International Peace Delegation to Visit Nyack This Sunday, September 16

Today, a delegation arrived in the United States from the World Council of Churches (WCC), an ecumenical body representing 560 million Christians across the globe. As part of the WCC’s Decade to Overcome Violence initiative (2001-2010), the group will be traveling the U.S. from September 15-23 to express solidarity with people of faith working to end gun violence, environmental racism, and the war in Iraq.

Members of the team hold expertise in human rights, public health, and the tense intersections of religion and society, and each brings personal experience of violence and peacemaking in their societies [additional information below]. ”The purpose of these Living Letters visits is to create real encounters through which churches worldwide become increasingly aware of their struggles and hopes and are able to encourage and strengthen each other,” said Rev. Dr. Bernice Powell Jackson, WCC president for the North American region.

The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) will be hosting the WCC delegation at its third annual Festival of Peace on Sunday, September 16 from 1-5 p.m. at FOR’s national headquarters in Upper Nyack, New York. The popular, free event, which has attracted 400 residents of the lower Hudson Valley in each of the past two years, this year crowns four days of peace-centered activities being coordinated by FOR with other community groups in the region.

The goal of the Festival is to offer residents of Rockland and surrounding counties an opportunity to celebrate the spirit of peace and to learn about this distinguished organization, which has worked for world peace and justice in collaboration with such religious leaders as Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Sister Joan Chittister, and Thich Nhat Hanh. FOR, founded in 1915, is the oldest and largest interfaith peace organization in the nation.

“We are honored to host these international Living Letters at this critical time for peacemaking around the globe,” said Mark Johnson, FOR’s executive director. “FOR works to end violence at home and abroad – by seeking to counter militarism in U.S. communities and by addressing human rights and reconciliation in the Middle East and Latin America – and it will be a great privilege to welcome these leaders from four continents this weekend.”

Members of the WCC Living Letters delegation visiting in the United States are:

• Rev. Edwin Makue, a minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa who is the general secretary of the South African Council of Churches.
• Ms. Lina Moukheiber, a Greek Orthodox (Patriarchate of Antioch) public health specialist who is the director of development at the Saint George Hospital in Lebanon.
• Dr. Marcelo Schneider, a theologian specialized in ecumenical social ethics who is the ecumenical officer of the Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confession in Brazil.
• Ms. Aneeqa Maria Akhtar, a Roman Catholic human rights lawyer from Pakistan who is a member of the international DOV Reference Group.

WCC staff members accompanying the team are Rev. Deborah DeWinter, from the United States, and Rev. Hansulrich Gerber, from Switzerland.

The Festival will also be highlighted by the awarding of three prestigious peace prizes. Mel Duncan, executive director of Nonviolent Peaceforce, will receive FOR’s 2007 Pfeffer Peace Prize for his organization’s courageous efforts to build a trained global civilian corps to serve in conflict regions around the world. Samina Faheem Sundas, executive director of American Muslim Voice, will receive FOR’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Prize for her organization’s work to bridge the gaps between communities and unite us all under the umbrella of our common humanity. Local activists Phil and Fran Greenspan will be honored with the Festival of Peace award for their passionate efforts to educate local communities on current issues.

The Festival will feature music, dance, and activities for all ages, as well as a silent auction with more than 40 items – from Caribbean vacations to meditation retreats, from handwoven arts and crafts to restaurant gift certificates, and much more. Several distinguished artists and community leaders will be in attendance. The bulk of the day's events will take place outdoors, and tours of FOR’s historic building overlooking the Hudson will be offered throughout the day. The Festival begins at 1:00 p.m. and runs until 5:00 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is free, and food and crafts will be available for purchase on the grounds.