Protestant Community Church preparing for International Day of Peace program

The Protestant Community Church of Medford Lakes will have a special program on Sunday, Sept. 21, in conjunction with the International Day of Peace. Distinguished speakers and interactive workshops will be offered from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In the wake of the school violence at Sandy Hook School in Connecticut in December 2012, the church began a peace initiative aimed at God’s call for peacemaking and the non-violent life.

Rev. Robert Moore, executive director of the Coalition for Peace Action, will join Rev. Steve Winkler of Protestant Community Church for a special worship service at 10 a.m. to start the day’s events.

Three interactive workshops will be offered from 11 to 11:45 a.m. They will include “Peace Be With You” by Cara McCray, a practicing holistic nutrition consultant as well as a meditation, yoga, and qi gong instructor; “Alternatives to Violence” by Rev. Moore; and “Quaker and Mennonite Communities –A History of Intentional Peace” by Sue Dietz of the Medford Quaker community; and Tim Darling of the Mennonite Church of Vineland.”

Children in attendance will be busy with creative projects that will be part of a closing service.

A forum and complimentary lunch will be held from noon to 1 p.m. It will bring together three experts whose lives were changed forever because of gun violence. Participants will include:

• Bryan Miller, executive director of Heeding God’s Call, a faith-based movement to prevent gun violence.
• Movita Johnson Harrell, executive director of Motivations Education Consultation Associates. She lost her son in a senseless shooting and turned her grief and anger into positive activism by starting the Charles Foundation.
• Rusty Williams, an ordained minister who is a former paramedic, bomb dog handler and retired police detective who served on the Governor’s panel to reduce school violence.

For more information, call Kathy Roberts at (609) 744–9979. Attendees are asked to RSVP for lunch and workshop choice to the church office at (609) 654–4220 or email Julie Pope at pccjp@verizon.net.