Join the throng proclaiming true peace in Iraq

Join Christian Peace Witness for Iraq, April 23-30 2009, in Washington, D.C.

On April 30, the 100th day of a new Administration and new Congress, our presence can truly make a difference: we can be the witnesses who give our nation's leaders the courage to choose the way of peace.

Worship - at the Convention Center and in front of the White House
Witness - by blessing thousands of loaves of bread on steps of the Capitol
Hear - the prophetic voices of Christian leaders from across the country.
Advocate - with a visit to your congressperson's office after being prepared with the most recent proposals and possibilities for peace.

Mennonite Church USA Peace and Justice Support Network meeting

The list of speakers this year is AMAZING! Bring a vanload of youth to be inspired-and be sure you and they

• make appointments ahead of time with your legislators to advocate for just peace in Iraq http://capwiz.com/fconl/directory/congdir.tt
• arrive for the Wednesday, 12:30 pm Convocation

Diana Butler Bass - Quaker, Cofounder of Direct Aid Iraq, a humanitarian and peacebuilding effort working with Iraqi refugees
Noah Baker Merrill - Episcopalian, author, and Senior Fellow at the Cathedral College of Washington National Cathedral
Fr. Daniel Berrigan - Jesuit priest, theologian, author, poet and peace activist
Tony Campolo - author, pastor, social activist, sociologist, & passionate follower of Jesus
Elizabeth McAlister - peace activist and co-founder of Jonah House
Sr. Dianna Ortiz - US born survivor of torture in Guatemala, founder of the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition
Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. - minister, community activist, president of the Hip Hop Caucus, and US Air Force Reserve Veteran
Rev. Raphael Warnock - Senior Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, the spiritual home of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Brothers Frantzich - singers, songwriters and spiritual activists, will lead music for worship
Kathy Kelly - Catholic, Kelly has been to Iraq 24 times and lived in Baghdad through the "shock and awe" bombardment of March 2003

Schedule and information

The House and the Hill are waiting for us! Register now!

Green arm bands, so you can find other Mennonites (if you want to find Mennonites, we count you as a Mennonite; church membership not needed), are available from Order early!

BREAD: We will be gathering thousands of loaves of bread. Details are not yet finalized, although the loaves will be distributed to local food pantries, shelters, etc. Please send bread if you can't attend. Sign up http://www.christianpeacewitness.org/lists/?p=subscribe&id=4 so you'll receive further information.

Questions?

PJSN Gathering at CPWI in Washington DC, April 30, 2009

While working with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) relief, development, and peacebuilding programs in the Middle East, Alain Epp Weaver lived in the Jenin district of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and Amman, Jordan, serving most recently as MCC's representative for Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq. The author of States of Exile: Visions of Diaspora, Witness, and Return (Herald Press, 2008) and the editor of Under Vine and Fig Tree: Biblical Theologies of Land and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict (Cascadia, 2007), Alain currently works with MCC's International Program department.

For further information, contact:

Leo Hartshorn
Minister of Peace and Justice
Mennonite Mission Network

717-399-8353

Mobilization to End Poverty, April 26-29 in Washington DC. More than 1500 Christians will gather in a powerful movement committed to the biblical imperative of reducing domestic and global poverty. The gathering, sponsored by Sojourners and World Vision, will include worship, training sessions and advocacy. Featured speakers will include Jim Wallis, Rep. John Lewis, Sharon Watkins, Brian McClaren and many others. President Obama has been invited to address the gathering. More information is available at www.sojo.net/mobilization. Because Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite Central Committee U.S. and MCC East Coast are outreach partners, Mennonites can receive the discounted registration rate of $199 / $150 for students (with lodging available for students participating in the World Vision Summit on the Hill beginning on April 25). To receive information about registering at the special rate contact .