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Aspiring to be catalysts for peacemaking, especially where minorities are persecuted, where justice is denied, human rights are suppressed or reconciliation is needed

May Peacemaker News

<<First Name>>, thank you for allowing me to share with you our latest news of Peacemaker projects, interviews and supported initiatives. We very much appreciate your prayers and support.

Southampton Peace Vigil for Ukraine

Watching the slowly unfolding tragedy in Ukraine, I felt a strong prompting from the Lord to organise a peace vigil in Southampton. I contacted the Mayor of Southampton, Councillor Alex Houghton; The Right Reverend Debbie Sellin, Bishop of Southampton; Councillor Daniel Fitzhenry – Leader of Southampton City Council; Nikki Walters – Southampton City of Sanctuary; Dr Parvin Damani MBE – Muslim Council of Southampton; Chris Webb – a pastor at Above Bar Church and William Brook-Hart – City of Sanctuary and SWVG. All kindly agreed to speak at the vigil and I recorded their messages. Watch videos of their messages here.

Several local organisations agreed to sponsor and promote the vigil including Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group (SWVG), City of Sanctuary Southampton, Southampton Action, CLEARProject, Southampton Stand Up To Racism and Romsey Amnesty Group. Despite very wet and windy day, around 300 people attended. Continue reading→

Convivencia Alliance Launch 8th May

I am a member of the Jewish Network for Palestine and have been assisting colleagues in JNP and the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) to draft a significant interfaith document CONVIVENCIA: Towards a Just Coexistence in Palestine which will be launched on Sunday 8 May, 14:00, at the P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton Street, London NW1 1JD. You are welcome.

Convivencia is a cross-faith, international initiative for a just peace in the Middle East that seeks to substitute the current militarised ‘solutions’ based on racist oppression, brute force, denial of rights and colonial dispossession with an approach predicated on shared values and commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Continue reading→

Revd Mark Nam: Racism and Inclusivity

I recently interviewed Revd Mark Nam about his personal experiences growing up as a British-Chinese person in the UK and the challenges and opportunities he has faced serving in the Church of England. He also talks about why he founded The Tea House.

Why Peacemaking is Controversial

Earlier this year the Charity Commission notified our trustees of ‘regulatory concerns’, presumably arising from a complaint, questioning whether some articles on the Peacemaker Trust website, were ‘in line with the advancement of the Christian religion or promotion of religious harmony’.

The trustees responded by pointing out that the Church of England, and many other Christian denominations, define ‘the advancement of the Christian religion’ in terms of the ‘Five Marks of Mission’. These include the aim of seeking “to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation.” Continue reading→

Peacemaker 2022 Financial Challenge

Peacemaker Trust is a faith ministry. By the grace of God, we are entirely dependent on the prayers, advocacy and financial support of our dedicated Peacemaker friends. We are a small charity with low overheads and a prudent budget. If you identify with our vision, we invite you to make a one-off gift or regular monthly donation to help us fulfil our charitable purposes in 2022.

We need to raise an additional £5,000 to meet our budget for 2022

If you wish to give regularly, you may download a standing order form and return to your bank. You may also donate via PayPal (use button above) or by making a cash or cheque deposit or transfer directly into our Peacemaker Trust Metro Bank account, using our bank account number 19949718 and sort code 23-05-80. See here for more details of other options.

May the Lord bless you and those you love this Christmas.