Peace and Justice Committee of the Mennonite Fellowship of Montreal

Peace Signs, January 2010

January 19, 2009 Number 71

In this month's issue:

Road Construction

News and notes • Lisa Amstutz

Haiti's disaster: human or natural? • Susan Mark Landis

Otterville • Merrill R. Miller

Capitol Reflection

What we owe Haiti • Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach

WorldViews

Who's in charge? • Max Ediger

Shield of Faith

Don Cachaco's three-cornered prayer • Anton Flores

Peace Before The Sun Goes Down

Waiting with Haiti • Brother James Dowd

Arts Crossing

The battle for hearts and minds • Tim Huber

Praying for Peace

Prayers for Haiti

A prayer for reflective pause • Tim Huber

Reader Response

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November 17, 2009 Number 69

In this month's issue:
Inseparable beams of the cross • Susan Mark Landis
The parable of the Good Samaritan was in so many of my Sunday school quarterlies when I was a child that one would think I've scrutinized every possible lesson.
Otterville • Merrill R. Miller

A new Colombia policy - now is the time! • Theo Sitther
Colombia is home to one of the longest running internal armed conflicts.
Afghanistan needs sustainable peace, not more troops • Susan Mark Landis
As Mennonite Christians who are called to go into the world to spread the good news of the gospel to all people, we proclaim that sending additional troops to Afghanistan is good news to no one.

Fifty ways to fade your footprint • Anton Flores
Set to the tune of Paul Simon's "Fifty Ways to Leave your Lover," this is a collaborative songwriting project by Dorie Callies, Kathy Etchison and Anton Flores.
Think about these things • Tom Beutel
Despite his own personal hardships and problems in the church at Philippi, Paul wraps up his letter to the Philippians by exhorting them to focus on that which is true, honorable, just, pleasing, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise.
Prayer for a caring spirit
A prayer written by Mike Mast, retired pastor from Dalton, Ohio.

Who we are
This prayer was written by by Malinda Berry, Instructor of Theological Studies & M.A. Program Director at Bethany Theological Seminary, Richmond, IN.
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Peace Signs, October 2009

October 20, 2009 Number 68

In this month's issue:
Bleeding Heart flowers

Bleeding hearts can't change the world • Susan Mark Landis
No question, I'm a bleeding heart. I feel hugely guilty about how good and easy my life is on a global scale. When I become aware of how rotten life is for someone else, I quickly give up something so they have enough and so I don't feel guilty.
Otterville • Merrill R. Miller
Not far enough • Tammy Alexander
The healing story in Matthew describes a woman who had suffered from hemorrhages for twelve years. Aside from her physical suffering, the woman was also likely a pariah in society, an outcast, unable to marry or have a family or be a part of community life.

A persistent faith • Max Erdiger
Mrs. Hai Khanjanta is a grandmother with a message for us. She does not share her message through words, but rather through her example.
"Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry?" • Brother James Dowd
Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are well into the season of autumn, and along with the beautiful leaves and the crisp weather comes the harvest... All of us have much to be grateful for, not the least of which is the fact that we rarely, if ever, have to worry about having enough food on our tables.
Review of 'A Persistent Voice: Marian Franz and Conscientious Objection to Military Taxation' • Muriel T. Stackley
Review of 'Pray the Devil Back to Hell'

Public footpaths and dog-friendly pubs • Tom Beutel
My wife and I recently returned from a long-anticipated trip to England... As a sabbath from our busy lives it could not have been better. As a chance to see a different, beautiful, and historic land and meet some of its people, it surpassed our expectations.
Prayer based on the hymn
This month's prayer was written by Hilary Scarsella, AMBS student and member of the Iraq Christian Peacemaker Team.
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Peace Signs, September 2009

September 15, 2009 Number 67

In this month's issue:

Thriving takes time • Susan Mark Landis
A friend in his mid-20's made time to help us in the garden last week...
Otterville • Merrill R. Miller
Action alert: ACT for access • Susan Mark Landis
We provide suggestions for prayer, reflection and action on health care.
Action alert: Afghanistan
Congress, the Obama Administration and the military are considering significantly increasing U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan. But we believe that troops do not bring security or peace.
Act for Peace in Uganda • Mary Stata
For the past two decades the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group has threatened communities in northern Uganda and across central Africa by brutally targeting civilians and abducting thousands of children. Even though the LRA is small in numbers (less than 1.500 members), their ruthless attacks have wreaked havoc on the region and caused massive internal displacement of civilians.
When victims become healers • Max Ediger
For those of us living half-a-world away it may be easy to pick up a good book or turn on a television show and pretend that the war in Viet Nam never happened, but for the people of Viet Nam, the reminders of those tragic years of unnecessary violence are always in front of them, not just in their memories but in the lives of the many people suffering the effects of unexploded ordnance and herbicide poisons.

The International Day of Peace • Brother James Dowd
Since the early 1980's, the United Nations has proclaimed September 21st as the International Day of Peace, and throughout the world various vigils, commemorations, rallies, festivals and other ways to mark the day have been held on or about that date. And so, once again, we find ourselves preparing for another Day of Peace with hope and expectation. Or do we?
Trusting God • Tom Beutel
Within the context of shalom--peace which permeates all of life and which is centered in well-being and right relationships--it is common to focus on nonviolence. There seem to be two somewhat mutually exclusive strains within this focus on nonviolence: nonresistance and nonviolent resistance.
Prayer based on the hymn
This month's prayer was written by Joel Beachy.

Labels: Peace Signs