Swords Into Plowshares Carl Horton, Author at Swords Into Plowshares

April 5, 2013

Peacemaking Travel Study Seminar in Northern Ireland: Reconciliation in the Celtic Context

Posted 5:42pm

At First Presbyterian Church Armgh talking about peace with young people

Post by Andy Gans, pastor of Fort King Presbyterian Church in Ocala, FL

Day three has been a day of travel. We traveled to the City of Armagh and visited several places. Our first stop was to the Center for Celtic Spirituality and a historic Celtic village dating back to the time of St. Patrick. While at the center we learned about the history of St. Patrick and his life from no religious affluence to slavery, to Christian missionary. St. Patrick considered the city of Armagh as the ecclesiastical center of Ireland.

April 4, 2013

Peacemaking Travel Study Seminar in Northern Ireland: Reconciliation in the Celtic Context

Posted 6:42pm

Post by Andy Gans, pastor of Fort King Presbyterian Church in Ocala, FL

Greetings all,
What a beautiful day it was in Northern Ireland today! The sun was out and the temperature got up to 45 degrees, I’m told that’s warm. Not only was today beautiful but it was also very informative. This morning we spoke to Derek Poole of the LINK Project (Local Initiatives in Needy Communities). This sounds like a wonderful organization that works to bring peace and justice to communities that have experienced great conflict, not only politically but also socially. This organization seeks to transform conflict from abrasive and dangerous into relationships that respect and appreciate the others experience.

April 3, 2013

Peacemaking Travel Study Seminar in Northern Ireland: Reconciliation in the Celtic Context

Posted 5:55pm

A view of the grounds of Dromantine Retreat Center

Post by Andy Gans, pastor of Fort King Presbyterian Church in Ocala, FL

Our group is made up of 27 people from across the nation. We have a handful of clergy and several elders, most of us are Presbyterian but there are a couple who are not. Tonight we had a great education in to some of the names and terms that surround the unrest between Ireland and Northern Ireland. I am disturbed, again, at how religion plays so much into division between people. I keep asking myself, if people are so faithful how can they hate so much? Religion is just part of the division as religion has become a marker of whose side you are on. If you are protestant you are traditionally on the side of being loyal to the crown of England. If you are Catholic you are on the side of a united Ireland that is independent of England. Oh how politics and religion make strange bed fellows.

February 22, 2013

The 2013 Philippines Travel Study Seminar

Posted 3:57pm

Presbyterians examine human trafficking and environmental issues Front row: Cobbie Palm, Cecilia Moran, Doreen Owens, Jordan Whitt, Shadra Shoffner Back row: Dr. John Wallace, MaryAnn Eschbach, Paul Heins, Ann Johnson, Nancy Eng MacNeill, Becca Lawson Travel Study Seminar participants are concluding a 10-day journey in the Philippines engaging in conversations on Human Trafficking modern day… Read more »

January 18, 2013

New Approaches to Peacemaking and Nonviolence for the 21st Century

Posted 12:00pm

Across the Presbyterian Church (USA), congregations and presbyteries are being asked to participate in a church-wide Peace Discernment conversation to “seek clarity as to God’s call to the church to embrace nonviolence as its fundamental response to the challenges of violence, terror,and war; and to identify, explore, and nurture new approaches to active peacemaking and nonviolence.”

January 18, 2013

Discerning Peace: Seventeen Reflections from the Montreat College Conference 2013

Posted 12:56am

At the 2013 Montreat College Conference, I provided interested students and leaders two questions to respond to in writing. The responses are compiled below.

Where do you see violence in your community and world?

Emotional violence, especially against youth. In ourselves. My high school with fights between peers. Wars between religions. A shooting at my kids’ high school. Demonstrations by hate groups. Fighting at sporting events. Various wars around the world. Frankly, where do we not see violence?

December 20, 2012

ACTION ALERT: Tell NBC to Air PC(USA) Gun Violence Documentary “Trigger” in Prime Time

Posted 11:39am

Trigger Documentary – Produced by the PC(USA)
NBC has first dibs through May, 2013, on airing a PC(USA)-produced documentary on gun violence. The documentary named TRIGGER: The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence is produced by award-winning producer David Barnhart. Our latest inquiry reveals that many of the local NBC affiliates are not even aware that the documentary exists. We need your help! Please call your local NBC affiliate today and request that the documentary be aired in prime time given the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut

December 14, 2012

With Thanks to God for the Life and Witness of Cindy Bolbach

Posted 12:42pm

Ruling Elder Cindy Bolbach, Moderator of the 119th General Assembly

I believe we are living through a hinge time for the PC(USA). A hinge time of hope, excitement, and anxiety, all mixed together. A hinge time when we are realizing that the denominational structure and organization that we built in the 1950s and 1960s might not be the organizational structure we need for an age that some are calling not just post-denominational but post-Christian.

As the PC(USA), we still inhabit a top-down, corporate structure that worked well 50 and 60 years ago, when we were flush with members and with resources. We are no longer flush with members or with resources. That does not mean, by the way, that I believe us to be deathly ill. I believe that health of any Christian community of faith is measured not by the number of its members, or by how deep its financial pockets are, but by whether it is proclaiming the Gospel authentically.

September 20, 2012

2012 International Peacemakers Gather in Louisville

Posted 2:59pm

The Presbyterian Peacemaking Program welcomes 14 peacemakers from 11 countries as they gather in Louisville, KY for orientation September 18-20. They will be traveling to congregations, mid-councils and other institutions from September 21-October 29.

September 9, 2012

Season of Peace Begins September 9

Posted 2:48pm

New season to focus Presbyterians on peacemaking in the weeks leading up to World Communion Sunday A Season of Peace begins September 9 as a 4-week pilgrimage designed to deepen the pursuit of peace in congregations, small groups, families, and individuals. Subscribe to the daily peace reflections and download the two new resources: an Intergenerational… Read more »

Posts By: Carl Horton