Decade to Overcome Violence

"Violence may murder the murderer, but it doesn't murder murder. Violence may murder the liar, but it doesn't murder lies; it doesn't establish truth.... Violence may go to the point of murdering the hater, but it doesn't murder hate. It may increase hate. It is always a descending spiral leading nowhere. This is the ultimate weakness of violence: It multiplies evil and violence in the universe. It doesn't solve any problems."
-Martin Luther King Jr.

World Council of Churches Decade to Overcome Violence: Churches Seeking Reconciliation and Peace resources can be found at http://www.overcomingviolence.org

Reflections on violence and reconciliation:

The Bridge, by Allan Baker. For me, approaching the act of reconciliation is something like walking closer to the edge of a deep ravine. You see, I'm afraid of heights. Being close to the edge of a high cliff, or the window seat in the CN Tower, scares me - it is a risk - even though my head knows that everything will be OK. Approaching the act of reconciliation is also a risk because my feelings are involved; my spirit is involved. More

A well-known story bears repeating. A preacher can’t seem to take his eyes off of his wife during worship. Most of the time this didn’t bother anyone, but now and then his wife would demurely blow a little kiss to him during the sermon. Some of the worshipers found this distracting, so the elders had a talk with him. “Oh, I understand,” said the preacher, “but it’s really done in your best interests.” “How can it be in our best interests to have your wife demonstrating affection to you while we’re trying to listen to the Word of God?” asked the elders. “It’s not affection,” responded the minister, “it’s a signal. When she blows a kiss, I remember the letters: K-I-S-S.” It stands for, ‘ Keep It Simple, Stupid.” More

First Steps in the Decade: Toward a Broad Definition of Violence: by Brian Perkins-McIntosh. The World Council of Churches Decade to Overcome Violence: Churches Seeking Reconciliation and Peace, which began in February of 2001, provides an opportunity for Christians to reflect deeply on their biblical, historical and theological perspectives and resources, and begin to take steps to address the ecclesiastical tendency to uncritically reflect the vision and values of popular secular culture. More

My story of reconciliation begins in the Maritimes, at an annual meeting much like this, where I was deeply moved from afar by an aboriginal theme speaker named gkisedtanamoogk. He spoke with great gentleness and peace, and yet with clarity and conviction, about the history and hopes of his people here on Turtle Island. More

Some personal stories:
1) The wife of a member and her brother were estranged and in conflict, and reconciliation was made over some time, with small steps and acts of mutual effort, ie. it wasn’t any particular single act that achieved reconciliation More

On reconciliation by Desmond Tutu, Extract from Allies of God (1981)
My friends, that is what God has accomplished in Jesus Christ, and it is this in which we are given a share – this ministry of reconciliation. The church must be the forgiving fellowship of the forgiven’ it must be the reconciling Koinonia of the reconciled. In this way it is the first fruits of the kingdom and becomes a verbum visibile, a kind of audiovisual aid for the sake of the world. It shows what human society should be as God intended it to be. More

Resources:

Churches Seeking Reconciliatin and Peace More

Prayers:

A Litany of Reconciliation More
Beatitudes of Reconciliation More
Hymns More
A Reconciliation Prayer More
A Litany to Overcome Violence More
Pete Seeger, 1961 More

Toronto Conference DOV Actions, Resources and Responses:

Toronto Conference Collected Learnings on Reconciliation:At its annual meeting in May 2000 the Toronto Conference undertook to engage the Decade to Overcome Violence: Churches Seeking Reconciliation and Peace 2001-2010 (DOV). At is annual meeting May 2001 it launched the Decade with the stated goal that Toronto Conference will deepen its understanding of reconciliation more

DECADE TO OVERCOME VIOLENCE: CHURCHES SEEKING RECONCILIATION AND PEACE(DOV)
Simcoe Presbytery World Affairs named the Decade at the Sept. meeting of presbytery as one of our foci and commended the information circulated in the conference mailing to the local churches. Our first opportunity for agenda time at presbytery will be in April 2002 when we have about3/4hour order of the day plus the closing communion service. We hope Margaret Sumadh will join us and we have a skit (or 2) prepared to highlight the broad Decade theme. Mary Collins was present at a number of our churches during her time home.

Lefroy United Church used the "Litany of Reconciliation" several times over the past conference year as "call to worship" or as part of a communion or offering litany. Each time a point was made that we are participating in this W.C.C. decade and that this is a start for further discussion over the next years.

RESOLUTION TO TORONTO CONFERENCE

TITLE: Ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence: Churches Seeking Reconciliation and Peace more

Church of the Master ( Scarborough Presbytery)
Reflections on Reconciliation (from a Council Meeting on November 21 st, 2001)
Some personal stories:
1) The wife of a member and her brother were estranged and in conflict, and reconciliation was made over some time, with small steps and acts of mutual effort, ie. it wasn’t any particular single act that achieved reconciliation

2) A member told of her experience in Sri Lanka, during times of inter-religious conflict. In her community, it was a minority on both sides who were instigating violence, but other were silent. Only when a well respected leader was murdered did people on one side approach people on the other and offer condolences, which led to cooperation against the violence in their community. In this case that single act of violence became a catalyst for healing, because the constant but mostly unspoken tension was no longer ignored, and reconciling actions were undertaken. more

Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV) Responses
Dufferin-Peel Presbytery
Suggested Discussion Questions:  

* What personal experience have I had which helps me better understand what reconciliation means?

OR

 * When have I seen or experienced a damaged relationship begin to transform or heal? more

THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
ECUMENICAL DECADE TO OVERCOME VIOLENCE:
CHURCHES SEEKING RECONCILIATION AND PEACE
2001-2010

The Eighth Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC), a fellowship of over 300 churches including The United Church of Canada, gathered under an African cross in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1998 to discern priorities and programmes until the Ninth Assembly in 2005, and beyond. At the African Assembly delegates established the Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV), which was officially launched in February of 2001 in Berlin, Germany. The Assembly stated that the WCC must “work strategically with the churches on these issues of nonviolence and reconciliation to create a culture of nonviolence, linking and interacting with other international partners and organizations, and examining and developing appropriate approaches to conflict transformation and just peace-making in the new globalized context.” more