2023 IPN Funds Appeal

 The Joint Oversight Committee and staff would like to thank you for your continued support this year – 2022-2023.   Thank you for your church’s participation in the Joint Oversight Committee and for donations from congregations, individuals, and your state conferences.  IPN is able to continue its work because of your gifts.

Our budget allows for about 30 paid hours for the coordinator per month. 

The coordinator maintains IPN’s website, www.iowapeacenetwork.org.  The website work for our official website includes adding two posts to our website monthly and updating the events page weekly.

We continue to do a weekly email update of peace events in Iowa and elsewhere to a list of about 300, in addition to opportunities to sign petitions and to write Congress and other officials.  Many peace event items on this calendar are online, but there has been an increase with in-person events as the world continues to feel more comfortable holding in-person events after COVID-19.  We also publish three newsletters during the year to about 700 individuals and churches, and we publish two articles on our website monthly.  

In 2022 the coordinator worked with other peace leaders in the Des Moines area over Zoom to plan a Nagasaki/ Hiroshima commemoration on August 9, and an Iranian womens’ freedom leafletting event in October.  IPN cosponsored a teach-in on Iranian Women’s freedom movement planned by a Middle East Peace group at Drake University in November.  We worked with other groups, such as the Iowa chapter of NIAC (National Iranian American Council), Catholic Peace Ministry (based in Des Moines), and MFSA (Methodist Federation for Social Action).  We cosponsored the Palm Sunday Procession and Prayer Service for Peace in April, International Day of Peace in September and the Feast of the Holy Innocents in December, all of these planned by the Des Moines Faith Committee for Peace. 

IPN signed a letter from over 1000 faith leaders, calling for a Christmas Truce in Ukraine.  Also, we held our Annual Holiday Open House & Alternative Gift Fair December 3 this year at the Des Moines Mennonite Church.  We had several vendors at our Gift Fair, including Equal Exchange items, items from Guatemala, and our IPN items- New Harmony pottery and other items.  We also had non-tangible items available for donating in someone’s name: Heifer Project, Church World Service, and others. To close out the afternoon Dr. Maria Corona, Executive Director of Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (ICADV), spoke on their work. It was a very interesting and well-done presentation.

The coordinator attended display tables at both of Iowa’s Quaker yearly meetings Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) and Iowa Yearly Meeting (FUM/Friends United Meeting), and the Northern Plains Church of the Brethren District Conference, for at least a day at each in late July and early August.  The coordinator attended the Iowa United Methodist Church peace and justice rally during their conference. 

Last, the committee and coordinator are thankful to Des Moines Mennonite Church for continuing to rent us a room for our Des Moines office. 

We thank you for helping us continue to work for peace and justice in Iowa and around the world.  We can’t do it without you.  We’re grateful for any and all donations, which can be mailed to Iowa Peace Network, PO Box 30021, Des Moines, IA, 50310.  There are addressed envelopes tucked into this Dovetail, for your convenience.  Also, we have an online option for giving.  If you’d like to use Paypal, via our website, feel free to give that way as well  Thank you!

Last, sadly, Amazon Smile has discontinued, so that is no longer a venue of income.  Those of you who use it might have realized that now. 

Thanks again, for joining with us in our work for peace.

Sincerely,

The IPN staff & Joint Oversight Committee ~ Mark Leichty (Mennonite Church)-convener,  Jess Hoffert (Church of the Brethren)- secretary, Myrna Frantz (Church of the Brethren), Joel Beane (Friends United Meeting), Peter Clay (Friends Conservative), Sue McCullough (Friends United Meeting) Keith Sheller- Treasurer, & Christine Sheller- Coordinator