Jim's Peacemaking

Hello friends, “I told you I was going to Colombia, didn’t I?” said my friend Paul Alexander, the co-founder of Pentecostals and Charismatics for Peace and Justice . “No, I know nothing about it.” I responded. Paul answered, “Well, next May, Bob Welch, a fellow professor, and I are going to Colombia to interview Colombian church people who are active in peace and justice work. We want to use these interviews for a book we are writing. I was hoping you could help us find people to interview and to come help us with the interviews.” This all happened about 9:30 PM in Los Angeles after I was told by the Presbyterians that morning in New York that they felt I would not work for their Colombian accompaniment program because It meant waiting around for something to happen several days a week and they felt that would not fit who I was. I asked to try it for a month, but they felt it just would not work. What a gift for the Lord to open doors so qu...

Hola amigos, 15-9-2009 Pidiendo Oraciones Tengo una lista de peticiones por oración por ustedes: 1. El Salvador está en medio de una elección importante hoy. Ora que la voluntad del Señor esté hecho, y que lo que sea el resultado, la gente tenga diálogo entre si y que no tenga recurso a la violencia para resolver sus diferencias. 2. Mañana tengo planes para dar seis presentaciones en la escuela secundaria de Proviso del Oeste en Chicago. Los estudiantes están involucrados en las pandillas y algunos probablemente llevan armas cuando no están en clase. Ora que estemos abiertos a lo que Dios querré decirnos a y que cada uno de nosotros traiga su paz, justicia, y alegría. 3. He hecho una solicitud y he tenido una entrevista para ofrecerme en el programa de acompañamiento de la iglesia Colombina Presbiteriana. Me sentí muy bien sobre la entrevista y me siento que el programa me caería muy bien. Los presbiterianos han esperado por dos semanas para hablar con CPT ante...

On September.9 I start a tour giving presentations that will take me to PA, NY, CA, and OR. Here is a flyer that explains about my talks. I will be posting times and places soon in case you would like to attend. Thank you for your interest and prayers of support. Peace and blessings to you. Jim

An answer from six years involvement in Colombia A presentation by Jim Fitz We invite you to hear Jim share through slides and stories from his 6 years in Colombia and of his faith journey to peacemaking and hope through prayer. From directly confronting armed groups to organizing soccer games between communities split by war, Christian Peacemaker Teams strives to reduce violence in war torn areas throughout the world through dialogue and becoming active and vocal observers. “For 50 years now you have been trying to solve the conflict here in Colombia with a gun, can’t you see violence just brings more deaths and suffering everyday?” Interestingly, the soldiers responded, “Yes, that sure is true, isn’t it?” Jim will share about the hopes seen in the many ways politicians, human rights workers, and Christians are risking their lives to forge a peace in Colombia . He will explain how the 40-year ongoing civil war started and evolved to entangle the local farmers between three armed grou...

Dear Friends, Urgent: I just learned the US State Department is hoping to close the agreement to use seven Colombian military bases in Colombia by mid August, so it is important to follow through on praying for a change in those plans and to let your representatives know of your opposition to them ASAP. This very well could be the beginning of our government’s next war. See my last letter and these links: http://i2.democracynow.org/2009/7/27/tensions_rise_in_latin_americas_over http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE57933O20090810 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6788054.ece Cornerstone 2009 “I think I talked to your people in Baghdad. I was a truck driver in the US Army and we had a little down time and I wanted to see if these American civilians would call us baby killers. But to my surprise they were very warm, understanding, and in a way, very compassionate,” remarked this 27 year old women by the name of Erin. “Might it have been a woman ...

New US War, US Military Bases in Colombia July 30, 2009 Hello Friends, I am very concerned about the US recently announced plans to construct military bases in Colombia. As you know, I have been a volunteer with Christian Peacemaker Teams since 2002, accompanying Colombian farmers who are threatened by guerrillas, paramilitaries, and Colombian military forces. As we have often told these armed groups, “You have been trying to resolve the conflict in Colombia for the last 50 years with a gun. Can’t you see it just does not work? It just results in more suffering and death of people each day.” To build military bases in Colombia is continuing this same false assumption that the conflict in Colombia can be solved with a gun. Lasting resolutions to conflict always are resolved with negotiations. Let’s support President Barak Obama’s proclamation to make diplomacy central in US foreign policy. I sense this is a very pivotal point in US Colombian foreign policy that could go the wrong way ...

Dear friends, Whether you are new to my updates and newsletter or you have been a subscriber or supporter for a long time, greetings from our new home in Chicago. A big change for Lyn and I this year was our move here in December to a rented apartment from our rural farm home of 27 years at Plow Creek Fellowship near Tiskilwa, IL. An important part of my peacemaking efforts has been this an nual reporting of my activities of the last year and a forward projection, with openness to the Lord’s leading, of my hopes and plans, along with a budget for the coming year. This exercise, I have found, is good for me as it lends perspective to my work and also holds me accountable to all of you who are praying and supporting the work and me financially. I’ll begin with some recent photos and commentary: This is one of five presentations to 300 Elkhart high school students in Indiana this April. The teacher noted, “This fueled a half hour of really powerful discussion.” Some of students response...