Minnesota Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
A liberal religious congregation  in the Minneapolis area

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PEACE PROGRAM
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Updated September 30  2009
New Peacemaking Website is Here!  There is a new web site dedicated to all the peacemaking activities throughout the Unitarian Universalist Association  including the Congregational Study/Action Issue, UU-United Nations Office, the UU Service Committee and other groups.  Please visit  at  Peace Ministry Network.
Arriving at an Official UU Statement on Violence, War, and Peace
 Since 2006, MVUUF has participated in the UUA’s Congregational Study/Action Issue (CSAI)—Peacemaking.  Normally, congregations devote four years to a particular CSAI.  In the fourth year, the UUA’s Commission on Social Witness  writes  a Draft Statement of Conscience on the issue which is voted on by the delegates to that year’s UUA General Assembly (GA).  Here is a link to the current Draft Statement of Conscience on Peacemaking:     At the 2009 GA, delegates decided to refer the Draft Statement of Conscience on Peacemaking back to the Commission on Social Witness for one more year of study and review.  

At MVUUF, we will continue to study and act on Peacemaking.   We consider all of our social justice initiatives to be peacemaking initiatives, at least indirectly.  Two of our more direct initiatives for the year include:
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We Are
a Peace Site
“It is not enough to pray for peace. Work for justice!” “War is a coward’s escape from the problems of peace.” “We must be governed by the force of law, not by the law of force.”
---William Sloane Coffin
Eight Paths to Peace :  What Now?
by Mary Samuels and Anne Peek
Thank you to everyone who participated so fully and creatively in the interactive service on January 15, 2006!

For those of you who could not attend, the purpose of the service was to introduce peace activist Louise Diamond’s idea that all of us are peacemakers in various ways (she posits eight major paths), and that we tend to gravitate to one or two primary ways of expressing this. We took an inventory to identify our primary path(s) and then sat in groups with others on our path to discuss how we express that path, discover who else in the fellowship shares our path, and brainstorm ideas to implement peace at MVUUF. 

Many wonderful recommendations for our church community came out of the brainstorming portion of the service:
  • Spiritual Path:  Form a committee to discuss ways to create inner peace; have adult RE classes on meditation and other inner peace practices; bring in speakers on inner peace.
  • Leadership Path: Create a system of leadership development, including exploring why some do not see themselves as leaders; sponsor a scholarship for the Wellstone leadership camp.
  • Creative Path:  Create artistic events in cooperation with other churches; play music along with other musical groups; engage in creative activities with wide participation, such as a large group “tribal dance” or creating an art object for the church.
  • Educational Path:  Holding an adult RE workshop on non-violence and reading books on peace, with commitment to follow through.
  • Global Path:  Support the UU Service Committee; continue to bring in speakers on world affairs; create and encourage church participation in global social action; children’s RE might raise funds for global charities such as Heifer International or Seva.
  • Relationship Path:  Have adult RE classes address peace in relationships, including classes on conflict resolution between peers and between adults and children.
  • Personal Path:  Offer and encourage new and old opportunities for personal centering and balance, such as yoga, self-hypnosis, meditation, singing and book clubs.
  • Activist Path:  Form a Neighbors for Peace group; encourage MVUUF members to support Sen. Dayton’s Dept. of Peace at party caucuses and write letters advocating it to newspapers; encourage more peace demonstrators on street corners; urge city to commit to mayor’s pledge to reduce greenhouse gasses.
We imagine that these ideas will generate many more, so we have placed a clipboard downstairs on the social justice table for members to add ideas. 

We hope that those who are moved to do so will take action on some of these ideas by attending appropriate committee meetings (adult RE, program, social justice, etc.) and making them happen.      
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MVUUF PEACE SITE
MVUUF became in International Peace Site in 2004.
From Rebecca McPeek
Who-What-When-Where-Why a Peace Site

I will attempt to answer some of the questions I’ve been asked about MVUUF becoming an International Peace Site.

Q: I’m not sure I’m against the war in Iraq.
A: Becoming a peace site is a bigger picture than just anti-war. It includes working towards economic justice, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, educating children and youth. It is also not living in fear. To transform yourself into a peacemaker, you won’t become an activist marching in the streets. You will not be “anti” anything. All you are asked to do is to go within and dedicate yourself to peace. Even if you don’t immediately see a decline in violence around the world, you will know in you heart that you have dedicated your own life to peace.

Q: Why do we need a sign saying we are for peace?
A: A peace pole planted in the MVUUF garden is a visual message to all who enter MVUUF and to the community that we at MVUUF value, promote, encourage and study peace. The single best reason to become a peacemaker is that every other approach has failed. Right now there are 21.3 million soldiers serving in armies around the world. Can’t we recruit a peace brigade ten times larger? We don’t know what number the critical mass is, the best we can hope is to bring about change by personal transformations. 

Q: We don’t study peace at MVUUF. How can we call ourselves a peace site if we don’t study peace?
A: Oh, but we do. Peace related activity at MVUUF is included in 1) calling ourselves a  Welcoming Congregations, living in peace with and understanding differences; 2) regular work crews on Habitat for Humanity projects; 3) selling peace coffee; 4) supporting Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights; 5) Supporting VEAP; and 6) encouraging a sustainable Green Sanctuary.
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PEACE VIGIL DISBANDED
Sonja Johnston, Vigil member
The Peace Vigil which has met faithfully for over 5 years every Tuesday at the corner of 98th and Lyndale from 4 to 5 p.m. has disbanded. The group's decision comes at a time when we anticipate a movement towards a more peaceful dialogue in international relations rather than resorting to violence.  GIVE PEACE A CHANCE!
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