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November 15, 2009 Forum on health care

6:00 PM at Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary in the BC Lounge, Chestnut and Butler Avenues, Fresno.

Speakers

Tammy Alexander, Legislative Associate, MCC Washington Office
Tammy Alexander is the Legislative Associate for Domestic Affairs. Her focus is on immigration, the environment and health care. Prior to joining the MCC Washington Office, Tammy was an intern/volunteer at the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church and worked for several years as an engineer. She is a graduate of American University, the University of Tennessee Space Institute, and Purdue University.

D. Duane Oswald, President, CEO, Avante Health
A seasoned healthcare executive with over 35 years experience, Mr. Oswald has held numerous President, CEO and Administrator positions with various hospital systems throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania and California. In 1990, Mr. Oswald saw a need within the Fresno medical community for administrative support to help medical professionals understand and react to an ever-changing healthcare environment. Mr. Oswald has built Avante Health into a comprehensive healthcare consulting and management firm, partnering with medical groups, hospitals, employers and health plans throughout California. Mr. Oswald received his B.A. in Economics from Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana and his Masters in Healthcare Administration and Hospital Administration from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Roger Fast, Fresno surgeon

On Sunday evening, November 16, 2008, a forum on global warming was held at the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary BC lounge. This Mennonite Peacemaker sponsored event featured a four person panel including Steve Ratzlaff, Michael Kunz, Ken Martens Friesen, and Mary Anne Isaak. Panelists shared biblical reflections, scientific background, practical steps we can take, and opinions on why more hasn't been done already to tackle this issue. Click here for notes from the meeting.

We published a full-page ad in the Fresno Bee on October 13, 2007 with our Statement of Conscience and Faith to Our Community and Our Nation. If you have questions or would like to contribute toward its publication, please call 559-618-0218 or email mennos@peacemaking.us.

Prayer vigil for the war in Iraq
September 30, 2007 at 7:00 PM
at Fresno Pacific University

Service of prayer and protest
March 18, 2007
on the 4th anniversary of the Iraq war
at College Community Church - Mennonite Brethren
6:00 P.M.

A Service of Prayer and Protest marking the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war was held March 18, 2007 Sponsored by Mennonite Peacemakers. With Scripture, prayer and the arts, we brought to God our lament for the ongoing violence and loss of life--both American and Iraqi, both soldier and citizen. We ask that God will give us strength to resist trusting in violence and will guide us in finding creative ways to engage the powers of our world for peace. We pray for the end of war. The attendees paid for and put together 40 refugee kits for delivery to Iraq by Mennonite Central Committee.     Broken by Lynette Ratzlaff as part of her potter's lament. ©2007 Lynette Ratzlaff. Used by permission.   Screen grabs from video by Jim Grant ©2007 used by permission     Lynette Ratzlaff's broken tile. Iraq relief kits being assembled             Letter writing

Materials used in the service Order of worship Liturgical reading of the Mennonite Brethren Confession of Faith article 13 on love and non-resistance Peace Witness Focus reading Readers theater adapted from Matthew 25 Claiming Hope by Janice Leppke Prayer of Protest on the 4th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq March 18, 2007 A poet's lament A potter's lament in which a piece of art was broken. Benediction from a traditional Franciscan prayer

September 10, 2006

Middle East Forum

Kathy Wiest (Kingsburg MB Church), Clare Ann Ruth-Heffelbower (Mennonite Community Church), and Don Friesen (First Mennonite Church, Reedley) will be speaking at a Middle East Forum on Sunday evening, September 10 out of their recent experiences in Mennonite Central Committee and Christian Peacemaker Teams sponsored trips to Israel/Palestine. This evening, sponsored by Mennonite Peacemakers, will lift out the Christian voice in this part of the world. Join us in the B.C. Lounge at the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary (corner of Chestnut and Butler) at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday September 10.

October 2, 2005

The Social, Physical, and Spiritual Costs of War

An evening of input and reflection.

On the first Sunday of Advent, November 28, 2004 an Advent Prayers for Peace service was held at College Community Church (MB) in Clovis, CA. The service was sponsored by Mennonite Peacemakers. The service included prayers, scripture readings, and singing as we meditated on the coming of Christ in the context of the on-going war in Iraq.

May 1, 2004 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Mennonite Peacemakers sponsored a plenary session and workshop: "Economics of Peace and Justice." Guest speaker will be Marty Shupack, from the Mennonite Central Committee Washington office.

Flyer and registration form sized for bulletin inserts

Agenda for the event:

• 8:30: registration and refreshments
• 9:00: worship
• 9:45: break
• 10:15: keynote address
• 11:00 Talk back
• 11:15: Workshops I
  1. Carmen Pauls Wiens: "Middle East Stories and Economic Justice"
  2. Larry Dunn: "Peace, Justice, and Simplicity"
  3. Nate Fast: "Community Organizing for Economic Justice in Fresno"
  4. Video: Showing of the video "Uprooted: Refugees of the Global Economy"
• 12:15 pm: lunch
• 1:15: Workshops II
  1. Steve Ratzlaff: "War Tax Resistance and the Peace Tax Fund"
  2. Pakisa Tshimika: "The World Bank, IMF, and Economic Justice"
  3. Marty Shupack: "Sowing Insecurity: U.S. Global Economic Policies"
• 2:15: final gathering
• 3:00: closing

Registration is $8.00 for pre-registered adults, $10.00 on the day of the conference. The conference is free for students who pre-register, $5.00 for students registering at the event. Lunch is included.

The gathering will be held at Mennonite Community Church, Olive and Willow in Fresno. Registration forms (available here soon) with checks should be sent to College Community Church, 2529 Willow, Clovis, CA 93612 and made payable to College Community Church.

Order of service for Service of Prayer and Lament Following the Invasion of Iraq in Adobe PDF or RTF. This order of service was used March 23, 2003 in Fresno.

Responding to "America at War" Mennonite Conversation and Prayer October 5, 2002 - keynote speaker Ed Martin MCC Central South Asia Director with 8 break out groups for conversations and prayerful listening

• Agriculture - Ted Loewen
• Arts - Janice Leppke
• Business/economy - Paul Quiring
• Cultural diversity - Nate Fast
• Education - Mary Ann Larsen-Pusey
• Faith communities - Merv Dick
• Helping professions - Dean Kliewer
• Youth - Steve Penner

Program for the event

The Reedley Peace Center, which is loosely affiliated with First Mennonite Church, meets every Friday night at 6 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of First Mennonite Church, 12th and L Streets. If you would like to be on a mailing list to be notified of future events, send a request to dfriesen0@gmail.com.

Peace Fresno has presented the Fresno City Council with a resolution for a "Peaceful Solution to the International Dispute with Iraq". Those who are interested may want to make their views known to their council members.

After the events of September 11, 2001 a group of Mennonites interested in active peacemaking began to meet in Fresno California to talk about how a peacemaker responds to the new situation in which we find ourselves. They are from both Mennonite Brethren and Mennonite Church USA congregations. The group's first concrete action was publishing "A Letter to the American People" as a full page advertisement in the Fresno Bee on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 2002. 284 Fresno area people signed and paid for the publication.

Last modified 021610. Contact us at mennos@peacemaking.us

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