Skip to main content

Jim Fitz's 2004 Peace Plan

Greeting, my friends,

Well, I am finally getting to articulate my plan for 2004. Just has felt there were other things that have been more urgent. But I can’t procrastinate any longer.

My passion for peace has just deepened over the year. This makes me feel I am on the right track.

My mission statement still seems relevant. To do peacemaking lovingly, humbly, calmly, and prayerfully, so that it challenges, supports, and fosters reconciliation, friendship, understanding, and compassion between people locally and internationally.

For pictures and further details from this past year, go to the page "04 Pictures and Captions".

Here is a link to this year's budget.

Making a difference for peace in 2004
.
  • The trip to Pennsylvania and California where I gave over a dozen slide presentations and had many significant conversations encouraging people in their peacemaking and sharing about my own peacemaking. I have given eight presentations in local schools.
  • I will manage a Christian Peacemaker Team booth and give three seminars at the Cornerstone Christian Music Festival over July the 4th.
  • I have six others that will help this year. This will enable us to have more time to relate deeper with interested persons.
  • I will have a CPT booth at the county fair this year in August. It will give me a chance to tell a lot of people who have not thought about our connecting peacemaking and Christianity. These two events I really look forward to. I sense in some ways God has given me a gift to talk to others about peacemaking and these are times I can exercise this gift. It is always a joy. I plan to involve others here also.
  • In October for about 2 ½ months I will go to Colombia to be part of the CPT Team protecting some 80 families from the intrusion of the paramilitaries and guerrillas. In the last six months the farmers have made some very significant strides for a lasting peace by saying no to cooperation with these threatening armed groups.
  • At Thanksgiving I will go to El Salvador for a week to help my son Andy settle in for a month with our sister community Valle Nuevo. I am so glad he has initiated to do this.
  • There are so many things a person can be doing for peace, I have been feeling the need to try to set up some kind of peace advisory group. One, to involve others in peacemaking and two, to help in setting priorities amongst the many peacemaking opportunities.
  • Coordinating bringing speakers to the area to speak on peace opportunities and issues.
  • Writing e-mails and letters that encourage and give hope for peacemakers. My letters are at web site http://www.jimspeacemaking.org
  • Participate in weekly Peace Vigil. 2000 cars see our messages the hour we are there. Like “ Pray for Peace, Act for Peace”, “Trust in God and not in Weapons”, “Overcome evil with good”.
  • Sending out messages about peacemaking, I have had many people say how much they appreciate reading these messages. My messages are at web site http://www.jimspeacemaking.org
  • Many years ago I felt a call to pray for others, for peace and various world situations. Therefore I try to take time to do that each day. Many of you are on my list. Your continued prayer support has help my peace work more than we realize.
  • A big goal I have for this year is to set up a advisory board of concerned people for peace. There are so many different opportunities for peacemaking. This would help give me direction by setting priorities. It would also hopefully encourage others to be more active in peacemaking. Please pray for the right people to be part of this group.
Pastoral oversight

I will review my peacemaking activities, plans, and budget spending with my Pastor Rich Foss regularly and with others as needed. I will plan to report to supporters regularly during the year. I welcome your suggestions or questions.

Your invitation to invest in this peacemaking ministry


I am passionate about peace. Will you join me in making peacemaking a priority in today’s world?

Make out checks to Jim's Peacemaking and mail to 723 Seward St, Evanston IL. All contributions are tax deductible.

Thank you for listening.
Sincerely,
Jim Fitz

PS. Please consider acting on your concern for peace by investing generously in peacemaking today.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

An Incredible Prime Minister

           An Incredible Prime Minister     Dear Friends, a hopeful happening,                  Two years ago, Ethiopia was a basket case. The government seemed to be losing control The majority Oromo people were restive under a rule that seemed to rob them of their place. The traditionally powerful Amhara rioted. A state of emergency brought silence on the surface, but underneath the nation seethed. Civil war threatened. A foreigner was killed. Tourism waned. Finally, the prime minister resigned. The church prayed earnestly. Then, unexpectedly, eight months ago, the relatively unknown Abiy Ahmad was elected prime minister. What followed was equally unanticipated. In a bold, courageous acceptance speech; Ahmad announced a policy of peace, love and unity for the nation and its relationships with the rest of the world. He made sweeping promises and, to the surprise of a world cynical of political promises, kept them. “We need friction but not hatred, argument but not insult,”

"The Repairman's Mother In-law"

Dear Friends, "My mother in-law Nellie read that Peace Pilgrim booklet you gave me. She was very moved by it, and she would like to read more by Peace Pilgrim. Do you have any thing else? And she would like to talk to you too," our repairman excitedly said to me. I responded, "I don't have any thing else by Peace Pilgrim, but you can give her this book Restorative Justice by Howard Zehr." Later I got to talk to Nellie. Nellie then shared, "Oh yes, that was really inspiring. We have to build peace person by person and house by house by the way that we relate to and treat each other. What Peace Pilgrim has to say is very important. And I really like the book Restorative Justice that I am now reading. I especially like to read stuff like that." I responded, "When you get that one finished, I can loan you another book!" The political saga continues in Barranca. A prominent Catholic priest, Padre Francisco, a close consultant to the Mayor, who is

un acontecimiento esperanzador

amigos,  un acontecimiento esperanzador  este es un acontecimiento esperanzador! Hace dos años, Etiopía era un caso estancado. El gobierno parecía estar perdiendo el control. La mayoría de las personas Oromo estaban inquietas bajo una regla que parecía robarles su lugar. La tradicionalmente poderosa Amhara se amotinó. Un estado de emergencia trajo silencio en la superficie, pero debajo de la nación se arremolinaba. Una Guerra civil amenazaba. Un extranjero fue asesinado. El turismo disminuyó. Finalmente, el primer ministro renunció. La iglesia oró fervientemente. Luego, inesperadamente, hace ocho meses, el relativamente desconocido Abiy Ahmad fue elegido primer ministro. Lo que siguió fue igualmente imprevisto. En un audaz y valiente discurso de aceptación; Ahmad anunció una política de paz, amor y unidad para la nación y sus relaciones con el resto del mundo. Hizo grandes promesas y para sorpresa en un mundo cínico de promesas políticas, las cumplió. "Necesitamos