Back to World Peacemaking and Mission

Action For Peace And Justice

Detailed History By Year

When she retired as a member of Action for Peace And Justice in 1999, Lucile Rice put together the following History, arranged by topic, or by year, below (see: Summary History By Topic).

Editor's note: each year, it's our intention to soon add topics and historical details, so that we may learn from our experiences.

---

This is a review of the main endeavors of the Action for Peace & Justice Committee ("AP&J") from 1986-1998 and is taken from the available minutes of the monthly meetings. Most, but not all of these minutes were available to the writer, except for minutes of the years 1983, 1984, and 1985 which are somewhere at Third Presbyterian Church ("TPC") but not on hand at this time. This is not intended to be a complete statement of the committee.

How It Began At Third

In 1982 or 1983, Paul & Betty Gocker attended a peace conference at Riverside Presbyterian Church in New York City. Paul & Betty thought the same kind of conference could be held at TPC. In 1983, with much publicity, a very successful A for P Conference was held at TPC with George Hill as speaker. These were cold war days with the nuclear weapons build-up a focus of many governments and also the concern of peace-minded citizens. Emphasis of the conference was on what we, as individuals, wanted to come out of the conference.

Many peace groups did form as a result. Presbytery and many local churches formed committees. An Amnesty International Committee of Presbytery was formed with Steve Michie as first chairperson. About 30 churches joined. A for P was formed at TPC with as first staff person assigned to the committee. Lu Richter was probably the first chairperson in 1983. Soon thereafter, the General Assembly recognized the Presbytery of Genesee Valley for having 60 of 75 churches with peace committees. TPC became very active in the local coalition for peace. Eunice Jelsma came to TPC and joined our peace committee in these early years.

In 1984 Paul & Betty Gocker worked in Washington in the SANE/FREEZE office on the Nuclear Freeze Campaign.

TPC members started walking in the Memorial Day Parade as a peace contingent behind the veterans and with other local groups. Lee Edwards, became chairperson following the loss of Lu Richter from cancer.

1986 Activities:

• Supported "Peace Child" a musical dealing with U.S. and U.S.S.R. relationships (at the time when Reagan was calling Russia "the evil empire") when it came to Rochester.
• Wrote letters supporting the nuclear freeze.
• Supported the comprehensive test ban,
• Worked as callers in the phone bank to get Louise Slaughter elected to the House of Representatives,
• Supported the Gomez family from El Salvador, who were living at DUPC, in their effort to be granted asylum in the U.S.A.
• From time to time each year, A for P made available funds to persons enabling them to participate in specific projects or studies.

1987 Activities:

• Started Amnesty International letter writing in March, during the TPC coffee hour once a month.
• Paul Gocker became president of National Freeze Voter.
• Along with more than half the Genesee Valley churches, TPC signed the Commitment to Peacemaking.
• Worked for opposition to U.S. Government aid to the contras, who were seeking to overthrow the Sandanista government of Nicaragua.
• Once again: walked in the peace contingent of the Memorial Day parade through downtown Rochester.
• Joined the local Peace Network (1987 or 1988)

1988 Activities:

• Jim Hammerton became chairperson following the loss of Lee Edwards from cancer.
• Along with other church members, A for P wrote letters to Senator D’Amato urging support of the International Nuclear Freeze.
• Did more telephoning to re-elect Louise Slaughter to the House of Representatives.
• Presentation on Nicaragua was made to Sunday School, grades 1-4 by Christina Oddleifson & Cile Rice.
• Collected school supplies for Nicaragua with the help of Sunday School teacher Diana Lewis, who was also on A for P.
• "It is our earnest desire that peacemaking be a focus of Third Presbyterian Church, and not just the A for P Committee."

1989 Activities:

• The Berlin Wall came down this year.
• Supported another visit of "Peace Child" in July. Russian and American children participated & talked peace while some of their parents were talking war.
• Participated as one of many peace groups in the Memorial Day Parade
• Attended monthly meetings of the Peace Network, formerly the Genesee Finger Lakes Nuclear Disarmament Network (FLNDN). Co-sponsored a National Peace Institute foundation meeting at TPC to hear its president speak to recognize local peacemakers and to present Paul Gocker with the North Atlantic Peacemaker Award from the Foundation.
• Sponsored three adult education sessions, one on conflict resolution and two built around a videotape, "Mandate from Main St."
• Solicited the interest of the congregation in peacemaking through a bulletin insert, analyzed the returns and contacted those who responded.
• Sponsored Amnesty International letter writing through the Freedom Writers Network.
• Adventures in Peacemaking Scholarship proposed by Alice Ritter, for any Presbyterian wanting to participate in activity which can be categorized as peacemaking, such as a class, study, or workshop on conflict resolution. Ms. Martha Maxwell, Christ Presbyterian Church, received the first award in 1989 for study at SUNY Brockport.

1990 Activities:

• Participated in two ecumenical fasts demanding an end to U.S. aid to El Salvador and a cease-fire to be replaced with negotiations.
• Wrote letters to Congress concerning events in Central America.
• Worked peace programs into the Sunday School curriculum.
• "Peacemaking 2000" conference held in Wash. D.C. was attended by Eunice Jelsma.
• Granted the Adventures in Peacemaking Scholarship of $700 to William Towler of TPC for international relations study in China.
• Drew up a list of topics to be available to PEGS (parish enrichment groups). Jim Hammerton spoke to a PEG on conflict resolution.
• Held a garage sale of Lee Edwards’ remaining household goods, with the proceeds going to the committee.
• Attended Peace Network monthly meetings which were at this time held at TPC.
• Held prayer services in the chapel on Mondays from 4:30-5:30pm to pray for a solution to the Middle East crisis, when Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait in August of 1990.
• About 30 people walked in the Memorial Day parade.
• Continued Amnesty International Freedom Writers letter writing.

1991 Activities:

• Provided programming for Adult Ed to consider Christian responsibilities relating to the Middle East crisis, when the U.S. began bombing Iraq in January, 1991.
• Changed the committee name from "Action for Peace" to "Action for Peace and Justice".
• Became a committee of Session instead of Outreach.
• Supported the Peace Child chorus which came to Rochester, and served dinner to the chorus.
• Urged a Boycott of Folger’s Coffee as Proctor & Gamble was violating human rights in coffee production.
• Donated books relating to peace to the church library, as in past years.
• Conducted an Adult Ed session on Eritrea with Tesfamicael Yohannes presiding.
• Participated in the Memorial Day parade along with other East Ave. churches.
• Continued monthly Amnesty International letter signing under the leadership of Jim Hammerton with Lucile Rice assisting as before.

1992 Activities:

• Three Adult Ed sessions were held in May and four in Sept.-Oct.
• Committee members attended the Eritrean dinner fund-raiser.
• Sunday School classes worked on a project about the Sudan.
• Put a directory of the 20 N.Y. State colleges with peacemaking courses into the Presbytery Resource Center.
• Worked with Dinner Theater to present plays with a peace theme.
• Copies of "Planethood" paperback were passed out to committee members and placed in TPC library.
• A Peace Tree was planted in October on the Meigs St. side of TPC by the Genesee Valley Peace network in recognition of TPC’s providing a regular meeting place. An explanatory tag was attached.
• Memorial Day parade, with all East Ave. churches invited, not well attended. TPC as usual carried the "Blessed Are the Peacemakers" banner.
• Held a "Parenting for Peace & Justice" workshop in November for all Presbytery churches, with Kathy & Jim McGinnis conducting the event.
• Jim Hammerton honored as a peacemaker at the Presbytery’s annual peacemaking event.
• Continued Amnesty International letter signing.

1993 Activities:

• Committee members wrote Senator Moynihan & President Clinton urging restraint of arms sales to Kuwait and to the Middle East, and urging payment of our UN dues.
• Jim Hammerton, Laura Collins, Paul Gocker, and Tesfamicael Yohannes attended United Church Ministries meetings concerning their proposed program to combat violence in the city.
• Betty & Paul Gocker and Beth Laidlaw-Johnson worked on the Anti-Violence Committee which has now established five task forces.
• Sponsored four sessions in the parlor after church:
1. Laura Collins – Montreat Conference report
2. Jim Renfrew – experience with conflict resolution among urban youth
3. Tesfamicael Yohannes on Eritrea
4. David Reyes – trip to Nicaragua
• Jim Hammerton spoke to the Senior High group about Amnesty International, and the group wrote forty letters.
• There were no applications for the Peacemaking Scholarship this year.
• Members helped with the Eritrean referendum, April 24 and with sale of tickets for the annual fund-raising dinner.
• Supported another Pastors for Peace caravan, taking supplies to Cuba.
• Light breakfast served before Memorial Day parade.
• Continued Amnesty International letter signing through the Freedom Writers Network.
• Jim Hammerton submitted many peace articles to the Messenger.

1994 Activities:

• Paul Gocker became chairperson.
• The main thrust for 1994 was concern about the increase in violence in our community.
• The Task Force to Reduce Violence was formed in the metropolitan area and met regularly at TPC.
• The Northeast portion of Rochester was targeted in July with a 2,000 person volunteer group largely from other organizations of the faith community – Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist. Two hundred of the volunteers were from TPC.
• A dramatic reduction in violence was seen for July in the Northeast section of the city.
• A P & J sponsored an Adult Ed series on Medical Ethics in April.
• Supported Beth Laidlaw-Johnson & family’s attendance at Montreat Peacemaking Conference.
• Peace Offering was $2100 for 1994. As normal, TPC retained 25% for peacemaking fund.
• Continued Amnesty International letter signing, requesting the release of prisoners of conscience.

1995 Activities:

• Jim Hammerton & Paul Gocker are co-chairs.
• Supported the Rochester Task Force Against Violence (the long-term action) and Rochester Challenge (the July action to improve conditions in selected areas of the city). We contributed leadership, volunteers, and sandwich-making for the lunches.
• Celebrated the UN 50^th birthday with a pot-luck of food from around the world, ethnic music, and Bill Larsen as keynote speaker.
• Continued Amnesty International letter signing – Louise Sanders from the youth group and School of the Arts made a large picture poster, also detailing information about Amnesty International for use at monthly letter signing.
• Wrote letters of protest to the Governor of New York State, who proposed return of the death penalty for NYS.
• Peacemaking Scholarship not promoted this year, but remains a part of the committee’s program.
• Wrote 70 letters for Bread for the World, asking our Congressional Representatives not to cut development funds. Betsy Essley was active in hunger programs.
• Supported Africa as this year’s mission objective.
• Eunice Jelsma was honored at the GRCC Faith In Action banquet for service to peacemaking.
• Jim Hammerton’s play on euthanasia was produced in October.
• The committee’s mission has been hampered lately by lack of a full-time staff member.
• Committee to meet again in April 1996.

1996 Activities:

• Committee meetings resumed in April with Linc Spaulding chairperson and John Cairns, staff for committee.
• Committee has chosen to focus its attention during 1996-1997 on the areas of diversity and inclusiveness and on a study of Cuba.
• Began diversity & inclusiveness study by piloting the study-action series, "What Divides Us?", conducted by the Judicial Process Commission.
• Heard visiting theologian Walter Wink as he presented a series on Domination & Violence.
• The committee honored six members of TPC at the Presbytery of Genesee Valley’s award banquet, for their work organizing the Task Force to Reduce Violence: Red Gramlich, Fred & Louise Fowler, Jim Hammerton, Pat Rumbold, and Beth Laidlaw.
• Continued Amnesty International Letter signing.
• Sent two TPC members to the Peacemaking Conference in Estes Park, Colorado.

1997 Activities:

• Organized a one-day diversity workshop at TPC called "What Divides Us, What Unites Us?"
• Three TPC members attended the Montreat Presbyterian Peacemaking Conference on Racism.
• Two members participated in the Rochester community-building program, "Beyond Racism", sponsored by the Greater Rochester Community of Churches.
• Started monthly letter-writing action on public policy issues in the Fall: Stewardship of Public Life, a General Assembly program of advocacy regarding social justice issues.
• Participated in the May 1997 Peace Caravan to Cuba, donating school supplies, computers, and $500 from the Peacemaking Fund to purchase medicine for children.
• Organized Adult Ed events to discuss Cuban issues.
• Continued Amnesty International letter writing.

1998 Activities:

• Lea Theuer, chair, Sept 1998
• Sponsored a diversity workshop, "Overcoming What Divides Us" in February 1999.
• Sent three TPC members to the Community Building program of the Beyond Racism Project. Peacemaking funds donated towards Beyond Racism Project.
• Continued "Stewardship of Public Life" letter writing through May 1999.
• Co-hosted an evening with Lois Kroehler from Cuba. Lois has worked with the Presbyterian Church in Cuba since 1959.
• Heard a presentation from Alison Clarke on ‘Politics of Food’ programs.
• Celebrated the recognition of Eunice Jelsma with a ROCLA award in recognition of her 20 years’ advocacy for peace & justice.
• In cooperation with members of the Junior Choir, held a ‘Multi-Cultural’ Pot Luck luncheon featuring stories and songs from many lands.
• Continued monthly Amnesty International letter writing.

Return To World Peacemaking and Mission