Peace & Social Justice

At Grantham Church we believe that Jesus calls us to promote peace and pursue justice in our church and in our community.

We believe that the gospel is about the redemption of people’s souls and bodies, as well as the redemption of political, economic, and ecological systems. And we have a small team of congregants who encourages and inspires us to live into that vision.

If you’re interested in learning more about we’ve been doing lately, please check out our current PeaceMatters newsletter.

PeaceMatters Newsletter

If you have questions or would like to join our work, please contact our commission chair.

CONTACT BRANTLEY

Brethren in Christ History and Life Resources

David Weaver-Zercher, a former associate pastor at Grantham Church and now a professor of American religious history at Messiah University, has researched and written about Brethren in Christ attitudes and actions regarding race during the Civil Rights Movement, from 1950-1975. The two-part series appeared in the December 2021 and April 2022 editions of Brethren in Christ History and Life, the journal of the Brethren in Christ Historical Society. Our denomination can be proud that we spoke out against racism during those years, while at the same time lament the fact that we did not do enough and made decisions that in retrospect were ill-advised and perpetuated racist attitudes and stereotypes. Knowing this part of our denominational history can help us in our current efforts to pursue racial justice.

BIC History & Life (April 2022) BIC History & Life (December 2021)

Peace Sunday 2023

It’s not too late to give toward our $5,000 ingathering offering goal. We will receive your financial gifts until this Sunday, May 7 (designate your donation to the Peace Sunday fund).

Donate to the Peace Sunday Offering

Being People of Peace

SUN, APR 30 @ 10:30AM & 12PM

When we think about the need for peace, many of us understandably focus on distant violent campaigns such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But we are also called to be peacemakers in our local contexts and interpersonal encounters. Our speakers, Jim and Lorraine Amstutz, will help us consider how we can translate our peace theology into concrete actions in our daily lives and relationships. Jim will speak during the service, and then during our “Lunch & Learn” afterwards, Lorraine will lead “An Introduction to Cultural Intelligence and Practical Peacebuilding” in the fellowship hall.

In order to support peacemaking efforts both far and near, our Peace Sunday2023 ingathering offering will be split between two groups:

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and their peacebuilding efforts in Ukraine. MCC continues to provide small-scale emergency aid in Ukraine through supplies of food, medicine, hygiene and medical supplies, cash assistance, and fuel.
Neighborhood Dispute Settlement is a community-based mediation center in Harrisburg, provides conflict resolution solutions through direct services, training, and education.

Our goal for the ingathering offering is $5,000.