Church and Peace invites you to pray for peace in Ukraine and beyond. This prayer has been taking place weekly since February 2022.

Together with the branches of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation in England & Scotland and Wales (Cymdeithos y Cymod) and the Methodist Peace Fellowship, we gather on Zoom on Fridays at 7:30pm (London)/ 8:30pm (CET)/ 9:30pm (Kyiv)/ 10:30pm (Moscow).

The new Church and Peace newsletter has been published.

This newsletter reports on our conference ‘Overcoming Racism in the Church’, sharing impressions of the gatherings’ challenging inputs, encounters and search for what overcoming racism means in daily life.

In addition, despite – or precisely because of – the current catastrophes in the world, this issue is about the ongoing activities of Church and Peace members: activities against hatred and enmity, against reliance on military solutions to conflicts, against nuclear deterrence, against overexploitation of creation and instead towards justice, peace and integrity of creation. Once again this year, those whom we have welcomed as new members have made us realise how necessary and energising it is to do this work together.

Call for anti-war actions on the second anniversary of the Russian attack on Ukraine on 24 February 2024

Wethen, 10 February 2024

Church and Peace, as part of a civil society alliance, is calling for anti-war actions on the second anniversary of the Russian attack on Ukraine on 24 February 2024.

The call states: “War is a crime against humanity. We condemn Russia’s attack on the whole of Ukraine, which has now been going on for two years in violation of international law. Since 24 February 2022, the war has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries as well as millions of refugees – every day that the war goes on leads to even more suffering.”

“So far, neither military offensives nor arms deliveries or sanctions have been able to open a window of opportunity for ceasefire talks. It is the responsibility of the international community to influence the warring parties and push for a negotiated solution. The call for negotiations is also supported by the resolutions of the UN General Assembly.”

Local anti-war actions are intended to send a clear message in favour of breaking the spiral of violence, a ceasefire and peace negotiations.

Find more information on the appeal, planned actions and materials at: https://stoppt-das-toeten.de/ 

Wethen, December 2023

“Christmas is the time when we embrace the vulnerability of God”
(Sister Mary Leddy)

What an paradoxical sentence and a challenge: embracing God’s vulnerability?
Vulnerability and the need for protection are brutal. The images from Ukraine, Israel/Palestine and many other places in the world are a daily reminder of this.
They evoke the need for protection, for security, for everything that we see happening on a daily basis: bombs, tanks, grenades, walls and border fortifications.
Is there something else we can see in them? Can we also say: Stop protecting us with what brings so much suffering and destruction, andonly provokes counter-violence.

Israeli parents who have lost a child in terrorist attacks by the Palestinian Hamas and Palestinian parents whose children were killed by Israeli soldiers are expressing their emotional wounds and grief together and have founded the Parents Circle. Their message: Stop the hate! It will not bring our children back to life. It is our collective responsibility to end this cycle of violence!

The scene of the child in the manger brings this voice to life. Look, here is a human being, a small child who is dependent on others. Protect this child, protect every person and especially those who are weakest and most vulnerable.
The vulnerability of God is the antithesis to military security systems and the global arms build-up, which devours huge sums of money every year and spirals ever higher with hatred, threats, attacks and revenge. “In Jesus Christ, God has disarmed,” says Protestant theologian Dorothee Sölle.

That is the great challenge that Jesus’ vulnerable life leaves us with: that we risk our own vulnerability. It stays with us – throughout our lives, despite all the security systems.

If we recognise each other in our vulnerability and our need for protection we grow into a responsibility that does not stop with ourselves. It also includes the need for protection of the other, the stranger. It is this responsibility that encourages us to dare to cooperate instead of seeking confrontation, to move towards each other instead of building walls.

I greet you in these dark times with the words of a chorale from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio:

Break forth, oh bright and rosy morn,
till earth with splendour, blazes.
Ye, shepherds consternation scorn,
and hear the angels’ praises.
This child that lies a helpless boy,
Shall yet become your endless joy,
shall frustrate Hell’s endeavour,
and reign in peace for ever.

On behalf of the Board

Antje Heider-Rottwilm

Protection and asylum for all from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine who refuse military service

Church and Peace is joining more than 30 organisations from Europe in calling for weeks of action to protect all those who refuse military service in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.The call for actions from December 4, 2023 to the International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2023 states:

War is a crime against humanity. We condemn Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine, which is contrary to international law and has already led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries and millions of refugees.

Many people from Russia and Belarus, but also from Ukraine, who are threatened with military service, try to evade it: They do not want to kill other people and they do not want to die in this war. Soldiers at the front want to lay down their weapons in the face of the horror. They all face repression and imprisonment, in Belarus even the death penalty. But: Conscientious objection is an internationally recognized human right!

• We demand from the governments of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine: Stop the persecution of conscientious objectors and deserters immediately!
• We demand from the EU: Open the borders! Give opponents of war the option to enter the European Union! Protect conscientious objectors and deserters from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine and give them asylum!

For this purpose, we encourage you to organize and join rallies and demonstrations in front of Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian embassies as well as EU representations, vigils in front of deserter monuments and other creative actions at different locations in the week before the “International Human Rights Day” – from December 4 to 10, 2023. In doing so, we emphasize: conscientious objection is a human right!

More info at Connection eV 

Initiated by:

Wethen, 20 October 2023

In the face of the shocking violence in Israel, in Gaza and also on the border with Lebanon, Church and Peace is calling for an immediate ceasefire and is thus joining the international call #CeasefireNow. The call is supported by numerous organisations worldwide, including many humanitarian aid organisations and initiatives for peace and human rights. Palestinian, Israeli, Muslim and Jewish voices are also among the signatories.

A broad coalition of civil organisations is calling for an immediate end to the violence and a ceasefire in Israel and the Gaza Strip. “The events of the last week have led us to the precipice of a humanitarian catastrophe and the world can no longer wait to act,” the appeal reads. The cycle of violence against innocent civilians must be stopped immediately. It also calls for life-saving aid to be delivered and civilian hostages to be released immediately.

Individuals can also sign the appeal on the platform Change.org

Here is the text of the call:

#CeasefireNow: Open Call for an Immediate Ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and Israel to Prevent a Humanitarian Catastrophe and Further Loss of Innocent Lives

We have witnessed unfathomable death and destruction in the Gaza Strip and Israel. Thousands of people have been killed, injured, displaced, and nearly two hundred remain held hostage, including children and elderly.

In Gaza, the UN has said that water, food, fuel, medical supplies, and even body bags, are running out due to the siege. The UN warned that people – particularly young children – will soon start dying of severe dehydration. Neighbourhoods have been destroyed and turned into complete rubble. Palestinians in search of safety have nowhere to go. Many of those who relocated from northern Gaza to the south after the relocation order by the Israeli army were reportedly bombed as they attempted to flee or once they arrived in southern Gaza.

The events of the last week have led us to the precipice of a humanitarian catastrophe and the world can no longer wait to act. It is our collective responsibility.

On Sunday, October 15th, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator to the Occupied Palestinian Territory appealed to all parties to the conflict, and to Member States with influence, to urgently agree to a humanitarian ceasefire.

Today, we put our voices together and call on all Heads of State, the UN Security Council, and actors on the ground, to prioritize the preservation of human life above all else. During this ceasefire, we call on all parties to unconditionally:

1. Facilitate the delivery of lifesaving assistance, including food, medical supplies, fuel, and the resumption of electricity and internet to Gaza, in addition to safe passage of humanitarian and medical staff

2. Free all civilian hostages, especially children and elderly

3. Allow humanitarian convoys to reach UN facilities, schools, hospitals, and health facilities in northern Gaza and commit to protecting them along with the civilians and staff inside them at all times

4. Rescind orders by the Government of Israel for civilians to depart northern Gaza

5. Allow patients in critical condition to be medically evacuated for urgent care

The UN Security Council, the UN Secretary General and all world leaders with influence must take immediate action to ensure a ceasefire comes into effect. It remains our only option to avert further loss of civilian life and humanitarian catastrophe. Anything less will forever be a stain on our collective conscience.

Civilians are not bargaining chips. Families need a chance to bury and mourn their dead. The cycle of violence against innocent civilians needs to stop.

20 October 2023

14 Peace Organisations and over 700 local church leaders sign open letter to Foreign Secretary urging ‘Dialogue and de-escalation’ in response to violence in Israel and Gaza

Church and Peace together with representatives of 14 organisations and over 700 church members and leaders sign an open letter to the Foreign Secretary about the escalating violence in Israel and Gaza. The letter, created by members of the Network of Christian Peace Organisations, calls on the Foreign Secretary to promote ‘de-escalation and dialogue’ in Palestine and Israel. It recognises the huge ongoing human suffering and urges lasting ‘non military’ solutions to peace in the region to be pursued.

The letter also recognised that the conflict has and will increase anti-semitic and Islamophobic acts in the UK and the signatories commit themselves to doing what they can to de-escalate the tensions.

The organisational signatures are from Pax Christi, the Methodist Peace Fellowship, the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Ekklesia, Quakers in Britain, Northern Friends Peace Board, Community of Christ, Sabeel-Kairos UK, Church and Peace, The Iona Community, Cymdeithas y Cymod and Christian CND, Tertiary Order of St Francis (Justice and Peace Committee).

Charlotte Marshall, Director of Sabeel-Kairos, who co-wrote the letter said: ‘The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is intensifying daily. Innocent men, women and children in both Palestine and Israel are paying the price of years of unresolved oppression and political indifference to the situation in Palestine. The UK government must act now to demand international law is upheld and civilians are protected. Beyond that, should it wish to remain a credible voice in the region, it must pursue justice and equality for all in the Holy Land, helping to lay the foundations for a true and lasting peace.’

John Cooper, from Fellowship of Reconciliation, who helped organise the letter said : “As more blood is spilled in the Middle East it’s important for us to act as people of hope. Our hope starts by recognising and lamenting the increased violence in this sacred region. It then moves to action, urging people in positions of political power to use their influence not simply to stop this new fighting but to lay foundations for lasting peace”.

The full letter with all signatories is available at: https://ncpo.org.uk/israel-gaza-october23 

Notes to Editors
The Network of Christian Peace Organisations (www.ncpo.org.uk) brings together a range of Christian organisations with an interest in peace.
This letter reflects conditions in the conflict at the moment it was written.
Many member organisations have links to organisations in the Middle East.

Wethen, 5 October 2023
Church and Peace Conference: Racism is growing in our European societies. Churches need to ask themselves how they have contributed to racism, discrimination, and slavery.

“Overcoming racism in the church” was the theme of this year’s Church and Peace conference in Baarlo, Netherlands. Geert van Dartel, President of the Dutch National Council of Churches explained in his welcoming address how the Dutch churches have embarked on a painful journey of reconciliation and reparation.
Hedwig Komproe, board member of SKIN (Together Church in the Netherlands) stressed that the current practice of racial discrimination can only be effectively addressed and opposed if the history of the churches’ involvement in slavery and colonial exploitation is first acknowledged and mourned. He said that it was therefore of great significance that the commemorative year marking the end of slavery in the Netherlands and the former colonial territories 150 years ago was launched on 1 July this year.

Nearly 100 people from 15 European and non-European countries came to the conference. People of colour, affected by racism, contributed their experiences and analyses as speakers during plenary sessions and in workshops.

“Being made in God’s image means that we have been created to be in relationship with others,” said Yawo Kakpo, a pastor and professor from Togo, “because at the end of the day, it’s all about enabling everyone to participate in social life and to access social, cultural, political, economic, and spiritual resources on an equal footing.”
But it is precisely this that creates fear among rich Christians in the Global North – fear of losing their own privileges. Theology and churches must therefore address this split between rich and poor by addressing their colonial heritage and making visible the persistence of colonialism today.

Adejare Oyewole from London, treasurer of the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME), pointed out that overcoming racism has been a central concern of the ecumenical movement since its beginnings. “The first Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Amsterdam in 1948 recognized that “prejudice based on race or colour” and “practices of discrimination and segregation” are “a denial of justice and human dignity”.
“It is in this context that CCME emerged as an anti-racism campaigning organisation of European churches, advocating for all persons made in God’s image to be treated with dignity respect and seen as neighbours rather than “the others”.
CCME’s work confronts us with the concrete experience of people from migrant churches. This includes the fact that discrimination is increasing to the same extent that hostility towards refugees is growing.
“The issue of racism is very broad in Europe,” Oyewole said, “going from the situation of Roma in Europe to the treatment of indigenous populations, right into the history of colonialism, and the intersection between racism, and discrimination of migrants.”

Oyewole warned, “The perception that mission can only be done by the powerful to the powerless, by the rich to the poor, or by the privileged to the marginalised contributes to the oppression and marginalisation of global majority people.” Instead, mission is about sharing resources, viewing each other as equal partners, and witnessing together. And migrants must be included in the leadership of mainline churches and ecumenical bodies.

Nicole Ashwood, programme executive for Just Communities of Women and Men of the WCC, and her colleague, Thandi Soko de Jong from the Netherlands, recalled: “Starting in 1969, the WCC through the Programme to Combat Racism, was actively engaged in and recognized for its influence in bearing spiritual and political pressure through its member churches and by the tireless work of individuals for the end of apartheid in South Africa…What this has meant is that people of all races, classes, and ethnicities have worked assiduously as advocates and activists, risking life and limb, but never their faith, to ensure that the visible unity of the WCC is manifested in the pluralistic representation of peoples created in the imago Dei.”

The two speakers referred to the 2004 Accra Confession, which states, “Therefore we reject any ideology or economic regime that puts profits before people, does not care for all creation and privatizes those gifts of God meant for all.”
With the relaunched 2023 programme “Overcoming Racism, Xenophobia and Related Discrimination” “we are nevertheless closer to transformation, even if the goal has not yet been achieved,” Ashwood said.

Transformation – that is the challenge we want to face as Church and Peace. We want to allow ourselves to feel the fear of being disturbed or irritated and nevertheless to be woken up whenever we are not aware of our racism or discriminatory behaviour.
People who have been subjected to discrimination spoke of the thousand small pinpricks of racism. “As individuals, we can and want to counter this with a thousand small steps of love”, said Yawo Kakpo in his sermon during the closing worship.

If we are to truly move forward, we must first step out of our comfort zone and face the questions that were put to us by Dr Masiiwa Ragies Gunda, WCC programme executive for Programmatic Responses on Overcoming Racism:
What do we fear about being equal to and with other people?
Is heaven so small that we fear space will run out before we have our own space?
Is the earth so poor that its resources are not enough for all of us?
Is the grace of God in such limited supply that we fear it will run out, if it has to be shared among all the children of God?
Why do we fear justice, equality, and fairness?

Download this press release as PDF.

“Every part of creation matters!”, the 2023 Assembly of the European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN) from 31 August – 3 September 2023 stressed at their meeting in Roskilde/ Denmark. The conference offered an opportunity for the discussion of key concerns of rapidly developing eco-theology, a space to assess developments related to key EU policy-shaping on the response to climate change, and outline a vision of a sustainable future in Europe.

In his input “Every part of Creation matters”, Church and Peace vice-chair Kees Nieuwerth highlighted that biodiversity faces a dire threat from human activities, risking species extinction at an alarming rate, linked to our unsustainable exploitation of nature. The European Green deal is a step forward towards a green economy, though it still does not question the growth paradigm, and insufficiently analyses its impact on the southern hemisphere.

Governments, despite commitments like the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal, often fall short in aligning policies with sustainability, particularly regarding agriculture and fossil fuel support. To address these crises, a transformative shift is advocated, challenging the growth paradigm, prioritising sufficiency, circularity, and solidarity, urging a lifestyle change akin to a spiritual conversion.

Kees Nieuwerth recommends to engage churches in a proactive role to address the climate and biodiversity crises from a spiritual and practical standpoint, promoting sustainable and responsible actions within their communities and beyond.

Read the full paper “Every Part of Creation Matters” presented to 2023 ECEN Assembly here.

Other speakers of the ECEN Assembly panel “Churches in Dialogue with Politics” (see bottom image, from left to right) were Fiona Paulus from the Ecumenical Youth Council of Europe, Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, programme director for Public Witness and Diakonia at the World Council of Churches, and Marianne Bigum, member of the Danish Parliament, vice-chair of the climate, energy and utility committee.

Find key documents of the assembly as well as a gallery on ECEN’s website: https://ecen.org/assemblies/ecen-assembly-2023-materials