Peace Out! Week Thirty-Two

Last Sunday I was privileged to share a pulpit with Rev. Jody Greenwood, rector of Church of the Servant in Wilmington. This parish is deep in social justice work, and hungry to do more. They welcomed the message of EPF, "Pray. Study. Act." in large measure because they are living that message and are paving the way to a more just world. www.cosepiscopal.ecdio.org. You will truly feel like you belong to this parish when you worship at the 9:00 a.m. family Eucharist: holy, creative, mildly chaotic liturgy, with the highlight being a "call and response" sung Lord's Prayer, which indelibly imprinted these loving children of God (young and old!) onto my heart. From the polished concrete floor with a permanent labyrinth (often open to all for contemplative walking), to the gun violence prevention leadership which this parish has advocated for years, to their deep desire to advance racial reconciliation (and the heart for becoming beloved community), to feeding their neighbors and one another with connection, love and food, to their awareness that even though they are in a natural disaster prone area, they are called to selfless "showing up" for one another and the stranger in times of crisis -- these baptized Christians are an inspiration.

Rev. Jody generously designated the plate cash on Sunday for EPF, and announced her intention to match all gifts. The parishioners generously gave. We are blessed by this gracious showing of support for our work, and are grateful for this unexpected and most welcome gift.

Join Church of the Servant and many, many parishes around the country this Sunday, August 25 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time when church bells will peal in commemoration of the unique horror of landing of the first slave ship on our shores. Truly, yet none of us is free from the vestiges of slavery. Make a loud and unusual noise in your community to call attention to our need to ACT NOW!

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

congratulates EPF on 80 years of loving action and witness.

He declares EPF's activity is "Nothing less than

the work of God!" Join us in our 80th anniversary commemoration

with a pledge of financial support and social justice action! Can't

make the video play? Click here: https://f.io/R37u-4rP

Click HERE to give to our 80 day campaign!

Eighty Days of Peace and Reconciliation

to Commemorate Eighty Years of Action!

During the 80 days following the feast day of Jonathan Myrick Daniels and leading up to EPF's Eightieth Anniversary on Armistice Day, November 11, 2019, EPF will highlight local acts of peace and reconciliation and work to shore up support for the ongoing work of EPF.

Our “80 Days of Peace and Reconciliation” celebration invites you, our EPF individual members, Peace Partner Parishes and EPF Chapters, to design your own anniversary events focused on peace and reconciliation within your own communities. These activities will be highlighted through our social media platforms and EPF's weekly "Peace Out" newsletter.

Last week, we completed our transformative and inspiring EPF Pilgrimage for Racial Justice commemorating the anniversary of the martyrdom of Jonathan Myrick Daniels and the martyrs of Alabama, as well as our visit to the Equal Justice Initiative Lynching Memorial and Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. Our National Executive Council meeting and our actual anniversary celebration on November 11 in Providence, Rhode Island will culminate the Year of Action and the 80 days of Peace and Reconciliation.

How can you participate?

Have an action event to celebrate with us! Do you need resources for a Palestine Israel Network event? Contact Linda Gaither at lgaither. Gun Violence Prevention? Contact Bob Lotz at bob.lotz.epf. Southern Border Ministries? Contact Rev. Mike Wallens at michaelwallens. Death Penalty Abolition? Contact Caroline Stevenson at carolines1935. Young Adult Ministry? Contact Rev. Michael Kurth at michael.kurth11. We will have available shortly the current "Cross Before Flag" pamphlet which can be used to educate around the history of our ongoing campaigns against violence through the decades. Of course, feel free to make liberal use of Presiding Bishop Curry's video, included in this email. Consider having an EPF celebration, inviting members of your community, your diocese, and your parish for cake and refreshments and an evening of learning about how EPF can support local peace and justice ministries. Also consider inviting our traveling Executive Director, Melanie Atha, or any one of our National Executive Council members, to join you as a keynote speaker for your event. We find these events as inspiring as you do! We have someone in leadership in virtually every region of the country:

Rev. Bob Davidson, Chair -- Colorado

Rev. Will Mebane, Vice Chair -- Massachusetts

Rob Burgess, Treasurer -- Michigan

Bob Lotz, Secretary -- Michigan

Rev. Richard Wineland, Chaplain -- Tennessee

Maryann Philbrook -- New York

Betsy Davidson -- Michigan

Rev. Michael Kurth -- New York

Ellen Lindeen -- Illinois

Rt. Rev. Jeff Fisher -- Texas

Rev. John Floberg -- North Dakota

Jessica Jew -- California

Rev. Kay Houck -- Michigan

Katherine Bailey Brown -- Texas

Rev. Cody Maynus -- Minnesota

Make sure you let local press, your local Diocesan news service, and us know of all of your actions, events and celebrations to get the maximum exposure of your peace and justice work! Now is the time to celebrate!

Give now, and update your contact information and membership status:

Click epfactnow) so she can cancel your Vanco account. It's easy to do and will be so much easier on our virtual office.

Are you mailing in checks for your EPF giving? Again, thank you! Please consider giving through the Classy website instead. We are now a virtual office which makes processing checks more cumbersome and expensive, so we'd be grateful if you could take advantage of this electronic option. Need help setting it up? Please let Melanie know.

While you are in Classy contributing, be sure to update your interest in the Committee work of EPF (sustainability, membership, programming or communications) and your EPF Action Group interests. We want to make sure you are getting emails from us on the issues and topics you care about. Confirm your telephone number and U.S. Postal address as well.

We want to make sure our membership database is current and accurate, so let's use this opportunity to get all of us into one platform! Thanks for making our movement into our next 80 years so positive!

After more than four decades of forced silence, some of the last surviving atomic soldiers share their unfathomable experiences of the atomic bomb tests in the 1950s. Click here: https://www.facebook.com/Kingsbayplowshares/posts/484436855675186?sfnsw=cl

Our upcoming schedule:

Looking forward, EPF will be in:

August 25: Fort Monroe, Virginia

Add your local event HERE or on your best date!

Sept. 4: Bp. Paul Jones' feast day

Sept. 7: Bp. Paul Jones' feast day observed, St. James, Essex Junction, VT

Sept. 8: Diocese of New Hampshire

Sept 15: Grace, Bath, ME

Sept. 27-29: Drone warfare initiative, Princeton, NJ

Oct 13-24: Palestine

Nov. 11: EPF 80th Anniversary, Providence, RI

Nov. 21-23: Borderland Ministry Summit, St. Philip's in the Hills, Tucson, AZ

Dec. 4: National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence (TBD)

Dec. 22: National Day of Reparations (FOR) TBD

Are you near any of our planned stops and want to visit? Just shout! Someone in EPF national leadership is eager to be with you during our 80 days! epfactnow

Until next time,

power to the peaceful!

Melanie