Join us as we celebrate the completion of the first phase of the Affinity Group program! Thank you for being a part of the journey so far, we are looking forward to re-connecting with you and stepping into the next phase together. This will be a time of sharing, learning, and planning ahead. We want to hear about the work you have done, regardless of where you are in your journey. Some have used the 90 day plan, and others have implemented other models, all with varying successes; we are excited to reconnect, our main goal is to hear from you how the program has gone and what you have learned thus far. 

Event Details:

Date: May 3rd, 2024

Time: 4:30pm Eastern Time

See the start time in your time zone: https://dateful.com/eventlink/1280397387 

Location: Zoom

What to Expect:

• Hear from each group about their work so far - victories & obstacles
• KNV content - Discipline of nonviolence
• Evaluation of Affinity Group process so far as we step into the next phase

With this program, On Earth Peace's aim is to empower affinity groups to build on their successes in community organizing. We are actively using Kingian Nonviolence principles, steps, and tools to positively impact our communities. By creating an affinity group in their own areas, people galvanizing like-minded individuals with shared goals towards stronger and more inclusive communities, towards justice and positive peace. They grow internally by creating shared experiences, and 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 around the country. With each Affinity Group, we are determined to provide the resources and training at our disposal to ensure a pathway for people who are interested in organizing to continue working in a structured and supported environment.

The Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team works to galvanize the Church of the Brethren to be faithful as an effective force for reducing gun violence in our neighborhoods and wherever it occurs.

Are you concerned about the escalating issue of gun violence in our country? Do you long to make a meaningful difference but want to connect with other Brethren in addressing this challenge from a Jesus-centered perspective? Do you want your congregation to speak up and take action on this issue but don’t know how to get started? 

Join us on Saturday May 4 at 7:30pm Eastern (4:30pm Pacific), for our quarterly Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Organizing Meeting.  See the start time in your time zone (click here).

Main Topic: We will prepare for launching 2024 Wear Orange (June 7-9) in our congregations.  Learn more here. 

The meeting will be led by members of the CoB Gun Violence Prevention Action Team along with staff and interns of On Earth Peace. 

It can be easy to feel despair as we watch the news. Let us build hope together and move forward into ongoing efforts to heal our communities. We need YOU to expand this work.  Whether you or your congregation have already taken steps or are looking to get involved, OEP’s Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team invites you to our third quarterly organizing meeting specifically for gun violence prevention advocates connected to the Church of the Brethren.

Previous attendance at our quarterly meetings is not required, but we will build on work done in the previous meeting. Slides and resources from our previous meetings can be found here:

December 2023: [https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1LTc6HVDGMSBB_2bpn36BXF4BnCnHHsje] 

March 2024: [https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1p2EFTHus1rH8nxB85t8O9-8slX6kKOgD] 

Event Details:

Date: May 4th, 2024

Time: 7:30pm Eastern Time

See the start time in your time zone: https://dateful.com/eventlink/1062684560

Location: Zoom

What to Expect:

• Prepare for the launching of the Wear Orange campaign this year in June in our congregations
• Hear updates on the work of the Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team
• Learn what other Church of the Brethren congregations are doing on this issue 
• Reflect on your potential role in the movement and how you can contribute
• Connect with like-minded individuals from within the Church of the Brethren who share your concerns
• Get energized and empowered for the work ahead through practical skill-sharing and spiritual formation
• Collaboratively identify immediate next steps in you and your congregation’s own action against gun violence

With this program, On Earth Peace's aim is to build capacity, commitment, courage, and a collective way forward in the fight against gun violence. The Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team has formed with the support of OEP to galvanize the Church of the Brethren to be faithful as an effective force for reducing gun violence in our neighborhoods and wherever it occurs.

Come be part of the change. Let's work together to create a safer future for our communities.

Join us in a peer-to-peer fundraiser to support the work of On Earth Peace. Throughout the month of June, the OEP community will collectively walk, run, dance, swim, shoot hoops, anything! to accumulate miles towards our goal. In April and May, the fundraising phase of the event begins. Money raised through the 3000 Miles for Peace event will go towards the 2024 budget and to the Paul Zeigler Young Peacemaker Fund endowment.

This year as On Earth Peace celebrates its 50th Anniversary, we are excited to once again hold a 3000 Miles for Peace event.  The event is hosted through a platform called Racery.  To join the event, follow this link- https://onearthpeace.racery.com/r/3000-miles-for-peace/.  There you are invited to join the 3000 Miles for Peace event and offered a dashboard that includes a fundraising link to share with your friends and family and a link to invite others to join.  There is a $25 registration fee ($11 covers the platform services, $14 goes directly to On Earth Peace).  Coupons for complementary registration are available by contacting Marie at [email protected].

In June, we will be able to track our collective progress to reaching our 3000 miles goal.  The virtual route connects On Earth Peace staff- Darlene in New Windsor, MD, Marie in Trumansburg, NY, and Matt in Portland, OR for 3000 miles. 

We look forward to this event that connects all of the OEP community!  Thank you for your efforts to fundraise on our behalf and have fun as you consider the activities you will participate in throughout June!

In 2013, the initial 3000 Miles for Peace campaign got people moving in honor of Paul Ziegler, a young peacebuilder who died tragically on his bicycle in a highway accident in September 2012.  Paul had planned to ride his bike 3000 miles across the continent in the summer of 2015 as a witness for peace, gathering fellow riders along the way and raising funds for building peace. On Earth Peace worked with Paul's family to plan the initial 3000 Miles for Peace campaign in Paul's honor.   Inspired by his life and his planned epic ride, over 1,500 people took part in more than 50 local events which included biking, walking, canoeing, hiking, running, as well as dribbling soccer balls, rocking chairs and lifting weights.  It was clear that whatever activity they chose, people saw their participation in the campaign as an expression of their belief in the importance of peace in our world.  In 2016, On Earth Peace launched our internship program funded in part by the Paul Zeigler Young Peacemaker Fund. 

Thank you to our sponsors for this event:

• McPherson College
• LaVerne Church of the Brethren Games & Goodies Group
• On Earth Peace Intern Alumni
• Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBTQ Interests

To learn more about sponsoring On Earth Peace's 50th Anniversary events, contact Marie at [email protected].