Historical March 1982 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
The Mennonite Church in St. Louis recently announced the establishment of a peace education office in the Central West End.
The office, located at 4501 Westminster, has been created by the Mennonite church to promote the cause of peacemaking, and to educate people on the issues of registration and the draft, the nuclear arms race, and the military.
The Mennonites, along with the Quakers and the Bretheran in Christ, are known as the “historic peace churches,” churches whose tradition is deeply pacifistic, nonviolent, and based on Christ’s call for us to be peacemakers. Therefore, in an effort to promote in the community both its own peace identity and the concept of peacemaking, the Mennonite Fellowship of St. Louis established the Mennonite Peace Witness in November of 1981.
The Peace Witness’s efforts are concentrated on several areas of concern.
It is a draft counseling service, available to any young man who is concerned or confused or uncertain about the draft registration process.
The Peace Witness is also an education resource, ready to talk to church and school groups about the military, the nuclear arms race, the draft, war taxes, and peacemaking.
They wish to educate people on these issues, and promote alternatives and plans of action.
The Peace Witness, in addition to publishing a newsletter, has started a film/ speaker series on peace and social justice issues.
The series will be held monthly at Grace and Peace Fellowship, 6003 Kingsbury.
The first night, held in February, centered on “The Question of War.” The second night, scheduled for March 25, will feature William Eckhardt speaking on “Compassion: Attitudes Towards War and Peace.” In the future, there will be a speaker on the European peace movement, and films on Vietnam, nuclear arms, and men of peace.
For further information on the series, draft counseling, the education resource, or if you would like to receive the newsletter (free), please contact the Peace Witness at 4501 Westminster Pl., or call 367-4220.
Originally published in The Paper, March 1982.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1982_03.pdf, printed page(s) 7; PDF page(s) 8.
