Please join us for an evening of Scriptural Reasoning sponsored by ICPJ’s Common Ground for Peace in Israel/Palestine Working Group.

Scriptural Reasoning is an emerging practice among and between Christians, Jews and Muslims, of reading their sacred Scriptures together, and reasoning together on particular contemporary issues. The practice grounds discussion in the respective religious texts, encouraging participants to be both self-critical and deeply rooted in their commitments to their own particular faith.

Read the rest of this entry »

The ICPJ Iraq Next Steps Committee is joining the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) in making June 2008 the month for Banners Across America! NRCAT is asking congregations of all sizes, from every state, and all faiths, to join in a public witness against torture by displaying a banner outside their place of worship during Torture Awareness Month June 2008. Please join with other congregations across Washtenaw County and across the country to speak out on this important moral issue. Download the sign up form to order your banner now! The cost is $155 for a 3’x 9’ banner.

Come join with other spiritually-rooted peace activists to explore how we can organize religious perspectives to promote peace in Iraq.

On Thursday, April 3rd, our Iraq War Subcommittee will hold a Next Steps in Mobilizing Faith Voices for Peace in Iraq Meeting. It will be at 7:00 p.m. at the Wesley Foundation, 602 E. Huron St. ( at the corner of State and Huron).

We will discuss how we can engage congregations and spiritually-motivated peace activists in the work for peace in Iraq. Some of the options on the table include organizing a series of Peace Services with area congregations, mobilizing congregations to support wounded veterans, and more.

And to start things off right, Joe Reilly will kick things off with some musical inspiration.

Here are three ways you can help:

1. Come to the meeting on April 3 (RSVP to let us know you’re coming);
2. Print out the flier and post it at your congregation or workplace; and
3. Email your friends to invite them to come.

Contact Chuck Warpehoski at chuck@icpj.net or 734-663-1870 if you have any questions.

FUNERAL MARCH to the FEDERAL BUILDING - Through the streets of Ann Arbor to the Federal Building, we bury the old, failed policies of war and pledge peace in our community and nation. Sat., March 15th. 3:00pm, Corner of Thompson and Williams (near St. Mary Student Parish)

INTERFAITH PRAYER SERVICE – to mourn lost lives and call for peace. All faiths and backgrounds welcome. Sat, March 15th, 2:30pm. St. Mary’s Student Parish, 331 Thompson St., Ann Arbor. (Interfaith Prayer Service flier)

STUDENT “DIE-IN” — students from UM, EMU, WCC, and local high schools will have a “die-in” to highlight the true costs of war. Sat. March 15th, 3:30pm, corner of St. and N. University, Ann Arbor.

COMMUNITY GATHERING, an informal social time after the march to build community and expand solidarity. Arbor Brewing Company, 114 E Washington St.

IRAQ WINTER SOLDIER — Winter Solider film showing and firsthand reports from Washington D.C.’s Iraq Winter Soldier hearings. Hear from veterans Iraq, Gulf War, Vietnam, and WWII. Tues. March 18th, 6:00pm, 3463 Mason Hall, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL, 5th ANNIVERSARY of IRAQ WAR - 5 years after the invasion of Iraq, we will mourn the dead and remember the suffering of war as we read the names of all Michigan soldiers lost in Iraq. Wed., March 19th, 7:00pm, Eastern Michigan University Lake House, 900 Oakwood Street, Ypsilanti, 48197 (Map).

PLEDGE PEACE - Join the undersigned in building a Peace Surge. Pledge peace in tangible ways to create a community and nation that rejects war and embraces peace & justice by: attending one of the events above; helping further Dingell’s peace legislation; boycotting defense contractors; getting to know veterans and their families who need community support; supporting peace clubs and counter-recruitment in area schools; organizing a congregational study group on religious perspectives on peace; joining the Peace Surge activists for 2 hrs/month; and much more. For details and to sign the Peace Pledge, go to:

http://michiganpeaceworks.org/bury_the_war_sig_ad.html

Gather with people from various faiths and backgrounds on the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq to mourn the lost lives and to call for peace.

Saturday, March 15, 2008,2:30 pm
St. Mary Student Parish, 331 Thompson St. Ann Arbor, MI
Contact: 734-663-1870, chuck@icpj.net
Followed by a community-wide funeral march to lay war to rest and pledge peace in our community and nation.

Sponsored by Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, Michigan Peaceworks, and St. Mary Student Parish

Download the Interfaith Peace Service Flier and help spread the word (note: when you print this, you may have to select the “shrink to fit” option is Adobe Acrobat Reader).

The co-directors of the first joint Israeli-Palestinian think tank, IPCRI, are coming to Ann Arbor to share a first-hand assessment of the peace process. While recognizing the challenges that lie ahead, they explain why an agreement is possible, and what we can do to help. Read the rest of this entry »

The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is worsening daily. Despite its evacuation of 7000 illegal settlers, Israel still controls Gaza’s airspace, territorial waters, population registry, tax system, supply of goods, freedom of movement, and access to urgent care. Gaza is currently under almost total closure, and has become a prison for its 1.5 million residents, half of whom are children and youth. Electricity has been all but shut off, water resources have been fouled, children and old people are denied basic necessities, and families have been driven to the edge of starvation. Read the rest of this entry »

This is report 4 of 5 from ICPJ’s January 2008 Congregational Liaison Meeting. (read reports 1: Global Warming, 2: Other Issues, 3: Peace in Iraq, or 5: Faith and Politics )

This group looked at the possibility of beginning one or more small groups involved in the process of “Scriptural Reasoning” as a way to do Interfaith Dialogue. Participants in Scriptural Reasoning (SR) believe that the resolution of religiously rooted political tensions will be attained not by avoiding religion in public, but by initiating more and better religious conversations. Read the rest of this entry »

The is report 2 of 5 from ICPJ’s January 2008 Congregational Liaison Meeting (read reports 1: Global Warming and 2: Other Issues)

There was particular interest in organizing a visible religious involvement in the events around the anniversary of the War, March 19. Here is the full list of ideas: Read the rest of this entry »

The Sacred Texts and the Heart of Peace event on January 10 was a great success. Over 100 people gathered to hear Jewish, Christian, and Muslim perspectives on how their faiths’ sacred text call for peace.

It was an incredible night.

Our Common Ground for Peace group is now exploring how to follow-up with this event and to continue to build on this understanding. One option they are actively considering is to organize small groups to continue the discussion.

Please check back here for more information.

We will also be posting the presenters’ remarks as they come in:

• Sarah Heidt talk about Christianity and Peace
• Dr. Soraya Orady’s slides on Islam and Peace