On Earth Peace Launches Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team

A new Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team launched in January 2023 and met four times before early March. According to the source, the team’s purpose is to galvanize the Church of the Brethren to be faithful as an effective force for reducing gun violence in neighborhoods and wherever it occurs. On Earth Peace is convening the team as part of a broader campaign to activate advocates for gun violence prevention.

The source notes that the denomination has addressed the issue before, citing the 1978 Annual Conference statement on “Violence and the Use of Firearms.” It states that gun violence has become more frequent in the United States and now has more deadly consequences than it did forty-five years earlier. The source lists mass shootings, homicides, suicides and accidental shootings as forms of gun violence and says each results in long-lasting trauma and grief.

The team’s work is framed around several questions: what the Church of the Brethren has to say in response, and what specific actions the denomination can take toward ending gun violence and combating the glorification of guns in American culture. The source says the national group of Brethren wants to engage the denomination in search of concerted action. The team hopes to hear the denomination speak clearly against gun violence, against what the source describes as too-easy access to guns, and against the glorification of guns in the culture. It also hopes to activate local advocates and denominational voices.

As a first step, the team is planning a Public Witness for Gun Violence Prevention during Annual Conference this summer, in partnership with local groups working on these issues. The source says the witness is intended to pray, to support those touched by gun violence, and to inspire action after Conference. The team hopes the event will support and strengthen gun violence prevention groups in Ohio and build a network of Church of the Brethren advocates. Peacemaking, the team’s stated aim, is the point the source ties most directly to this effort (Matthew 5:9).

On Earth Peace invited people to join its monthly gun violence prevention organizing meeting on Friday, March 17, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. A separate overview and introduction to the organizing campaign was scheduled for Saturday, March 18, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, as part of a day-long series of events for On Earth Peace’s Day of Celebration. Registration links were provided for both.

The team said it is especially eager to hear from Brethren who have been active on the issue or who wish to get involved. Those seeking to contact the team were directed to Matt Guynn at mguynn@OnEarthPeace.org or to Mandy Park at COB-GVP@OnEarthPeace.org.

Source: Read the original report