May 18, 2012: Two communities, two very different stories of peace, by Ted Collins

One story from San Jose de Apartado, Colombia, South America:

After more than 40 years of civil war, the villagers of the small, isolated community of San Jose de Apartado in northern Colombia decided to declare themselves a community of peace. By doing so, they were not aligning with any military group. Instead, they just wanted to be left alone to carry on with their agrarian lives.

By declaring peace, the exact opposite occurred. One of the paramilitary groups left threatening notices, admonishing the villagers to leave. When they did not, the paramilitary group invaded and some villagers were killed and tortured.

The village became a ghost town. Eventually, with the help of outside groups, including the Colombian Presbyterian Church, some families moved back to try to rebuild.

Another story from Concordia, Kansas, USA:

A few years ago, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia worked with others in our community to declare  “A Year of Peace” project. As far as I know, no one has threatened our lives or demanded that we leave the city because of this declaration.

We have been blessed by this project. It offers all of us the opportunity to seek peace within ourselves and between neighbors. It reminds us to appreciate all we have. It provides a chance to reach out to neighbors in ways that we may not have considered.

Compared to rural villages globally, we are fortunate to be able to take for granted safe water, safe streets, abundant food and durable shelter.

Thank you, Sisters of St. Joseph, for your presence and work in our community.

 

— Ted Collins was born in St. Joseph’s Hospital (in the building that now is home to Manna House of Prayer), raised in Concordia, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Peru, and finished his career as a School Social Worker with the Learning Cooperative of North Central Kansas. He has been part of three Colombia South America Presbyterian Church missions since 2005. He and his wife Nancy have led five Presbyterian mission trips to the Gulf of Mexico and have participated in numerous Habitat for Humanity projects in Latin America, India, Africa and Vietnam.

Volunteers step up to design anti-poverty program

More than a dozen participants of the ongoing Community Needs Forum stepped forward Wednesday to tackle one particular community need – helping people lift themselves out of poverty.

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Finding ways to fight poverty has been one of the topics of serious discussion since the Sisters of St. Joseph began hosting the forums and “working lunches” in January 2009, but Sister Marcia Allen noted Wednesday that no solid proposals had really gelled.

So a contingent of sisters and Motherhouse staff visited other Kansas cities that have joined the national Circles Campaign or adapted the Circles idea to fit local needs.

Jennifer Stull, who works in the sisters’ Neighborhood Initiatives office, was part of that contingent and gave the report during Wednesday’s lunch.

One of the major goals in a successful anti-poverty program, Stull said, was to change the focus from a “hand out” to a “hand up.”

One major indicator of community poverty, Stull noted, is the percentage of children eligible for free or reduced-cost school lunches. In the Concordia School District, that number is 55 percent. In the Southern County School District, it’s 62 percent. For all of Cloud County, it works out to 57 percent, compared to 47 percent for the entire state of Kansas.

She also cited the 2010 Census, which showed 17.4 percent of all Cloud County residents — or about 1,660 people — living below the federal poverty level.

The communities Stull and the rest of the group visited face similarly challenging demographics, she said, but there were also differences — including larger populations.

“What we saw were places with a population of closer to 20,000,’ she said. “That’s where Circles were working.”

Based on their visits and other research, the small group put together a recommendation for those attending Wednesday’s working lunch. Rather than joining the national Circles Campaign, the group proposed:

• Recruiting volunteers to form a core committee
• Having that core committee create a smaller scale program based on some of the principles of the Circles Campaign, combined with ideas from various experts
• Identifying and then interviewing people in Concordia to assess their actual needs and interest in participating
• Building a curriculum around the needs that were identified
• Recruiting participants in the new program, and then launching it.

Of about 45 participants at the working lunch, more than a dozen volunteered to be part of the core committee — and a number of them had suggestions already.

Everett Ford, who has been a regular forum participant, said that while gathering information from national groups is valuable, a locally designed program would work best because “one size does not fit all.”

Pastor Tessa Zehring of the United Methodist Church said that many people get frustrated with anti-poverty programs “when they’re a hand-out. If you can show this is a hand-up, then you can get community support.”

Others said they particularly liked the idea of a small program that can grow as needed.

Sister Marcia Allen said she will be in touch with everyone who volunteered to set up a meeting of core committee members. Anyone interested in joining the committee is encouraged to contact her at 243-2149 or mallen@csjkansas.org.

Other items on Wednesday’s agenda were a variety of reports:

•  The Year of Peace Committee is planning what committee member Patrick Sieben called a “Poolapalooza” — an ice cream social and pool party at City Park, co-sponsored by the city and at least one other organization. The party is tentatively scheduled for the evening of July 28.
•  The Year of Peace Committee is also partnering for the second year with the Concordia Police Department on National Night Out, which is set for Aug. 7. This nationwide event, now in its 29^th year, is designed to bring neighbors together for cookouts, potlucks and similar activities. Anyone interested in organizing a neighborhood party may contact Beth Weddle at 243-2113, ext. 1223, or eweddle@csjkansas.org.
•  The Cancer Support Group, for patients, survivors, family members and other caregivers, continues to meet on the third Tuesday of every month at the Nazareth Motherhouse. Sister Janice Koelzer asked participants to help get the word out to people who might benefit from the group support. For details, contact Jane Wahlmeier at 243-2113, ext. 1101, or jwahlmeier@csjkansas.org.
•  Marla Jorgensen announced — to a round of applause — that she has purchased the Huckleberry Tea House in downtown Concordia and expects to reopen the restaurant sometime this summer.

The next working lunch is scheduled for Aug. 1. The quarterly gatherings provide an opportunity for updates on projects and a clearinghouse for new ideas. You do not have to have attended an earlier session to join the process. For information or to be added to the email “reminder list,” contact Sister Jean Rosemarynoski at 243-2149 or sisterjean@csjkansas.org.

 

 

 

 

May 4, 2012: Volunteering doesn’t have to be a drag, by Emily Barrington

All communities need volunteers, and volunteering in your community is a great thing to do. It’s a way to not only help others, but also make new friends at the same time.

Volunteers can do many things. They can help people at a nursing home, rake leaves for those who can’t, or pick up trash along the highway. There are many things you can do to help your community.

Why should we volunteer? Well, I have always thought that a healthy community needs volunteers, and it helps keep your community active and peaceful.

You volunteer every time you see a discarded can on the side of the road. You volunteer every time you walk your dog and clean up the mess. Little things like that can help the community.

Every day, we wake up and think, “What needs to be done?” We think of things like mowing the lawn, walking the dog, or tending to the garden. Sometimes we should think about all the other people we could be helping.

I would like to address the youth on this one. Young people get up and most of the time all we think about is school, homework and friends. We don’t think about helping the elderly lady across the street.

Whenever someone says, “Let’s go and repaint the parking line for a church,” maybe five out of 80 kids will stand up to do it, and actually want to. My point is that a community needs to have volunteers who actually want to be there, otherwise, it’s a total drag.

In conclusion, all good communities need willing volunteers to help it stay clean and prosperous.  So, go out in your community and volunteer.

— Emily Barrington is a seventh grader at Concordia Junior High School. She is the daughter of Veronica Coons.

 

April 20, 2012: Pitch in to clean up Concordia, by Stormie Hittle and Chloe Rohovit

Author and environmentalist Aldo Leopold once said, “Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.”

I think we can all agree that in order to make the earth the best it can be, we need to start taking steps to beautify it. These are things that anyone can do. For example, whenever you see piece of trash on the ground, pick it up. This small act really does help the earth in the long run.

A large controversy in America is recycling. Recycling could help our earth greatly if everyone would start to do it. It doesn’t take much to throw your pop cans, paper or plastic bottles in a recycling bin when you are finished using them. If your school doesn’t have a recycling program, talk to an adult to see if you can get one started.

Conserving is also a great way to beautify our community. If we drink from fewer water bottles, there would be fewer of them to worry about recycling.

If everyone would do these kinds of small acts, our community would be greatly affected. A pleasant community appearance adds to home values, helps attract business investment and just improves the neighborhood reputation. Research shows that beauty is one of the top three factors in creating community attachment, or loyalty, to your particular town or city.

Another issue with many other cities and towns is graffiti. Just by removing the graffiti in your city, you can increase the value of homes. Removing graffiti is as easy as just painting over it. It doesn’t take long and it doesn’t take much effort.

Many cities in the United States have been coming together to clean up their community. People in Marysville, Mo., for example, are making this year the time to come together to clean up their town. They have been hosting “cleanup days” to work on their City Hall building and new landscaping.

So, if a group of people could come together, they could clean up our city in no time at all. In Concordia there are enough concerned young people who would be willing to volunteer to help change the face of community.

— Stormie Hittle is the daughter of Derek and Amy Hittle, and Chloe Rohovit is the daughter of Julie Tyler. Both are freshmen at Concordia High School. 

 

Monday, April 9, 2012

Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.

~Doug Larson

April 6, 2012: Earth Day reminds us — again — of our planet’s fragility, by Sister Carolyn Teter

The theme of the World Day of Peace in 2010 was, “If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation.”  Because of the close bond that exists in our globalized and interconnected world, we need to emblazon that statement in our consciousness so we have a heightened awareness of the fragility of Planet Earth, caused mainly by our carelessness and disregard toward the natural environment.

John McConnell, one of the founders and promoters of Earth Day in the United States, presented “77 Theses On the Care of the Earth.”  In them, he offered the essential ideas that he felt were needed to bring about a global change of consciousness from mindless exploitation of the earth resources, to a peaceful nurture of Planet Earth. Here are a few of his ideas pertaining primarily to building relationships to care for the Earth.  (Log on to www.earthsite.org/77.htm for all 77.)

•  That mutual trust is necessary in order to counter the threats to our planet.

•  That only by open communication and joint action, for a great common good, can mutual trust develop.

•  That the one thing we have in common is our planet.

•  That a campaign for the care of Earth will create relationships leading to mutual trust and ultimately to reciprocal disarmament and stable peace.

•  That peaceful actions beget peace.

•  That in a world of instant global communications a strong, informed public opinion in all nation’s dedicated to peace and care of Earth, could become the greatest deterrent  to war and local violence.

•  That the greatest challenge in history is the present challenge of destiny involving all humanity; a challenge to reclaim the Earth for all peoples and to free them from the fear of war and want.

•  That accepting this challenge will bring the measure of trust needed to achieve these goals.

Earth Day 2012 is April 22, and it is estimated that 1 billion people around the globe will participate in this event to help “Mobilize the Earth.” It will be a time when people of all nationalities and backgrounds will give voice to their appreciation of the Planet Earth, and demand its protection so that a sustainable future can be assured for all.  It will be a time for calling on every individual, organizations and government to do their part. The goal of the day is to collect “A Billion Acts of Green” to show the importance of environmental issues around the world.

What can we do here in Concordia on April 22 (and every day) to create a community of persons who are committed to saving Planet Earth and thus bringing about a culture of peace in this community and in the world? Here are a few suggestions.  (And for more, go to www.earthday.org.)

• Attend an Earth Day event.

• Organize an Earth Day event

• Talk to someone about your concern for environmental issues — global warming, the water scarcity, renewable energy instead of the use of fossil fuels.

• Change a light bulb.  If every U.S. family replaced one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb, it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off the road.

• Reduce, reuse, recycle.  By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

• Use less heat and air conditioning.

• Drive less and drive smart.  Check out options for carpooling to work or school.  Make sure your car is running efficiently.

• Buy energy-efficient products.

• Use less hot water.

• Plant a tree.

• Encourage others to conserve.

If each person chose one of these suggestions and put it into practice, the goal of Earth Day 2012 — to collect a “Billion Acts of Green” — would be accomplished. But most important, by these actions a culture of peace in our community and in the world is being created.

 

— Sister Carolyn Teter is a Sister of St. Joseph of Concordia on staff at Manna House of Prayer. She is also a member of the Concordia Year of Peace Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commitment to civility continues to grow

For the third year in a row, Concordians have stepped up to sign a public “Civility Pledge” sponsored by the Year of Peace Committee.

This year’s pledge — with 312 signatures — was published in today’s Concordia Blade-Empire newspaper (Friday, April 6) and is available as a downloadable PDF; just CLICK HERE.

In 2010, when the committee first introduced the Civility Pledge, it garnered 244 signatures. Last year that number grew to 299.

People signing the pledge promise to be “civil in my public discourse and behavior” and “respectful of others whether or not I agree with them” and to “stand against incivility when I see it.”

Sister Jean Rosemarynoski, who chairs the Year of Peace Committee, said the Civility Pledge is particularly important in this presidential election year.

“Civility means being respectful despite our differences of opinion,” she said. “We want to get the message out, and then encourage everyone to live that message: That all people must be treated with dignity and respect.”

The Year of Peace Committee came together in late 2009 as a result of an “interest group” at the Community Needs Forum working lunches hosted by the Sisters of St. Joseph.  Anyone who wants more information about the continuing Concordia Year of Peace or would like to be part of the committee may contact Sister Jean at 785/243-2149 or by email at sisterjean@csjkansas.org.

Each year the Blade-Empire has generously donated space to publish the signatures.

 

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Friday’s the deadline to sign Civility Pledge

Friday (March 30) is the deadline to sign the 2012 Civility Pledge, one of the ongoing projects of the Concordia Year of Peace Committee.

Copies of the pledge are available to sign at the Frank Carlson Library, Concordia.  Signature sheets are also available to download; just CLICK HERE.

The Year of Peace Committee launched the community Civility Pledge drive in 2010, and 244 Concordians signed on. In 2011, that number grew to 300. Each year the Concordia Blade-Empire published a page of the signatures, which the newspaper will do again sometime in April.

The Civility Pledge says: “I will be civil in my public discourse and behavior, I will be respectful of others whether or not I agree with them and I will stand against incivility when I see it.”

Sister Jean Rosemarynoski, who chairs the Year of Peace Committee, said the Civility Pledge is particularly important in this presidential election year.

“Civility means being respectful despite our differences of opinion,” she said. “We want to get the message out, and then encourage everyone to live that message: That all people must be treated with dignity and respect.”

Anyone who wants more information about the continuing Concordia Year of Peace or would like to be part of the committee may contact Sister Jean at 785/243-2149 or by email at sisterjean@csjkansas.org.

March 16, 2012: Tips for keeping the peace & building friendships, by Maddison Peltier

Friendship and trust go hand in hand. If you cannot trust someone, you’re not really friends.

Respect also plays a big role in a friendship. If you don’t give respect, you can’t expect to receive it.

Never walk away mad from a friend. The next day they may not be there for you to ask for forgiveness. A friendship can come and go in a matter of seconds. Life is short and you never know when it might be the last time you see a friend. If you part mad, you may have to live with that for the rest of your life.

With friendship and family, you have to compromise. One person cannot always be right.  You have to meet in the middle. When you compromise, everyone will get a little of what they want. An example would be if you are one of three friends who each want to watch their favorite movie; the three can compromise by watching a movie they all like instead of their favorite.  Then you and your friends all get to spend time with each other.

In friendships and family you should always work hard to keep your relationships in good repair. When you have a conflict, solve it right away. True friends shouldn’t require as much work to do this. Friends and family like you for who you are so you don’t have to worry about impressing them. If you have to work to impress your friends, it’s likely not worth being friends with them. Be yourself and your friends and family will stick with you through thick and thin.

Support your friends’ decisions. Try to get along with everyone no matter how hard it is. Don’t hold grudges against people who haven’t made the best decisions as we all make bad decisions from time to time. Be an active member of your community. Go support peers at their sporting events, or other events they’re involved in. These are things you can do to show others you care.

Make good decisions about who you choose as friends. Be the best you can be. If that is not good enough for other people, do not associate with them. Remember that family should always come first. This is how we can keep our friendships and family close to us and make our community a peaceful one.

 

— Maddison Peltier is an eighth grader at Concordia Junior High School. She is the daughter of Greg and Tami Peltier.

 

 

 

 

March 2, 2012: Music helps visualize a beautiful path to peace, by Barbara Akers

I never cease to be amazed at the way God weaves life moment by moment.

While playing the piano one morning, I received several welcomed phone calls from family and friends. Before returning to my piano, I checked for any new emails and was surprised to see I was asked to write a column for the Blade-Empire. My first thought was could I ever compose a piece worthy of printing in the time allowed. Within minutes though, I realized my morning was already writing the piece for me. The theme — “building community, nurturing relationships: a path to peace” — was exactly what my phone conversations and piano music had been speaking to my heart.

During my phone visits, no world peace treaties were signed, crimes continued to be committed and injustices and poverty still overwhelmed people’s lives. That morning, though, found me coming alongside family members and friends as we each poured ourselves out, the good, the bad and yes, even at times the ugly. There was some laughter and even once the choking back of tears. The conversations were filled with life: births anticipated, relationships desired, choices being made, thankfulness for each other and even amazement at dire situations playing out to perfection. We were a community; we are a community. We are there for each other, always striving to build each other up and never tear down.

The song I was playing that morning was “How Beautiful” by Twila Paris. I never tire of the continuous practice as it fills my soul with joy.

One word is printed above the first note to describe the manner in which it should be played, “flowing.”  About midway through the song the flow changes with larger chords, different runs and even a brief new rhythm. I find my fingers stretching and my mind tensed trying to accomplish the passage. Shortly, it quiets down to very simple flow again. Someone unfamiliar with the song could easily think it is about finished.  The soft passage is leading to an impressive key change and powerful flowing music to the slowed end. Throughout the music there are a numerous instances of notes played together that normally would be thought to clash, yet when mixed in with other notes they bring the perfect blend of harmony.

There are two phrases in the lyrics that lend well to the message of this article.  The first is “how beautiful the tender eyes that choose to forgive and never despise.”

We all have at times been on the giving or receiving end of hurtful words or actions. Can we choose today to ask forgiveness from those we have hurt and offer forgiveness to those who brought us pain? Can we feel the “how beautiful” already showering down on us?  Romans 12:18 states, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” The whole forgiveness issue depends on each of us individually. As we are able to offer and accept forgiveness, we will experience inner peace. Forgiving is always worth the cost.

The other phrase is “how beautiful when humble hearts give the fruit of pure lives so that others may live,” which takes me straight to Galatians 5:22-23a:  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Just think what a ripple effect could occur if we each could be humble enough to allow those “fruits” to flow from us to others. Can we choose today to work on having that beautiful outpouring from us to others rather than no outpouring or worse yet, harsh words, impatience, hatred and tearing down? The fruit of the Spirit when shared will always build up and nurture.

The phrase “how beautiful” occurs 20 times in the song. If even one were removed, the lyrics would be incomplete.

We will each desire the song of our life to be one of beauty. How many times will we allow the Master Composer to insert “how beautiful” in our composition? Will we choose to have a simple flow from start to finish or will we welcome more challenging passages that stretch and tense us and develop strength and growth within? Will our life song build towards the finish? As our responsibilities from earlier years change, we may just find opportunities to serve, give and come alongside others knocking at our door.

Will we want those notes that should clash interspersed throughout our life song? Think for a moment. Every one of us is capable of being a clashing note. Beautiful harmony is only achieved as we look beyond ourselves. As we slowly master that more difficult task, we will realize that community is being built, relationships are being nurtured and the path to peace is almost visible.

How Beautiful.

— Barbara Akers is a wife, mother and grandmother who lives in Concordia.

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