Introduction to the WCC IEPC and Peace with the Earth
Greetings from Kingston, Jamaica! We are participating in the World Council of Churches (WCC) International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) along with about 1000 people from around the world and WCC member churches.
The theme of the convocation is “Glory to God and Peace on Earth.” The main objectives for the IEPC are many, but most broadly:
- Sharing inspirations and reflections
- Network-building, strategy development and other actions.
This is a harvesting event and celebration for the Decade to Overcome Violence. This is not a decision-making body, but rather a group that will crystallize emerging peace issues on the way to the 2013 WCC Assembly in Busan, South Korea.
The four themes of our days together are:
- Peace in the Community
- Peace with the Earth
- Peace in the Marketplace
- Peace Among the Peoples.
Today, we will focus on Peace with the Earth.
Part of our life together at the convocation includes bible study. The text for “Peace with the Earth” is Isaiah 11:6-9. Take a look at the text. Share it with your friends. To start your conversation, here are two questions:
What does the ‘knowledge of the Lord’ refer to in this passage?
Is the world painted in this passage possible?
In the daily plenary, the focus was to: Raise awareness on the various threats to creation, present churches’ statements and actions addressing caring for creation, offer theological and spiritual insights from various religious perspectives on peace and creation, and share practical examples on what churches can do on peace with the earth.
As three young people from the LWF, we felt connected to this work, since this same theme, sustainability (with a focus on climate change and food security) was expressed as an emerging issue among the youth at the 2010 Lutheran World Federation (LWF) assembly. Currently, groups of young people from around the LWF communion are reflecting together on bible texts that relate to this theme. Groups are sharing with one another through the worldwide web—a very “green” option!
One of the objectives of LWF Together is to use the outcomes from the bible studies and reflections to work toward sustainability in your own community. Peace with the earth begins with us!
For more information visit www.lwfyouth.org.
In a d’ Lates (Compliments of Peter Powell, Campus Security),
Daniele, Mikka and Sanna
P.S. Come back again soon! During the week, we will take turns reflecting on the remaining three themes.
