Saturday, November 1st
All Saints Day

"Christianity stands or fails with its revolutionary protest against violence, arbitrariness, and pride of power and with its plea for the weak... Christendom adjusts itself far too easily to the worship of power. Christians should give more offense, shock the world more, than they are doing." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

As All Saints Day approaches, I am convicted by these words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a hero and martyr of peacemakers. All Saints Day gives us an opportunity to remember the saints and martyrs throughout history whose stories and legacies serve to inspire and encourage us today. Bonhoeffer's story of resistance to the Nazi regime and commitment to the oppressed inspires me to identify my own participation in systems of oppression and conceive of ways to peacefully respond with justice.

Join us on Saturday, November 1st at 7:00 PM at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle, Washington to reflect upon the challenges facing our country as we prepare to participate in the national election. We will join in prayer and song as we remember the witness of saints, both ancient and modern, who inspire and encourage us as we follow the One who proclaimed, "The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoner, recovery of sight for the blind, and release to the oppressed..."

St. Mark's is located at 1245 10th Ave. E. in Seattle, Washington. For more information, call (425) 379-7067, or visit http://kairos-action.org.

Coleen's Reflections on

Let Justice Roll

The Lutheran Peace Fellowship recently sponsored "Let Justice Roll," an event for peace and justice-minded high school-aged youth. The attending youth were engaging, passionate, and lively. Here are the reflections of one such youth, Coleen Hogan:

My name is Coleen Hogan and I am a senior at Olympia High School and a member of The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepard in Olympia WA. A few weekends ago I was fortunate enough to go on a fun and meaningful retreat up at Holden Village called "Let Justice Roll" to learn and discuss the theme of practicing our faith in the Salmon Nation. The number of people was small but we immediately made connections and became a very close-knit group, sharing fun and faith throughout the weekend.

Our discussions on practicing our faith in the Salmon Nation centered on care of self, care of neighbor, and care of creation, and we explored these topics in different ways using art, games, movies, slideshows, and scripture. In care of self we thought about our self image and the difference between what we want to see in ourselves and what the media wants us to see. In care of neighbor we talked about all the different parts in our communities and how our decisions can affect everything in our world. Our last focus was care of creation where we thought of all the ways we can change and preserve the beautiful gifts God has given us by “going green” or just helping a friend in need. These topics inspired a lot of thought and insight and gave me new ideas on how to live my life in the Salmon Nation.

Throughout this experience it was evident that though we may be talking about the pros and cons of being more eco-friendly, God was ever present in our hearts and minds. It is one thing to discuss “going green” but to talk about it from a Christian standpoint gives new perspective and made me realize that it’s not just an issue of environmental conservation, but of faith and responsibility. For me practicing my faith in the Salmon Nation means learning how to preserve and sustain the beautiful home and people God has given me while educating others as well. Being at Holden was the best part of retreat, with all the quiet beauty around it was easy to feel God’s presence and kept me focused on the theme. All the great ideas against the amazing backdrop of Holden Village is enough to fill a weekend with laughter, song, and fellowship while also restoring and preparing me for my life back home. I came back a little happier, a little wiser, and a little more prepared to go out and practice my faith in the Salmon Nation.

Understanding the Economic Crisis

Economics can be a tough thing to get our head around sometimes. But as with any issue, a good way to start thinking about it is by asking: Who is benefiting? Who is suffering? How can we meet each person's needs? Is there a better way?

Here are some links to help you understand our current economic situation, and think about our role as Christian peacemakers.

Effects on the rest of the world: United Nations discussion.
Lutheran response to the crisis: ELCA action alert.
What you can do for yourself: Smart saving, banking, investing.
Wall street, creating wealth, and money: David Korten column.

Art and Hope! Peace Leadership Training
In this day-long workshop, we'll use the arts and hands-on activities to explore our hopes for our world and how we can make them a reality. You don't have to consider yourself and "artist" to attend- this is "art" for everyone!

During the day, we will spend time doing personal reflection, group discussion exploring peace and justice, learning skills and tools for making change, collaborating and encouraging each other. No matter how much you know about justice, or how much you have been involved in your community, you should expect to find like-minded friends who will inspire you.

We encourage you to register and come with other friends from your school, school club, youth group, or church. Spread the word!

This workshop is sponsored by us at Lutheran Peace Fellowship, but is open to people from all spiritual traditions (or none at all!). We will do all we can to foster a space that is safe for folks of all race, class, ethnic, gender, religious, ability, and sexual identities. The facilitators are Monica Fisk and Lindsey Bulger, youth trainers with LPF.

When: Saturday, December 6th, from 9am- 5pm.
Where: University Friends Meeting, 4001 9th Ave. NE Seattle, 98105 (University District). For directions, click here.
Cost: $25-50 sliding scale, scholarships available.
To register: email lpfyouth@gmail.com, call (206) 720-0313 ask for Monica or Lindsey.

Join our facebook group! Lutheran Peace Fellowship Youth Group