A Just Peace Church
“We now need to put as much effort into defining a just peace as we have done in the past in defining a just war.”
— Dr. Robert V. Moss
The New Ark United Church of Christ as a Just Peace Church
The New Ark United Church of Christ is committed to reaching out beyond ourselves. We want our facility to serve our community as well as to be a house of worship, study, and fellowship for our congregation.
As a Just Peace church, we strive to do justice and to seek peace in word and deed. Over the years, this commitment to service has found expression in support of food banks, housing programs, hunger walks, a single parent program, Christmas baskets, a soup kitchen, work parties, and involvement in anti-racism efforts.
Resolution to Renew Our Commitment to Nonviolence as a Just Peace Church
Summary
While violence in our society has been an ongoing issue, recent events that strike at the heart of our safety and security have raised violence in our society to front and center. For followers of a nonviolent Jesus Christ, it is time to re-energize and recommit to being a Just Peace Church.
Background
“And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying ‘Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace!” (Luke 19:41, 42).
“Peace” was declared a priority of the United Church of Christ in 1981, and in 1985 the General Synod called on all settings of the UCC to become Just Peace Churches.
Just Peace was defined as the interrelation of friendship, justice, and common security from violence. In 1995, the Resolution on “Violence in our Society and the World” was adopted by the General Synod. Our violent society and violent world need to hear the voice of the peacemaker. As followers of Christ, it is imperative that we—as individuals, congregations, associations, conferences, and the denomination—take action to alleviate violence.
Text of resolution
Whereas, thousands of people are killed yearly in acts of interpersonal violence, even though many acts of violent death among women, children, and elderly are reported as accidents or from other natural causes;
Whereas, 4,828 young people aged 10-24 were victims of homicide in 2010, and 707,000 were treated in emergency rooms for physical assaults in 2011;
Whereas, in surveys from around the world, 10-69 percent of women report being physically assaulted by an intimate male partner at some time in their lives;
Whereas, there are approximately 207,754 sexual assaults in the US every year, and 44 percent of those are on youth under age 18;
Whereas, 5,961,568 cases of elder abuse were recorded in 2010;
Whereas, in some countries, up to one-third of girls face forced sexual initiation and thousands are forced into prostitution or violence in such settings as schools, workplaces, or health care institutions;
Whereas, among those aged 15-44, self-inflicted injuries are the fourth leading cause of death and the sixth leading cause of ill-health and disability;
Whereas, more than half of the deaths due to warring conflicts are civilians;
Whereas, warring conflicts cause destruction of infrastructure and disrupt vital services such as medical aid and food distribution and displace people from their homes;
Whereas, the World Health Organization recognizes violence as a public health issue;
Data gathered from:
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention
• Global Campaign for Violence Prevention for the World Health Organization
• Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network
• National Center on Elder Abuse, Bureau of Justice Statistics
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the United Church of Christ reassert its Just Peace stance, and both publicly and actively oppose violence that is physical, sexual, psychological, and/or due to neglect, and recommit to its Just Peace priorities.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the denomination, conferences, associations, and local churches
- Revisit and reaffirm commitment to being a Just Peace church
- Use educational materials with congregations on issues related to violence, covering topics from personal conflict resolution to world sex slavery
- Offer parenting support to those raising children
- Encourage life skills training for high risk children and adolescents
- Focus worship experiences on the hope that followers of Christ have to change the world in nonviolent ways
- Collaborate with other faith communities and secular agencies working to alleviate violence
- Study government policies (local, state, and national), supporting those that empower the poor
- Advocate for strengthened data collection and research on violence
- Lobby for additional mental health services
- Support expanded gun regulation
- Take public stands against violence
