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Historic peace church conference adjourns in Santo Domingo

By Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
News Director, Church of the Brethren

Santo Domingo, December 3, 2010 - A final document was approved at the close of the Historic Peace Church conference in Latin America, held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Nov. 27-Dec. 2. The conference gathered 77 Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, and Friends (Quakers) from 17 countries. 

The document will be made public in the next few days. It represents a "sense of the meeting," with an approval process conducted in the consensus tradition of the Friends.  

The paper was formulated by a committee that had the job of reducing several days of presentations, testimonies, reports, and stories into a document of common understandings. The committee included César Moya, Delia Mamani, and Alexandre Gonçalves. 

Written in 13 sections, the document gives an overview of the conference and shared theological understandings on peace; expresses special concern for victims of violence in vulnerable populations such as women, children and youth, migrants; expresses concern about particular national situations including the ongoing war in Colombia and relationship between Dominicans and Haitians, and natural disasters in Chile and Haiti; lists areas for intensified effort including the environment; pledges to participate in building public policy; commits the peace churches to continue to work together and get to know each other better, and to plant seeds of peace in homes and nations; and invites all churches of Latin America and the world to come together in a movement to overcome violence. 

Before the document was approved, participants had an opportunity to suggest changes or corrections, or to raise concerns. 

After responses were received, the writing committee retired to another room to make final changes to the document and the rest of the conference supported their work in prayer through moments of silent worship. 

The final morning of the conference opened with silent worship in the tradition of the unprogrammed Friends, followed by separate meetings for the three denominational groups. Each group reported to the whole a summary of their conversations.

The Brethren focused their conversation and concern on a difficult situation of conflict within Iglesia de los Hermanos (the Church of the Brethren in the Dominican Republic). Brethren also expressed a desire for their world movement to become one of equals--in terms of national groups--in which the US church is not regarded as the one leader. 

The Quaker delegation listed several action points, including development of a special report about the conference for use by Friends, a new respect for their diversity and the understanding that differences between Quaker groups are an advantage rather than a disadvantage, seeking continued interaction with other peace churches, and working to address drug use in their homes, churches, and communities. Several presentations during the conference had linked the violence in a number of countries to drug use and trafficking, and related gang activity. 

The Mennonites listed priorities of maintaining lines of communication by means such as the Internet and shared resources, and maximizing dialogue and discernment on a number of points including sustainability, understandings of peace, and deeper study of social and political realities. They also named commitments as well as challenges and obstacles, among them a commitment to work at a concrete proposal to the World Council of Churches. 

The closing worship service of the conference that evening was at Mendoza New Anointing Church of the Brethren, a Haitian-Dominican congregation. Liturgical dance and two choirs enriched the standing-room-only service, attended by a crowd of hundreds that spilled out into the street. 

Marcos and Suely Inhauser of Igreja da Irmandade (the Church of the Brethren in Brazil) gave the message standing together at the pulpit. They preached on the story of the resurrected Christ appearing to his disciples while they were in hiding from the authorities, relating the text to the experiences of Haitians who suffer oppression and discrimination in the DR. 

In a sermon that did not minimize the risks of peacemaking, and that openly stated hesitations and questions listeners might have about their own wellbeing and safety, they challenged the congregation to confront violence and oppression head on. 

"I really love this Jesus of ours because he was so courageous," the Inhausers preached, pointing out that after the resurrection Jesus returned to the same city in which he had suffered torture and death. Nothing can be done about violence and oppression if we run away, they said, "We have to face it with a witnessing presence." They called believers to move out of shelter and hiding and into the world as disciples of Christ. "I need you to get out and spread the peace." 

A service of footwashing, held with a small group of representatives from the congregation and peace church traditions, and a lively time of passing the peace ended the service. Singing, music, and dancing continued, however, and was still going on as the conference participants left the sanctuary. 

Webcasts from the conference are being offered at www.bethanyseminary.edu/webcasts/PeaceConf2010.

An online photo album has been started at www.brethren.org/site/PhotoAlbumUser?AlbumID=13041&view=UserAlbum

Se puede ver la trasmisión en vivo - www.bethanyseminary.edu/webcasts/PeaceConf2010 . Fotos: www.brethren.org/site/PhotoAlbumUser?AlbumID=13041&view=UserAlbum.                   


Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA has been the leading force for ecumenical cooperation among Christians in the United States. The NCC's 37 member faith groups -- from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches -- include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.

NCC News contact:  Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228 (office), 646-853-4212 (cell), pjenks@ncccusa.org

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