Dear Adventist Peacemakers
Dear Adventist Peacemakers,
We are so grateful for this community of Peacemakers who are supporting each other through the upheavals of this world. Together we’re leaning into this Advent season in which we celebrate the Prince of Peace and cultivate joy along with compassion and longsuffering.
Like everyone else, our plans for 2020 were toppled by the inability to attend planned in-person events like the General Conference or the NAD Pastoral Convention. However, we are thrilled with what God has done anyway. The work for racial justice moved to the front of our consciousness with the killings of George Floyd, Breanna Taylor and other Black Americans this summer. APF was able to provide resources such as sermons, Adventist history on racial justice and statements to support and provoke our members and our wider church.
Our University Chapter coordinator Marci Corea, was not able to travel this year to campuses to support student clubs, our college students have planned Peace weeks, advocated for criminal justice, and met virtually to encourage each other. We are even connecting with a young adult group in Brisbane, Australia to support their Creation Care work. We were able to give a small grant to a college chapter as they worked to advocate for Matthew Rushin, an autistic young man sentenced to 50 years for his role in a car accident.
Our collaboration with other organizations was especially rich this year. We participated with Adventist Forum in a modified civil rights history tour of Birmingham and Montgomery in October. Several of us have participated in One Project events and the Kansas Avenue Church’s Sabbath afternoon online program “The Conversation.” We also invited Adventists for Social Justice to be regular guest observers at our board meetings so that we can communicate with and support each other effectively.
We’ve had some changes in the leadership team this year. Daniel Xisto, pastor of Takoma Park church, is our new Peace Church coordinator. Jöelle Kanyana, a young finance professional based in Florida, is our new treasurer. And Alli Handel, from Walla Walla, rotated off the board and Claudia Allen, online content manager for Message, has joined us as a board member. In 2021, Eric Gutchess, longtime board member, has agreed to replace our dear Pedrito Maynard-Reid, as board chair. We will be highlighting his leadership and contributions in an upcoming podcast episode.
More details to be announced soon.
Coming in January, we’re especially pleased to announce our upcoming online event Martin Luther King Jr. & the Unholy Trinity: Liberating the Church from Racism. January 16 & 18, 2021. We have speakers and teachers you won’t want to miss no matter what part of the world you hail from.
Your support in prayer, participation, and donations have carried us. You have funded young people to attend conferences on biblical justice and peace-making, you’ve provided resources for our churches and college chapters, and to support the Adventist Peace Radio podcast that so many of you listen to and are blessed by. If you are able to give financially this year, we thank you for supporting the work of Adventist Peace.
May we be even more faithful to this mission, to this way of life, and may we be patient and gracious with ourselves and with others when we fall short. With deep gratitude for the work of God in each of you and among us collectively.
Lisa, Karah, Jeff, Marci, Daniel, & Joelle supported by Pedrito Maynard-Reid, Olive Hemmings, Eric Gutschuss, Jeff Gang, and Claudia Allen
