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"Proclaiming peace through Jesus Christ," the motto of this congregation, comes from a passage in the book of Acts (chapter 10, verse 34) in which the apostle Peter is explaining why Jesus Christ came into the world. Jesus Christ came into the world to make peace between God and humanity, between one human being and another, between one group, one nation, and another. The message proclaimed by Jesus Christ is that peace is God's intention for human life. We have been called to share the peace of Christ, the gift of salvation, which in its fullest meaning is healing of relationships, not just healing of individuals, but the healing of the nations.
THE BELTRAM PEACE CENTER is the name of the space in our Meeting House where we hold peacemaking events. It is named for Fred Beltram, whose faithful witness to Jesus Christ included serving as a non-combatant in World War II. When Fred died in 2006, at the age of 92, he left us, his congregation, the legacy that provided the funds for the purchase of our Meeting House. |
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PROGRAMS AND EVENTS:This spring we hosted the Coalition of Immokalee Farm Workers’ traveling exhibit “Modern-day Slavery Museum,” and the opening reception for the exhibit of Jeff HansPetersen’s Haiti paintings. In May and June our five-part mini-series, “Christians and Islam” brought together Catholics, Mennonites, Presbyterians, Quakers, and Moslems for conversations of hope in a time of misunderstanding and conflict. On June 6 we called together Jewish, Christian, and Moslem friends for a service of prayer for the people of Gaza and for peace in Palestine and Israel. In June and July we are hosting a series “Solutions to Violence: The Moral Equivalent to War,” led by Don Smith, Senior Trainer with the Great Books Foundation and former Clerk of Gainesville Friends Meeting (Quakers). Plans for the fall include Peace Potlucks and Brown Bag Lunches, displays of Anabaptist literature and DVDs, Fair Trade coffee, and Ten Thousand Villages third world crafts. |
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