Rainbow Peace & Justice

What's Wrong with Cute?

2008-10-09T09:34:00.001-06:00

What's wrong with Cute is the same thing that is wrong with Profane.

I totally agree with Diane Stafford ("Let's not wink at careless gesture," Oct. 9). In watching the vice-presidential debate, I really didn't think much about Palin's wink and folksy manner of speech since I was favoring Biden, anyway, but Stafford was very thorough in pointing out the down-side of such behavior and speech patterns.

I like to think that I can look past the superficial aspects of one's appearance or speech or behavior and focus on the content of their character and ideas, but subconsciously I know that surface matters, that speech matters, that behavior matters. My gray ponytail and white Amish beard and frequent attendance at anti-war protests over the past 47 years may reinforce some people's stereotype of hippies and dismiss me. But at least I try to use thoughtful and serious language to express myself, to bathe regularly, and to dress appropriately for the occasion.

When the protestors at Kent State University in May, 1970, were vilified as sub-human and deserved to be shot by the Ohio National Guard, I was shocked. I laid the blame on the narrow-mindedness of the pro-war "adult" generation. But now that I am 65, I know that the grooming habits and drug use and profanity and "free love" of some of the protestors gave excuses to those who despised dissent anyway.

As we voters evaluate the candidates for President and Vice President, let us try to focus on the issues and the leadership strengths and weaknesses of the candidates, but may the candidates present themselves respectful of our natural tendency to see only the surface and show us the true depth of themselves.

Phil Rhoads

6600 Marty St., Overland Park, KS 66202

Home: 913-722-3938 • Mobile: 913-397-9660 • Fax: 913-273-0717

Fair Trade Printing in K.C. since 1953

www.rhoadsprinting.com

Building a Culture of Peace

2008-09-12T11:11:00.004-06:00

UNITAR Hiroshima Roundtable
Steven Lloyd Leeper
Chairperson, Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation
Hiroshima, 30 August 2007
(English Summary)

"Building a Culture of Peace: the Short-term Priorities"

I have seen and helped to create cultures of peace in families and in companies. For ten years I thought I was becoming a family therapist, then in 1981 I suddenly switched to management consulting. In both occupations, I was working with the same question. How do human beings resolve conflict?

Despite my interest in conflict resolution, I was never interested in large group conflicts. For me, conflict resolution was a personal matter, something that happens within, between or among individuals. I still had that attitude when I first came to Hiroshima in 1984. I had little interest in politics and less in world peace. I was somewhat interested in environmental issues and joined the local chapter of Friends of the Earth, but my work was helping Japanese and Americans learn to work together.

Now, after 23 years in Hiroshima, I am completely involved in politics, with little time for personal peace. However, my earlier experience with conflict resolution does inform my understanding of peace and peace culture. Thanks to families and companies, I know what peace and the resolution of conflict look like.

Since becoming chairman of the Peace Culture Foundation, one of the most common questions I receive is, what is peace? Another common question is, what is peace culture? So before going further, let’s deal with these.

To me, peace is the state of everyone being happy. I often use the analogy of physical health. When all of the cells in our bodies are receiving adequate nutrition and are performing their proper functions, and when we have no significant damage or pain anywhere, we refer to that state as “healthy.” In my philosophy, peace is social health, and any effort to move a group or a society or the world in that direction is a manifestation of peace culture.

Today, about 50% of the world’s population is trying to live on less than two dollars a day. About 24,000 people starve to death every day. Tens of thousands more die of easily curable or preventable diseases. This is not health, and it is not peace.

The question is, why do people starve to death? Why do so many suffer so terribly? Is it a lack of money? Is it a lack of food? Human beings produce twice as much food as we need for everyone to eat well. The US is spending more every year in Iraq than it would cost to provide health care to the whole world. We have plenty of food. We have plenty of money. What we lack is concern or caring or love.

I was amazed to discover that during the Vietnam War the US spent approximately 40,000 dollars per Vietnamese citizen. At that time, 10,000 dollars would have been a fortune to most Vietnamese. If the US had given each Vietnamese 10,000 dollars, they all would have become our friends. Thus, we could have won the love of the Vietnamese for a quarter of what it cost to fight them. But we prefer to fight. This is because we live in a war culture. We have inherited territoriality and empire building from our animal ancestors. We understand and love competition. We find cooperation extremely frustrating and difficult. Many of us, especially economists, actually worship competition. They believe that free competition and a free market will magically solve all our problems.

After the bombing of Hiroshima, Ichiro Moritaki, a Hiroshima University philosophy professor, spent five months recovering in a hospital, where he thought deeply about the meaning of the atomic bomb. He achieved a radical insight. At the deepest level, the meaning of this new weapon is that human beings can no longer resolve their disputes through all-out contests of destructive power. That is, nuclear weapons make war obsolete. Moritaki was among the first to tell us that to survive, human beings will have to graduate from the civilization of power to a civilization of love. These days, we use the terms culture of war and culture of peace, but this is what we mean.

Moritaki derived peace culture from the atomic bomb. Now, however, we are being driven to graduate from the war culture by two main problems. One is nuclear weapons. The other is the environment. These problems cannot be solved by competition. If the human family does not rise rather quickly to far higher levels of cooperation than we have yet achieved, our competition will plunge us to levels of violence and misery we have not experienced since WWII.

Competition itself is becoming a serious problem. Because of competition we are already working too hard and young students are committing suicide, but I don’t have time to go into this issue in depth. I will focus only on the most obvious problem - oil. Just when supplies of oil and other resources are declining or soon will decline, India, China and other countries are demanding ever-larger shares. From what I have heard, the United States, with 4% of the world’s population, still uses about 25% of the world’s oil and emits over 30% of all CO2. This situation is obviously not sustainable, but how is it going to change? Is the US going to voluntarily reduce its share of oil? Is the international community going to take control of oil away from the US? We are standing at a momentous crossroads. Are we going to solve our social, environmental and economic problems through competition or cooperation? Some believe that if we choose competition, the strong will survive and the weak will die, and that is perfectly natural. I believe that if we choose competition, we will all suffer terribly and graduation to a peace culture will be greatly delayed or impossible. We might not be able to recover at all. Thus, one of the short-term priorities facing those of us who would like to live in a
peaceful world is the urgent question of how we are going to share or divide up our resources.

However, even if we decide right now that we want to solve our problems through cooperation and the peaceful resolution of conflict, I suspect that graduating from today’s war culture to a true peace culture will take at least the rest of this century. Unfortunately, most human beings, especially our current leaders, still do not understand the fundamentals of peace. It will take time to conquer our selfish and violent tendencies. Still, I like to believe that we are evolving in that direction and, if we can just avoid using nuclear weapons, I believe we can make it.

This brings me to our most serious short-term priority. Just yesterday, I received an article by email saying that US Vice President Cheney has already decided to bomb Iran, maybe next month. In July 2006, Seymour Hersh, writing in the New Yorker, described plans being developed by the civilian leadership, Cheney’s people, to use nuclear weapons in Iran. In April 2006, Doug Bruder of the Department of Defense said, “There are some very hard targets out there that right now it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to defeat with current conventional weapons. Therefore there are some that would probably require nuclear weapons.” Thus, we know that some powerful people in the US government want to use nuclear weapons in Iran. According to Seymour Hersh, these people are being stopped by General Pace and other high-ranking officers at the Pentagon. However, we also know that the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima despite the opposition of US military leadership.

Many people, especially the Iranians I have met, say that even the Bush administration is not stupid enough to attack Iran, and certainly not with nuclear weapons. Such an attack would cause chaos. However, I am afraid they forget that the men guiding the US right now all represent the war industry. They profit from chaos. Dick Cheney was CEO of Halliburton. Halliburton is a company that needs enemies and war. These people are not afraid of war. They are afraid of peace.

In November 2008, the people now in power will lose that power. I am just guessing, of course, but I suspect that their top priority is to create a situation that will continue to generate profits even while the Democrats are in power. By attacking Iran, they can guarantee another terrorist attack in the US like September 11. Such an attack is just what they need to make sure that the world does not move toward peace while they are out of power. I suspect that within the next five years, the international community will decide whether to eliminate nuclear weapons, or allow them to spread and be used. At the moment, we are allowing them to spread. If we stay on the course we are on today, we are heading toward military and environmental catastrophe.

One of the most serious political problems for peace is the fact that most peace people do not like to fight. We try to keep tensions low and avoid serious confrontations. We like to keep the peace. Today, however, though this may sound like a contradiction in terms, we need peace people to stand up and fight hard for peace. Of course, we do not use violence, but must use every non-violent technique available. Only a spectacular tidal wave of public demand for peace and specifically for the elimination of nuclear weapons can save us from disaster. I hope you will all help to create that tidal wave and force our leaders to give us what we truly want — a sustainable, peaceful, nuclear-weapon-free world.

In the next three years, Mayors for Peace will be working with NGOs around the world on a new global campaign, but right now the best way you can help is to contribute to the PR campaign associated with the 101 A-bomb exhibitions that we will hold in the US between now and the end of 2008. I have distributed a flyer about this project, so please take a look and think about how you can help. Thank you.

— Steven Lloyd Leeper

Hiroshima Delegation visits Kansas City

2008-09-01T07:53:00.005-06:00

Henry Stoever, long-time Kansas City peace activist, lawyer, member of the Catholic Worker Movement, has arranged for a visit of four representatives from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to Kansas City. Let us join them on September 5, 7 PM at the Community of Christ Temple for a Reception and Panel Discussion.

See Henry's comments below this poster:

HIROSHIMA-NAGASAKI POSTER EXHIBITION: WHY?

I was moved and touched when I went through the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. To see depicted a historical event of horrific proportions -- a landmark for "man's inhumanity to man" made me re-affirm the call, "Never Again."

The purpose of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Poster Exhibition is to remember what occurred August 6-9, 1945, and to evoke the call, "Never Again." The posters show these two Japanese cities as they were before the atomic bombings, the immense devastation after the atomic bombings, the long-term aftereffects, how the bombs worked, and how the rebuilt cities appear today.

For me, the exhibition is a journey of moral and spiritual dimensions. May we reject now and in the future the ways of inhumanity and see that we are all of one human family. The only way for us to survive is to see that our destinies are interlinked and to abolish such weapons.

Retired U.S. Navy Vice-Admiral Jack Shanahan has stated that today's nuclear weapons are 15 times more powerful than each of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and that a mere 5 nuclear bombs would devastate Russia. The USA and Russia each have approx. 10,000 nuclear weapons today. The 1963 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty called for a build-down of nuclear weapons so that said weapons would be eliminated. We have far to go. This Hiroshima-Nagasaki Poster Exhibition is a reminder of our duties to fulfill that Treaty.

Henry M. Stoever

Contact: Henry Stoever with PeaceWorks KC, (913) 375-0045 or henrystoever@sbcglobal.net

See http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/776224.html

Carpools: call Phil Rhoads, 913-722-3938.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Community+of+Christ+World+Headquarters+and+Temple,+201+So.+River+Blvd.+(River+%26+Walnut,+just+west+of+the+downtown),+Independence,+MO+64050&ie=UTF8&ll=39.108418,-94.423628&spn=0.034433,0.066605&t=h&z=14&layer=c&cbll=39.09023,-94.42735&panoid=4gvq48bUFYonWvhntWn1WQ&cbp=1,221.1268600361566,,0,5

Top Ten Reasons Why Mennonites Should be Interested in Community Gardening

2008-06-29T20:00:00.005-06:00

10. Food grows in a community garden and we are called to feed the hungry.
9. Flowers grow in a community garden and flowers feed the soul.
8. A community garden is a peaceful place and we are called to be a people of peace.
7. Mennonites would do well to spend more time on their knees.
6. Mennonites are called to evangelize and the shortest path to the soul is through the soil.
5. Jesus used to hang out in a garden. Maybe they'll meet him there.
4. Everyone who wants a Mennonite quilt already has one.
3. MCC really stnands for More Carrots and Cabbage.
2. The first Menno Simons sighting of the new millennium occurred in a community garden in Goshen, Indiana.
1. IT ALL STARTED IN A GARDEN.

(written by Ted Zerger, Salina, KS)

Christian Pledge of Allegiance

2008-06-29T10:00:00.004-06:00

I pledge allegiance to Jesus Christ,
And to God’s kingdom for which he died—
One Spirit-led people
the world over, indivisible,
With love and justice
for all.

(written by J. Nelson Kraybill)

(Click Title above for link to source article in The Mennonite, August 3, 2004)

Rainbow Peace & Justice Notes for 2007

2007-12-31T08:15:00.000-06:00

January

Haiti ~ Whole Committee
Publicized & Organized two speaking events for Matt Kaiser, a MVSer who presented information on the socioeconomics, politics, and history of Haiti and and told about how his organization, the Lambi Fund of Haiti, is working to create democracy and sustainable development in the country. (Matt is now a student at KU Med and regular attendee at Rainbow).
~ ~ ~
Web Page ~ Several members
Developed a “Peace and Justice” link on the RMC website and an online blog for communicating about events and issues — http://rainbowpeacejustice.blogspot.com/
~ ~ ~
Israel / Palestine ~ Several members
Publicized and attended: Combatants for Peace tour, which is coming to Kansas City in late January. Combatants for Peace consists of former Israeli and Palestinian soldiers and militants who once fought each other, but now are fighting for peace. Sounds very interesting. Iťs happening on Jan. 30, 7:00 p.m., at the Jewish Comm. Center.
~ ~ ~

February

Coalition building ~ Regina Troyer
Publicized the KC Olive Branch online newsletter — www.kcolivebranch.org
~ ~ ~
Iraq War ~ Several members
Promoted the “Policies of Hope” postcard campaign, organized locally by the American Friends Service Cmte. — providing this opportunity to the congregation, to write brief messages on the cards to then be delivered to area elected officials. The best time to have RMC folks participate is after worship on Sunday mornings. There could be a table set up in the fellowship hall, where people could write their messages on the postcards. There could also be announcements in the midweek notables, newsnotes, during the worship service, etc. If we are to get this done quickly, we need volunteers to sit at the table in the fellowship hall during the next several Sundays. We probably need at least 2 volunteers per Sunday. Any takers? I propose that we use the next three Sundays (Feb. 11, 18, & 25) — RMC folks wrote 88 postcards to local elected officials. I will deliver the cards to the AFSC office, and the cards will then be taken to the offices of each elected official.
~ ~ ~

March

Iraq War ~ Chris Alliman ~ $100.00
Coordinated with Small Groups to collect Relief Kits for MCC and sent donation to MCC
~ ~ ~
Global Warming ~ Regina Troyer
Promoted signing petition sponsored by Al Gore
~ ~ ~
New Sanctuary Movement ~ Phil Rhoads & Muriel Stackley
Attended dinner with Rev. John Fife (from the original Sanctuary Movement in the 1980’s) at Grandview Park Presbyterian Church in KCK
~ ~ ~
Environment ~ Chris & Elizabeth Alliman
Promoted and attended event for “Community Supported Agriculture” sponsored by KC Food Circle.
~ ~ ~
Environment ~ Chris Alliman
Promoted and attended training event for “Rain Barrels” sponsored by Bridging the Gap
~ ~ ~
Iraq War ~ Phil Rhoads
Attended Christian Peace Witness for Iraq in Washington, DC — received $100 for the three Mennonites from Western District Conference for travelling expenses
~ ~ ~
Iraq War ~ Several members ~ $50.00
Endorsed event and attended Vigil for 4th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, and to call for an end to the war — starting at Penn Valley Community College at 1:00 p.m. and ending up at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Mo. around 5:30 p.m. The goal is to ensure that there will not be a 5th anniversary of the war next year.
~ ~ ~
Immigration Reform ~ Several members
Participated in two local immigranťs rights groups, calling for a just and humane response to the broken immigration system. The groups are: People of Faith for Hospitality and Justice and the New Sanctuary Movement.
~ ~ ~
Homosexuality ~ Phil Rhoads
Posted on Blog: “Urban Kansas Mennonites and Homosexuality, 1968-1999” — Robert Michael Weaver’s senior seminar paper for Bethel College
~ ~ ~

April

Global Warming ~ Phil Rhoads
Attended Step It Up KC at Community Christian Church, sponsored by Sierra Club and True Blue Women — http://april.stepitup2007.org/
~ ~ ~
Immigration Reform ~ Joel Goering
Signed on to letter that El Centro is sending to elected officials calling for comprehensive immigration reform that: emphasizes family reunification, humane treatment, an earned path to citizenship, and workers’ rights. El Centro wants local faith groups to sign on to the letter.
~ ~ ~
Peace & Justice ~ Joel Goering ~ $100.00
Sent donation to Peace and Justice Support Network of Mennonite Church USA — Muriel brought up the fact that since RMC is not contributing to Mennonite Mission Network this year (due to Freedom School and other budgetary demands), it is important for us to show at least some commitment to the efforts of the wider church by supporting the PJSN
~ ~ ~
Iraq War ~ Phil Rhoads
Participated by being in the KS delegation delivering “Too Many Have Died” postcards to our (2) Senators’ offices and (1) Congressperso’s office in Overland Park.
~ ~ ~
Bolivia and MCC ~ Several members
Hosted potluck after Sunday School for Carmen Shelly’s brother, Mark Epp, and wife Cathy Wismer and children Hannah & Carlin.
~ ~ ~

May

Immigration Reform ~ Joel Goering
Promoted Justice for Children of Immigrant Parents — march/rally for immigrants’ rights, to be held (May 1) at Washington Square Park (in front of Crown Center).
~ ~ ~
Department of Peace and Nonviolence ~ Phil Rhoads
Discussion in Sunday School reminded me about the proposed Department of Peace which I heard about almost three months ago. I have now posted it on our blog and hope you will join me in lobbying Dennis Moore (or your congress person) to become a co-sponsor. It currently has 64 co-sponsors.
~ ~ ~
Nonviolent Intervention ~ Phil Rhoads
In memory of the shootings in April at Virginia Tech fresh in your minds. But the shootings last October of the Amish school girls in Pennsylvania may be starting to fade. And the memory of the fourth hijacked airplane on September 11, 2001, which crashed in Pennsylvania, may no longer be haunting you.
I bring these examples up because I have been contemplating a project for some members from our church, that would be a response to these tragedies. I especially am interested in the opinions of current or past members of East Hill Singers, who have had contact with inmates in prison.
It is hard for me to describe this project precisely, because I can’t figure out what is practical and what is fantasy. Thaťs why I need your opinions and conversations.
As succinctly as I can explain it, I envision something like a “volunteer fire department” except not to put out fires, but to reduce violence. The main goal would be to save lives, including the person holding the gun, if possible. (The recent police shooting at Ward Parkway Shopping Center to stop the man who had already killed and wounded several people and was threatening to shoot more would be to me a failure of nonviolent tactics.)
Now that our church is hosting a Freedom School, we are more vulnerable to a Virginia Tech-type shooting spree. Recent gang activity at Whitmore Playground reminds us that our church is not in a violence-free “green zone.”
We have the local police, of course, as do the Presbyterians, and the Catholics and all the other people in our community, but shouldn’t we as Mennonites have our own ways to address violence whenever possible?
We were all impressed with the response of forgiveness by the Amish in Pennsylvania, but where were the Amish men when their school was entered by the gunman? Did they have a plan but just were not able to implement it in time? Did they choose not to have a plan on purpose and just trust in God to protect them? Or did they just trust in the police like everyone else?
To me, first we need to answer the question, should we develop a “volunteer nonviolence team” that we would call first, whenever possible, instead of the local police?
And second, could we do it?
~ ~ ~
Nuclear Weapons ~ Phil Rhoads & John Mueller
Made public comment on the proposed $150 billion nuclear weapons Complex 2030 and replace the old Kansas City Plant with a new half-billion dollar facility.
~ ~ ~

June

Iraq Vets Against the War ~ Several members
Provided tents and food for Adam Kokesh and fellow vets against the war
~ ~ ~
Immigration Reform ~ Phil Rhoads & Muriel Stackley
Attended NSM training from 10 am to 1 pm here at Grandview Park Presbyterian Church — opportuity to meet with and be trained by people who are involved in the movement at the national level.
~ ~ ~
Environment ~ Chris Alliman
Started Cell Phone Recycling program at church
~ ~ ~

July

Hotdogs in the Park ~ Several members
Hosted & prepared food for community
~ ~ ~

August

Immigration Reform ~ Several members
Attended event by NSM-KC at Argentine Presbyterian Church! There were many Catholics, and Presbyterians, along with a few Methodists, Disciples and Mennonites (4) in attendance.
~ ~ ~

September

Iraq War ~ Phil Rhoads
Hand out Peace Buttons to our kids during the Children’s Story on Sep. 30. The kids could then hand them out to the congregation. Ordered 200 buttons ($50 + $14 shipping, which makes them 32¢ each). Attached is a picture of the button. Each button is 1” diameter and can easily be worn as a lapel pin. Wording on the button is: “Pray and Act for Peace in Iraq (CHRISTIANPEACEWITNESS.ORG)” and the graphic is a hand holding a candle.
~ ~ ~
Iraq War ~ Several members
Promoted and attended “The Consequences of War” — Kathy Kelly — St. Francis Xavier Church, KCMO
~ ~ ~
International Peace Day ~ Several members
Participated in the International Day of Prayer for Peace at First Central Church of the Brethren
~ ~ ~
Immigration Reform ~ Several members
Participated in the dedication rally for the “Love the Immigrant as yourself” at Truman Rd. & the Paseo
~ ~ ~
Worship ~ Several members
Led worship on September 30, “Peace & Justice Sunday.”
~ ~ ~
MCC High School Essay Contest ~ Phil Rhoads
Promoted participation
~ ~ ~

October

Burma ~ Bob Carlson & Regina Troyer
Bob Carlson found this timely blog from Gene Stoltzfus, about the current situation in Burma: http://gstoltzfus.blogspot.com/2007/09/burma-on-march.html>
Also, Regina found this on-line petition for Burma:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/tf.php?cl_tf_sign=1
~ ~ ~
Human Rights/Labor Rights ~ Regina Troyer
Wrote “On Fire” blog
~ ~ ~
Hope Flowers School ~ Several members
Attended fundraising dinner on Oct. 13 by Citizens for Justice in the Middle East; this is a Palestinian elementary school near Bethlehem that teaches peace, co-existence, and democracy.
~ ~ ~
Religion & Politics ~ Phil Rhoads
Participated in Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series Conference — “Politics pits people against each other-even Christians against Christians. Should Christians be involved in politics? Would Jesus belong to a political party? Can we talk with each another (and listen!) when we disagree? Hesston College is hosting the conference, “Christian Ministry in a Red and Blue World.” October 19-21. Greg Boyd (well known speaker and author of the New York Times Best seller The Myth of a Christian Nation), John D. Roth (Goshen College professor and popular speaker) and a host of workshop presenters will lead conversations.
~ ~ ~

November

Calendars ~ Phil Rhoads & Muriel Stackley
HOT OFF THE PRESS (from Phil Rhoads’s print shop, that is): Offical Rainbow Mennonite Calendrs for 2008. Pick up yours today — downstaris in the Fellowship Hall. Suggested donation $20 each — leave cash or checks (to “Rainbow-calendars”) in basket on table with calendars. This year all proceeds will be divided equally between the Rainbow Peace & Justice Committee and the new Parking Lot Fund. A special option this year: for additional donation of $10, Muriel T. Stackley will add hand-drawn, full-color fraktur (Pennsylvania Ductch decorative art) to your calendar top. (Special instructions for Fraktur by Muriel: put your name on the back of your calendar top and place in special box marked “For Fraktur by Muriel” — your finished calendars will be returned to church in the next week or two. Note — this offer is restricted to the first 50 people who sign up, or until Muriel gets tired, whichever comes first!)
~ ~ ~
Homelessness and Poverty ~ Chris Alliman & Regina Troyer
Promoted and sold Christmas cards for a good cause - from a women’s workshop in Denver called the Gathering Place. TheGathering Place serves women and children living in homelessness and poverty. The Card Project, as this specific workshop is called, is an on-site therapeutic studio environment in which women create hand-made greeting cards. Cards cost $2 each.
~ ~ ~
Alternative Christmas gifts ~ Several members
Created and distributed a list of environmentally-friendly and socially-conscious Christmas gift ideas to RMC members.
~ ~ ~

December

Advent ~ Phil Rhoads
Peace Lamp from MCC to focus attention on “No War on Iran”
~ ~ ~
MCC High School Essay Contest ~ Phil Rhoads
Wrote essay about Immigration Reform and the Frances Semler controversy with Mayor Mark Funkhouser.
~ ~ ~
Iraq ~ War Phil Rhoads
Participated in conference call for Christian Peace Witness for Iraq promoting March 7 event in DC for the 5th anniversary of the war
~ ~ ~
Iran ~ Several members
Collected petition signatures advocating for peaceful, non-military solutions to the growing U.S.-Iran conflict.
~ ~ ~
Iran ~ Phil Rhoads, Muriel Stackley & Joel
Delivered petitions at the local offices of (4) U.S. Senators and (3) Representatives from Kansas and Missouri.
~ ~ ~

Delivering the Iran Petitions

2007-12-22T08:50:00.001-06:00

On December 19, 2007, we delivered the Iran petitions to the SEVEN local offices of our elected federal officials: 2 US Senators each for Missouri and Kansas, 2 US Representatives for Missouri, and 1 US Representative for Kansas. Our Peace Lamp traveled with us to each of these offices, and helped us feel connected to the two delegations to Iraq (May, 2002) and Iran (February, 2007) when the original Peace Lamps were presented there.

See more photos at: Peace Lamp photos with Petitions

Here is the wording of the Petitions:

Petition for Peace between the United States and Iran

Dear Representative Moore,

We want you to know that our congregation, Rainbow Mennonite Church, 1444 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66103, is praying for peaceful relations between the United States and Iran. We urge you to support a path of diplomacy between our countries with no preconditions. The only way that differences between our two nations can be truly resolved is through negotiation. Military strikes bring only anger, fear and retaliation, never reconciliation or understanding. We respectfully ask that you do all you can to ensure conflicts between our countries are resolved peacefully, without using any type of military action.

Sincerely,

(Our names and addresses were listed here.)

We had "polite" receptions at each local office, and "warm" receptions at two of them. It was a very empowering experience for Muriel Stackley, Joel Goering and me. I hope that all who took the time to sign the petitions feel appreciated and inspired to keep up the good work.

I am forwarding a report of our congregation's involvement in this peace effort to our Peace Advocate, Susan Mark Landis. You may email her at: susanml@mennoniteusa.org. Please leave comments below.

Litany for the First Sunday of Advent, 2007

2007-11-30T15:13:00.001-06:00

Our Elected Government Officials

2007-11-28T15:31:00.000-06:00

President:

Bush The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500, Phone Numbers: Comments: 202-456-1111, Switchboard: 202-456-1414, FAX: 202-456-2461, Email: comments@whitehouse.gov

Senators:

KS: Brownback 11111 West 95th, Suite 245, Overland Park, KS 66214, Voice: 913-492-6378, FAX: 913-492-7253
Roberts 11900 College Boulevard, Suite 203, Overland Park, KS 66210, Voice: 913-451-9343, FAX: 913-451-9446

MO: Bond 911 Main Street, Suite 2224, Kansas City, MO 64105, Voice: 816-471-7141
McCaskill 400 East 9th Street, Suite 40 Plaza Level, Kansas City, MO 64106, Voice: 816-421-1639, Fax 816-421-2562

Representatives:

KS: Moore 8417 Santa Fe Drive, Suite 101, Overland Park, KS 66212, Voice: 913-383-2013, FAX: 913-383-2088
and 500 State Avenue, Suite 176, Kansas City, KS 66101, Voice: 913-621-0832, FAX: 913-621-1533

MO: Cleaver 101 W. 31st Street, Kansas City, MO 64108, Voice: 816-842-4545, FAX: 816-471-5215
Graves 113 Blue Jay Drive, Suite 100, Liberty, MO 64068, Voice: 816-792-3976, FAX: 816-792-0694

Interview with John Perkins

2007-10-07T20:38:00.000-06:00

Here is an interview with John Perkins that sort of summarizes what he is about, if anyone is interested.
www.zentertainment.org/podcasts/zentertainment19.mp3

On fire

2007-10-07T18:43:00.000-06:00

The biggest challenge for me lately is what to do about this…this injustice I am reading about in John Perkins’s book!! (The Secret History of the American Empire, and he also wrote Confessions of an Economic Hit Man). I’m having a hard time dealing with the knowledge that there are sweatshops out there, cranking out cheap goods for Americans to consume…and the word “sweatshop” doesn’t begin to convey the deplorable labor conditions in these factories…even people getting killed for trying to organize! Even two Americans who went to Indonesia to investigate and expose these conditions were nearly killed by these so called “jackals” that Perkins talks about. These two Americans are currently completing a film about their experiences talking and living with the workers at a Nike factory there (see sweatthefilm.org and educatingforjustice.org). I have felt that I am on fire with this knowledge, a sort of dangerous, intense fire, whose energy can either destroy me or which, by the grace of God and my fellow Mennonites (hello Rainbow Peace and Justice group!) and other friends, I can somehow learn to channel to creative means for change. We (Americans) are the ones who buy these cheap goods, so we ultimately are the ones with the power to insist that people making them are treated fairly. I think letter writing can go a long way.

The conference minister of our regional Mennonite church organization (Dorothy Friesen) gave the sermon today, in our minister’s absence. She used the word “fire”, too, as a metaphor for how the world received Jesus’s message in his time, and how the Anabaptists insisted on a more direct and pure living of the gospel gone awry in the midst of the Reformation and were persecuted for it, and how the Russian Mennonites of last century fled Stalin’s persecution and came to Kansas. She extended it to the fire burning even in our times, and there is a treasure to be guarded, polished, shared and passed on in the midst of this fire. I can’t help but hope that somehow Mennonites can be a major player in shifting the way the world does things, to a more just and equitable way. Certainly I think this is part of Jesus's "treasure" we can guard and pass on. The Mennonite partnership in Ten Thousand Villages is a wonderful start, but oh, so much more can be done!! Education is key. I don't think most people are aware of how much global injustice and corruption permeates the major companies and brands that we Americans are so familiar with.

— Regina Troyer, rtroyer@kc.rr.com

Kathy Kelly in KC

2007-09-15T16:31:00.000-06:00

Kathy Kelly, long-time peace activist and member of a Catholic Worker Community in Chicago, will report on the consequences of war that she has witnessed in Amman, Jordan, where she recently spent two months among the large and growing community of Iraqis who have fled the violence in their country.

Her talk will focus on the consequences of war for displaced Iraqis, for Americans who suffer neglect because of a bloated military budget and for the planet when we fail to address major environmental problems in part because inordinate resources go toward military pursuits.

Kathy will include an invitation to engage in a sustained campaign of resistance. (possibly the current campaign in Iowa: http://vcnv.org/seasons-of-discontent-a-presidential-occupation-project-sodapop)

Recent articles she has written from Jordan can be found at the Voices website at HYPERLINK www.vcnv.org www.vcnv.org.

This lecture is the first of a series of events planned at St. Francis throughout the coming year on the topics of nonviolence and peacemaking…Stay tuned for future events.

Sponsors: Holy Family Catholic Worker House (816-753-2677) &

SFX Adult Education Ministry

Dear friends of HFH:

We strongly encourage you to find the time to attend this presentation!

We have found Kathy’s witness to nonviolence, social, economic and environmental justice to be transformational. She is a true example of one who has made a commitment to examine and change her own lifestyle in pursuit of a better world.

Please join us as we welcome our dear friend and hero to KC!

Kathy Kelly

The Consequences of War

Sunday, September 16

7:30 pm

Saint Francis Xavier Church

1001 East 52^nd Street

(52^nd & Troost)

Kansas City, MO 64110

816-523-5115

New Sanctuary Movement--discerning the level of our support

2007-08-26T18:25:00.000-06:00

Here is the website of the New Sanctuary Movement: http://www.newsanctuarymovement.org/hospitality.htm

There are at least two categories of support solicited by the New Sanctuary Movement:

1. Role and Expectations for Host Congregations
What does a place of worship have to do to participate and become a sanctuary for immigrant families?
• Agree to host an immigrant family that meets the following criteria:
Be in the legal process and under an order of deportation
American citizen children
Good work record
Viable case under current law

• Host the family for an initial commitment. The family will use the congregation as their mailing address and will be able to spend time as needed at the site. They may need actual hospitality (a place to live) in the congregation, in real estate owned by the congregation or in the home of a family that belongs to the congregation.

• Help with material and spiritual support for the family. There will be a larger network of individuals and congregations who will not be hosting families but will be providing material and spiritual support for families. Expert immigration lawyers will be handling their case.

• Participate in a public press conference with congregations all over the country who are hosting families. All of the host and allied congregations are joining in an interfaith statement of accompaniment/solidarity lifting up the human rights of immigrant families as children of God.

• Be available for press interviews.
2. Allied Faith Communities Statement of Support and Involvement
Moved by our faith to participate in the New Sanctuary Movement, this faith community commits to the following:
Education
• We will educate ourselves about issues facing immigrants in our society, and about the current status of immigration-related legislation.
• We will avail ourselves of resources from the New Sanctuary Movement, and will welcome the first-hand stories of immigrants themselves who have experienced injustice.
• We will renew our study of the sacred stories of migration and hospitality, injustice and hope, which already exist in our own faith tradition.
• Seeking also to educate our greater community, we will offer public forums on immigration.

Advocacy
We understand that education alone brings no change if it does not lead to action. Therefore,
• We will actively and publicly work for comprehensive immigration reform in the United States.
• We call for an immediate moratorium on all raids and unjust deportations that cause the separation of families, until such time as the broken system of immigration laws is fixed.
• We agree to include our names, our voices and our selves (or representative members) in public events, various forms of media, and other appropriate venues.
• We will be a compassionate and persistent voice for justice for our immigrant brothers and sisters.

In addition, we commit to one or more of the following:

a. Legal Triage
The need for competent and free or low-cost legal advice to the immigrant community far outstrips the capacity of the movements “prophetic hospitality.” Therefore, faith communities are called upon to host legal clinics, provide legal referrals and to identify families in need of such assistance.

b. Prophetic Hospitality
Faith communities will "host" a family seeking sanctuary for a period of three months, and serve as a tangible support system for them during that period. Based on the needs of the family in question, such support might include (a) meals for the family, (b) transportation to and from work, school or other events, (c) housing at the faith community itself, should such emergency housing be required, and (d) financial support and/or job referral (particularly in the case of job loss due to publicity of the case). Although this form of very public hospitality is entirely legal, faith communities involved in this aspect will have access to first-rate pro-bono legal services.

c. Material Support
Faith communities will provide financial support towards either (a) the New Sanctuary Movement itself, or (b) a pool of money to be used to assist specific families in the local community seeking sanctuary and in need of the support. Depending upon storage and distribution capacity, other forms of donations could also be given, including food, bedding, clothing, and other material goods. Cultural, musical and other educational events are encouraged to raise both money for and awareness of the movement.

d. Worker Justice
Despite society’s ongoing desire for the services of day laborers and immigrant domestics, the climate of racism and harassment has reached a fever pitch. Faith communities are called to offer support through: 1) being publicly present at existing day labor pick-up sites as a peaceful presence in the face of racist and hateful demonstrators; 2) serving as an alternative labor/employer match site; and/or 3) being advocates for worker issues.

_______

It is my hope that Rainbow can commit to one of these levels of participation, and that our committee, at least, can reach consensus before Sep. 19 to sign on as a Committee of our congregation in anticipation that our congregation-as-a-whole will sign on shortly.

-- Phil Rhoads

Cell phone recycling

2007-06-26T08:47:00.001-06:00

Cell phones, desk jet cartiges, and laser jet cartiges can now be recycled at church. Next to the mailboxes is a basket to place the items in. These will get mailed off during the J+P meetings every two months and the money received goes directly to MCC. The plan is to have this in place this week with a notice in the midweek notables, the news letter and the bulletin. Is someone willing to announce this at church during sharing time or should we wait a bit.

Chris Allimn

Freedom School Training

2007-06-14T12:18:00.001-06:00

The Freedom School volunteer training went very well last night with a good turnout. Joel and John presented the program, needs and a bit of the philosophy to the volunteers. The various books that will be used were also sitting out so we could look at them. It was enjoyable to see some of the cheers and how the freedom school will act and interact. I'm glad our church is participating in this and expect it will be a good addition.

There were some questions as to whether our church is the first Caucasian church in KC to host Freedom School, and with a significant number of scholars being Hispanic whether the curriculum will slowly modify to meet that ethnic group. Seems like the Freedom School directing body will have some interesting issues to struggle with as they grow and work toward expanded relevance.

Chris Alliman

New Sanctuary Movement

2007-05-10T10:38:00.001-06:00

Check out the website for New Sanctuary Movement. I like the articles that Phil suggested and appreciated Muriels comments. Maybe something we should all read more about and consider in our discussions. All the activity listed seems to be in LA and Chicago, any known activity in KC?

chris

New Sanctuary Movement being launched nationwide

2007-05-10T09:11:00.000-06:00

Today in the KC Star was an article on page A2 and a more recent one online report about the "New Sanctuary Movement."

I hope Rainbow will agree to be a member of the movement and participate fully in its activities.

See also Muriel's blog on "New Sanctuary Movement"

Immigration Issue

2007-05-08T17:22:00.000-06:00

I've finally figured out how to post to this thing....anyway, to answer your question, Chris: I have been periodically attending the meetings of a new group calling itself, "People of Faith for Hospitality and Justice." It consists of mostly KCK pastors and lay people concerned about a fair and just solution to the immigration issue. If you or others on the Peace and Justice Committee are interested, I can provide more information about this group and its advocacy efforts.

Also, Melinda Lewis is the advocacy/lobbying person at El Centro. She is very articulate and well-informed on this topic. I can inquire about getting on her e-mail list and/or inviting her to address our group or perhaps an adult Sunday school class.

Cinco De Mayo

2007-05-08T15:33:00.001-06:00

One of the focuses of our group has been an interest in immigration advocation. Cinco De Mayo passed with a rally at the KC, Missouri city buildings, but the awareness of a march was lacking. I think we, as a group, found out about it a day before hand or even the day of. Is there a way that we can get better connected with the groups working for immigration reform? As we are trying to support them it would be good for us to develop some type of connection. Someone mentioned El Centro as a good place to begin. Does anyone already have contact to El Centro or know of other groups?

Chris