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.

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. 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

Feb. 17, 2012: Civility Pledge helps us all build harmony, by Holly Boley and Will Strommen

“Civility costs nothing, and buys everything,” Mary Wortley Montagu said.

We both believe in that quote. To us it means that just a simple act of civil behavior can get you far in life. Once again the Concordia Year of Peace Committee is asking everyone in the community to join together to promote civility in public discourse and behavior.

The first challenge in the Civility Pledge is, “I will be civil in my public discourse and behavior.” This truly boils down to just doing the right thing. If there is any thought in your mind that would lead you to believe an action is wrong, chances are it is. Remember though, “Sometimes the right thing and the hard thing are the same thing.”

The second challenge is to be respectful of others whether or not you agree. It is human nature to have your own opinion. How we portray that opinion is a direct line to a person’s character. Now don’t get us wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a healthy debate. But, at the end of the day, you will have to accept the fact not everyone is the same.

The final challenge is to stand against incivility when you see it. As members of the school’s Friends of Rachel club, this is our motto.

Whether or not you, personally, have experienced bullying, it is a part of everyday life no matter how old you are. When walking through our halls, we occasionally see bullying but we have also seen students stand up to the bully. Due to anti-bullying speakers and clubs, our school has seen improvement but we still have some ways to go in this area. Even though standing up to a bully is very difficult to do, we feel it is a skill all students and adults in the community need to strengthen.

The Year of Peace and the Civility Pledge is a great way to make people aware of the problems in our community and ways to promote civility. This will help make Concordia and Cloud County residents have better relationships and harmony. We hope you will all sign it!

(Copies of the Civility Pledge will be available to sign at Frank Carlson Library, or you can download a copy for yourself at www.csjkansas.org/year-of-peace/)

— Will Strommen is a junior at Concordia High School and is the son of David and Anita Strommen.  Holly Boley is a senior at Concordia High School and is the daughter of Mark and Connie Boley.

 

Feb. 3, 2012: Exploring the idea of community in our community, by Denise de Rochefort-Reynolds

For the third year, the Frank Carlson Library is partnering with the Concordia Year of Peace Committee to create opportunities for citizens to discuss important topics in a relaxed environment. It seemed a natural fit this year when the library learned that “Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen” was chosen for the Kansas One Book/One State reading and discussion project.  On the surface this book, written by Joe Drape, is a football story. The main characters are the revered, seasoned coach and an assortment of high school football players whose talent and determination on and off the field inspire the reader.

But there is a second story in this book. It is the story of a rural community, a community dedicated to growing something more important than wheat or cattle. What the community of Smith Center produces each year is a group of students who have been instilled with the basic values of hard work, love, patience and humility. When you read this book, you may ask yourself questions about our own community:

How does our community build the character of its young people?

What values are our teachers, coaches, parents and other community leaders instilling in our children?

Do our children internalize these values and carry them with them into adult life?

Some issues that many communities face are not addressed in “Our Boys.” The problems of gangs and bullying, the challenges of coping with mental or physical handicaps, the limitations of severe poverty, homelessness and domestic violence; these topics are outside the scope of the book. Yet many communities struggle to find solutions for these problems in ways that unite people in an effort to improve the quality of life for all. How does our community address these problems? Are the solutions beneficial to all concerned?  Are they the best that we can envision and afford?

What makes a good community? For that matter, what is a community, anyway? Is it defined by geography?

Certainly we would all agree that the town where you live, or even your neighborhood, is your community. But community can refer to something both bigger and smaller. It can be a group sharing a common culture, a group of people in a workplace, a group united by faith (such as a church’s congregation), or united by purpose (such as a service organization). In most cases, the idea of community is based on shared values, resources and sense of identity.

How do we identify our community? What resources, needs and solutions do we share? Is it important to agree on everything, on most things, on anything? How does our community react to diversity of opinion? Do we welcome outsiders into our community or do we shun them? Do we believe that even big city reporters like Joe Drape, author of “Our Boys,” have something to contribute to our community?

These are all questions worth thinking about, and worth talking about as a community. If you have ideas about how we can do that — as a community — please let me, or a member of the Concordia Year of Peace Committee, know.

I hope that we allow all who are part of our community an opportunity to make a difference.  We will all benefit.

 

— Denise de Rochefort-Reynolds is the director of the Frank Carlson Library.  She and her husband Karl have lived in Concordia for more than 25 years.

Jan. 20, 2012: Building our community takes everyone working together, by Kayla Dvorak

A community needs to stay strong. How else could it function if nobody worked together to make decisions for the better of the society? When making choices that will affect everyone, people need to take a walk in someone else’s shoes before they decide what would be best for that person.

Everyone has to be involved in a community. If you want a say in what happens in your community, go to a town meeting and vote in city elections. Do your part in the community; represent your town or city. Make it look like a nice place to live. When you want to buy a car, buy it from your car dealership, not from the next town over. Let your town reach its full potential.

Another important part of being involved in the community is getting to know the other residents of the town or city. You cannot feel like you belong if you do not know the people living around you. Listen to their opinions as well because what they have to say is important. Whatever decisions your community makes will affect you because everyone should work together to make their community a better place to live.

Making the community better involves doing your part. If everyone is not on the same page about helping make the town a better place then it will not work smoothly.

— Kayla Dvorak is an eighth grader at Concordia Junior High School. She is the daughter of Heath Dvorak and Sharon Klima.

 

 

 

Jan. 6, 2012: Concordia begins 2012 Year of Peace by building ‘social capital,’ by Robert Steimel

For more than two years, the Year of Peace Committee has been developing “social capital” through its activities — although we never once put that label on it. But it’s all been about social capital: the original Community Needs Forums, the 2011 Concordia Speakers Series, public Civility Pledges, book study groups, the film series and discussions, Year of Peace columns in the Blade and commentaries on KNCK radio, public surveys about peace-related issues, the book “A Year of Peace in Concordia, Kansas” published in 2011, participation in National Night Out last August, Year of Peace shorts, lapel pins and signs… In fact, the 23 church or church-related organizations, the Community Foundation for Cloud County, Neighbor to Neighbor, the participants in Christmas Tree Lane and many more nonprofit organizations and government agencies are all signs of Concordia’s social capital.

But what do I mean by that? “Social capital” refers to the bonds that tie a community together — the bonds that make communities safer, schools better and people healthier. When people are invested in their communities, they are more likely to vote, volunteer and care for one another.

In studies that date back some 20 years, researchers have found that communities with higher social capital have higher educational achievement, better performing governments, faster economic growth and less crime and violence.  People living in these communities are happier, healthier and have a long life expectancy.  In these communities, it is easier to mobilize people to tackle problems and easier to undertake things that benefits everyone. And people in those communities have a sense that they are part of something important and growing.

It becomes the ultimate self-reinforcing spiral:  The strong community invests to strengthen the social capital of the community — and in doing so attracts financial capital, friends and trust that further benefits the community.  Social capital has become a core measure for the health of the community.

The bonds of social capital are stronger in smaller settings — smaller schools, smaller towns, smaller countries, and so on.  Listening and trusting are easier in smaller settings.  One-on-one, face-to-face communication is more efficient at building relationships and creating empathy and understanding than remote impersonal communication.

While bigger may be better for critical mass, power and diversity, smaller is better for forging and sustaining connections.

There are actually two types of social capital.

“Bonding” social capital are the ties that link individuals or groups with much in common;  “bridging” social capital are the ties that link individuals or groups across a greater social distance.  Both kinds of connections are valuable to us as individuals, but bridging is especially important for building a strong community. Think of the way we as Americans came together in the aftermath of Sept. 11; that horrific day made us look past differences and come together as a nation.

But it doesn’t take an event of that magnitude to build social capital bonds; the idea is neither all-or-nothing nor once-and-for-all.  It is incremental and cumulative, and the opportunities are all around us: Community blood drives, the library, sporting events, local news in the Blade or on KNCK and ncktoday.com, band concerts, local coffee groups, fund drives for specific community needs, volunteering… They are all part of our social capital and important to community.

When you get involved in activities anywhere in the community, you are making an investment in social capital and you’re building a better Concordia. As we begin the 2012 Year of Peace, join us with your strengths and interests, and share and give yourself in service to your neighbors. We’ll all be better for it.

 

— Robert Steimel is a retired CPA and partner with Kennedy and Coe, LLC who serves as the volunteer executive director of the Community Foundation for Cloud County.  He and his wife Lorene live in Concordia.

Next Page »