In July 2023, On Earth Peace launched Affinity Groups. This is a new initiative that OEP has designed to ensure a pathway for people interested in organizing to develop a project in a structured and supportive environment. It is said that those who wish to go fast may do so alone, but those who plan to go far do so together. The Affinity Group program embodies this by creating communities of nonviolent practice and discipline, which are in turn held by the larger community of other groups. OEP provides many options for Kingian Nonviolence training. 

By creating an Affinity Group in their area, people can galvanize like-minded individuals with shared goals towards stronger and more inclusive communities, justice, and positive peace. They grow internally by taking risks to try new things, creating shared experiences, and developing a common language to vocalize it together. By joining the Affinity Group program as a whole, there is also an external development that occurs. The individual groups get a chance to learn from other affinity groups in other states across the country. Though some may be at different stages of their 90-day plans, they have a common experience and shared language that they can use to encourage one another. If an affinity group in Ohio finds a tactic that may work to encourage passive allies to become more active, they could share their knowledge with an Affinity Group in New York which may be facing similar challenges on a different scale and stage. Furthermore, the various Affinity Groups can learn from one another’s insights during monthly leadership development sessions held by OEP. The different experiences and perspectives that each Affinity Group brings can benefit all. 

Newsletter

Along with the quarterly meetings, the Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team (COB-GV-AT) has launched a monthly newsletter. Each issue addresses different topics with the past months having focused on National Gun Violence Survivors Week 2024 (January 22-26), Youth Violence Prevention Week (April 22-26, 2024), and International Bereaved Mother’s Day (May 5). If you would like to join our email list to receive our monthly newsletters (as well as previous editions), please reach out to Mandy Park at [email protected].

Additionally, the COB-GV-AT is putting together a toolkit with resources for congregations, a work in progress but one they are actively adding to as time goes on. This toolkit includes worship and educational resources, worksheets/exercises, slides from organizing meetings, all previous newsletters, and further information on the toolkit.  If you are interested in accessing these resources and reading more on them, please find the folder here.

Nubwa Chama Josiah is the Racial Justice Intern at On Earth Peace. She was born in Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State, Nigeria where she grew up as an EYN church member. Nubwa worked with non-governmental organizations prior to furthering her studies in the United States. Part of her experiences include working with internally displaced people and promoting peace, social justice, and women's inclusion among other things. She is passionate about helping people and advocating for the rights of the oppressed in the global community. Currently, Nubwa is a first-year graduate student at Ohio University, pursuing a Master’s degree in International Development. She loves meeting new people, making an impact, listening to music, and singing.

by Karleen Daniels, Modesto Church of the Brethren

Photo Credits: Modesto Church of the Brethren website

“They are blessed who work for peace, for they will be called God’s children.” – Matt. 5:9 (NCV)

On December 29, 2020, a 29-year-old man, Trevor Seever, was shot to death near the labyrinth of the Modesto Church of the Brethren property. He had made a threatening call to his family indicating he may have purchased a gun and he was on his way to their house. He had also posted threatening messages on social media about wanting to kill policemen. His family learned later that the posting had been done by a friend on Trevor’s phone as a joke. Trevor had recently been jailed for a few days from a DUI conviction where he was placed in solitary confinement after an incident with a guard. During his short confinement he was sleep deprived and his dietary restrictions were ignored.  

A police officer, Joseph Lamantia, arrived on the scene and rapidly fired several shots from a distance that hit Seever in the back, chest, and abdomen. He died from loss of blood. Tony Lopez, of CBS news, reported that the officer had not followed police policy, procedures, and training. Upon searching Seever, they found he was unarmed. Officer Joseph Lamantia has been involved in four other killings and was finally fired and arrested in March, 2021. The city paid $7.5 million to settle the family’s civil rights lawsuit. Officer Lamantia was recently acquitted on July 21, 2023, and he is fighting to get his job back with the Modesto Police Department.

Jesus’ Holy Week path--from Palm Sunday through his crucifixion and resurrection--tells a story that invites deep spiritual preparation, prayer, and creative action. This pathway beckons followers of Jesus and especially calls those of us committed to practicing nonviolence and living God’s sacrificial love. There are several invitations along this Holy Week path. Will you join On Earth Peace in this spiritual preparation?