Reflections from Weldon Nisly's presentation on his experience in CPT/ Kurdistan

By Verna Zook

            Around fifty persons attended our last JPOG meeting at Wellman Mennonite Church on Saturday, July 7, 2018, to hear Weldon Nisly address the topic "Building Peace in the Ancient-Contemporary Land of Iraqi-Kurdistan" about his work with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. 

National Commission on Public Service Meeting Held in Vinton, IA

By Roger Farmer

At 6:30 pm on Tuesday, June 26, 2018, I attended a public meeting of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service at the Wesley Methodist Church, Vinton, Iowa (about an hour north of Iowa City).   Following are a few memories and comments about this meeting.

Malala Yousafzai: A Life of Bravery and Stardom - What is she doing now?

by Meghan Kodiaga

            A non-profit and numerous schools exist in her name; she has met with politicians around the globe: now this is a girl worthy of a memoir.  She is most well-known for a blog that she wrote as a youth documenting the life of a child in the war zone and being shot in the head by the Taliban and surviving nearly a 100% recovery. 

National and Personal Interests in Negotiations Between North Korea and the United States

By Kelly Lundeen, Nukewatch Co-director

Reprinted with permission from Nukewatch; see nukewatchinfo.org.  See end of article for more contact info.

Note: This article in the summer 2018 Nukewatch Quarterly was published June 8 just before the North Korea-US summit. For updates on this topic check our Facebook page or Nukewatch website; scroll down the Issues tab for North Korea. Updated June 21, 2018

Extreme fluctuations in relations between North Korea and the rest of the world in recent months have kept war hawks and peace doves at the edge of their seats. At one moment the United States and North Korea were lobbing nuclear threats at one another, sounding closer than ever in recent history to a potential military conflict.

“What is Justice?” Prayer Service for Peace & Social Justice held in Des Moines Mon., June 11, 2018

By Christine Sheller

A moving prayer service and peace walk occurred Monday, June 11, 2018 in Des Moines, sponsored by the Iowa Chapter of MFSA (Methodist Federation for Social Action), along with several other cosponsors of organizations within the United Methodist Church.

IPN Immigration Statement

Written by IPN Staff & Joint Oversight Committee  (If you would like to sign your name to this statement, email iowapeacenetwork@gmail.com)

We, supporters of Iowa Peace Network, wish to restate the value of respecting the human rights of all persons. In that spirit, we urge all government and civic authorities to respect the human rights of those living among us and seeking asylum in our country. We affirm that many of our ancestors also sought safety, refuge and religious freedom in this country and were not hindered in their attempt to start a new life here.

“This Evil Thing” drama enacted Sun., April 15 at Iowa Mennonite School, organized by Just Peace Outreach Group (JPOG) and Center on Conscience and War (CCW)

By Verna Zook

On Sunday, April 15, 2018, actor and playwright Michael Mears explored the courage it took to be a pacifist in World War I in the United Kingdom in a dramatic presentation entitled "This Evil Thing."

Governments called it "Conscription" and "the Draft" . . .Conscientious Objectors called it "This Evil Thing!"

Palestine-Israel: “We All Have To Choose” -Israeli author Miko Peled, speaks in DM

By Kathleen McQuillen

In recent weeks Palestinians imprisoned inside besieged Gaza have organized non-violent demonstrations at the apartheid fence to demand their internationally affirmed “right of return” to their Palestinian homes.

Movie “Paul, an Apostle of Christ” Promotes Peace

By Christine Sheller

“Paul, An Apostle of Christ,” which came out in March, promotes nonviolence and peace.  It is the story of the Apostle Paul, whose story is in Acts of the New Testament, and is the writer with the most works in the New Testament.  Written and directed by Andrew Hyatt, starring James Faulkner as the Apostle Paul, and Jim Caviezel (who portrayed Jesus in The Passion of the Christ) as Saint Luke, it is a riveting film.  It was released by Sony Pictures.

Palm Sunday Procession for Peace, Des Moines, March 25, 2018

By Christine Sheller

(Pictures will be coming!)

The annual Palm Sunday Procession for Peace (in Des Moines), and the Prayer Service for Peace which coincides with it happened again this year, and it was a wonderful time!