good employment opportunities to economically disadvantaged artisans and farmers worldwide.
www.fairtradefederation.org.
Online catalogs– www.fairtradefederation.org/memol.html
SERRV International: Nonprofit trade organization that promotes social and economic justice by marketing crafts and products from developing countries in a fair and direct manner. Many inexpensive items.
www.serrv.org
Fellowship of Reconciliation:
FOR Bookstore has books, great holiday cards, and postcards
www.forusa.org
UNICEF: cards and gifts, beautiful Christmas cards and ornaments, t-shirts and stationery benefiting international children’s relief work. You can also donate to Liberian refugees here.
www.supportunicef.org
SEVA Foundation: “gifts of service”- you donate money to fund an operation on a blind person, bring water to a community in Guatemala, etc., in honor of someone
www.seva.org
Yayla Tribal Rugs: portion of profits go to refugees and rug weaving peoples. “The Rug and Textile Weaving People of AsiaExploring their life, culture, Art and working toward their well being. These are primary principles and goals toward which Yayla has been dedicated since its inception in 1981. There are three distinct aspects to our operation: The first is Yayla Tribal Rugs a for-profit company founded in 1981. The second is Barakat Inc. a non-profit corporation linked to Yayla. From January 1, 2000 all of the profits from Yayla are channeled into Barakat for the purpose of benefiting refugees and other rug weaving peoples in the countries where we produce carpets as well as environmental work throughout the world. The third is Cultural Survival Inc., a separate non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of endangered peoples and cultures throughout the world. Since 1988 Yayla has run weaving projects through Cultural Survival that benefit Turkmen refugees from Northern Afghanistan and Tibetan refugees living in Nepal and India.”
www.yayla.com
Woven Legends: Naturally dyed, handmade carpets from indigenous, handspun wool. “Woven Legends weaves carpets in over 150 towns and villages scattered throughout eastern Turkey, employing over 10,000 weavers and nearly as many handspinners of woolen yarn. Woven Legends has created a vital dynamic among the craftspeople and artisans they employ in Turkey by re-establishing the ancient traditions of dyeing and wool spinning, thereby employing thousands of people in valuable work formerly done by machines; and by reviving the weaver’s central role as interpreter of design, a role which has been missing for nearly a century, as overzealous producers sought to minimize variation, even to mimic the “perfection” of machine-made products.
www.wovenlegends.com
Aid to Artisans: (wholesale only) Founded in 1976, Aid To Artisans (ATA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating economic opportunities for crafts people in developing communities around the world.
www.aidtoartisans.org and
www.onenest.com
Last updated August 15th, 2013.
