Bridgefolk:
Many of you have been following news from Iraq about the four members of Christian Peacemaker Teams who went missing more than a week ago. Rooted in the Mennonite Church and other historic peace churches, CPT is now a broader ecumenical effort to develop and practice active nonviolent alternatives amid conflicted situations. One of the missing CPTers is a Catholic peace activist from Ontario, Jim Loney.
While Bridgefolk does not have a direct affiliation, many of us have followed its work with interest and a few of us have been directly involved. Most notably, board member Weldon Nisly was part of a delegation to Iraq at the time the war broke out.
Below you will find two short news releases from earlier today, one from the Mennonite Church USA, and the other from CPT itself.
Please join with many others around the world in praying for the safety of the CPT team members, for the witness of creative nonviolence that they seek to extend, and for the suffering people of Iraq.
Gerald W. Schlabach
Executive Director, Bridgefolk
—–Original Message—–
From: Shelley Buller [mailto:ShelleyB@MennoniteUSA.org]
Sent: Thursday, December 08, 2005 9:43 AM
Subject: URGENT: A Call to Pray and Fasting for CPT
Importance: High
Congregations, if you have prayer chains, please send this through. Thanks for your attention to this critical situation.
A Call to Prayer
[The Iraqi group holding the four missing CPTers has extended their deadline for the release of all Iraqi prisoners until Saturday, 10 December 2005. Iraq is eight hours ahead of EST.]
As leaders of Mennonite Church USA, we call you and your congregation to a time of prayer and fasting on behalf of the four men missing from Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. Please set aside Friday, December 9, 12:00 noon through 1:00 pm for this purpose. Let us unite our prayers with the prayers of thousands around the world and the 43 Mennonite congregations who have held prayer vigils. CPT has requested that we œpray that the CPTers will remain strong and brave and that God will work through them in miraculous ways to transform this current predicament.
—–Original Message—–
From: CPTnet.editor.guest.445947@MennoLink.org
Sent: Thursday, December 08, 2005 1:03 AM
To: menno.org.cpt.news@MennoLink.org
Subject: IRAQ: Love Your Enemies. Free the Captives. End the War
CPTnet
7 December 2005
IRAQ: Love Your Enemies. Free the Captives. End the War
[The Iraqi group holding the four missing CPTers has extended their deadline for the release of all Iraqi prisoners until Saturday, 10 December 2005.]
We remain concerned about the well-being of our team-mates Harmeet, James, Norman, and Tom, and we ask for their release. We also remain concerned about the well-being of all Iraqis who are suffering under occupation.
Those who are with our team-mates have demanded the release from captivity of the Iraqi detainees held in United States’ and Iraqi prisons.
Christian Peacemaker Teams believes that no single person, no single nation can meet the demands of Justice.
No single person, no single nation can meet the demands of Peace.
But we believe that it is everyone’s responsibility to do their part to bring each combatant and each captive home to their families and to end the war and occupation.
December 10th is International Human Rights Day.
Christian Peacemaker Teams calls for all people of conscience around the world to initiate non-violent public actions for peace and for prayer on December 10th in support of international human rights and in support of ending war and occupation.
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Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) seeks to enlist the whole church in organized, nonviolent alternatives to war and places teams of trained, peacemakers in regions of lethal conflict. Originally a violence-reduction initiative of the historic peace churches (Mennonite, Church of the Brethren and Quaker), CPT now enjoys support and membership from a wide range of Christian denominations.
To express concerns, criticisms or affirmations to CPT’s Chicago office send messages to peacemakers@cpt.org. To express concerns, criticisms or affirmations to CPT’s Canadian office, send messages to guest.996427@MennoLink.org.
To receive news or discussion of CPT issues by e-mail, fill out the form found on our WEB page at http://www.cpt.org/subscribe.php
Donate to CPT on-line with your credit card! Go to http://cpt.org/donate.php and click the DONATE button to make a contribution through Network for Good, a secure way to help support CPT.