On Earth Peace
Formation1974
FounderM. R. Zigler
TypeNonprofit Organization
52-1223330
PurposeA world in Beloved Community, liberated from oppression, violence, and war.
HeadquartersNew Windsor, Maryland
Websitehttps://www.onearthpeace.org/

On Earth Peace (OEP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization developing leaders and initiatives for justice and peace using the discipline of Kingian Nonviolence. OEP is a recognized agency of the Church of the Brethren.[1][2]

On Earth Peace envisions a world in Beloved Community, liberated from oppression, violence, and war.

History

edit

On Earth Peace's founder M.R. Zigler worked for his entire life for the Church of the Brethren denomination and international community, including coordinating post-World War Two reconstruction efforts for the church.[3] On Earth Peace was founded in 1974 when Zigler brought together a group of people who wanted to renew and strengthen the historic peace witness of the Church of the Brethren. It was founded in New Windsor, Maryland. [4]

In 1974, near the end of the Vietnam War, On Earth Peace’s early work focused on preparing young people to resist any future draft as conscientious objectors to war. In the 1980s, Peace Academies were held in New Windsor, MD, to continue to develop leaders for peace in each generation and in each profession. During this period, Peace Assemblies gathered adults together to consider the Christian response to current issues of violence and war. In those early years, professional groups of doctors, lawyers, educators, mental health workers, and others self-organized to articulate a voice from their perspective on current issues of peace.

In the 1990s, On Earth Peace became an agency of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference and became the home of the Ministry of Reconciliation (MoR), providing conflict transformation services to the church. Part of OEP for more than two decades, the MoR equipped congregations, districts, and the denomination as a whole to build healthy communication and address conflict constructively. 

In the 2000s, On Earth Peace renewed its peace witness program in response to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including in counter-recruitment and through congregational organizing as part of Decade to Overcome Violence. During this decade, OEP began to see the ways institutional racism was limiting the ministry. In the late 2000s, OEP began to learn, teach, and support communities and leaders using the Kingian Nonviolence approach.

In 2010-present, On Earth Peace recognized how systemic oppression leads to violence and war and committed to actively work and call for justice within the organization, the Church of the Brethren denomination, and local and national communities. Issue-based work includes pursuing racial justice, gun violence prevention, women's and gender justice, environmental justice, and LGBTQ+ inclusion in church spaces, and calling for a ceasefire and end to the occupation of Palestine. OEP deepened its Kingian Nonviolence training programs, offering introductions and advanced courses in Kingian Nonviolence, including Level 1 and Level 2 certification programs.

Values, Vision, and Mission

edit

Values:

  • Jesus-Centered Spirituality - We follow Jesus into the work of justice and peace. We share in spiritual practices and develop faith resources to help undergird our programs.
  • Positive Peace - We learn, teach, and practice dynamic forms of peacemaking which sees conflict as an important tool to meet needs, address injustice, correct imbalances of power, and seek healing and reconciliation.
  • Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression - We commit to name and undo barriers to participation in our programs based on identity, and to work for full inclusion and equity for all who wish to join in our work. We commit to the long-term transformation of On Earth Peace, the church, and society.
  • Intergenerational Leadership - We nurture peacemakers and leaders, and honor the wisdom, skill, and experience of all generations.
  • Beloved Community - We commit to raising the levels of relationships until justice and peace prevail, and all people attain their full human potential.

Vision: A world in Beloved Community, liberated from oppression, violence, and war.

Mission: We develop and walk with leaders and communities who work for justice and peace.[5]

Programs

edit
Kingian Nonviolence Training and Organizing
edit

Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation is an approach to conflict and community leadership that offers values and methods useful for anyone who wants to use conflict constructively in their personal life, in group settings, or in community issues and building a reconciled world. Kingian Nonviolence is rooted in the philosophy and leadership of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the leadership of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. The curriculum was codified by Rev. Dr. Bernard LaFayette Jr., and David Jehnsen, both of whom served on Dr. King’s staff in the 1960s, and who sought to make lessons and tools from the Kingian legacy and the Civil Rights Movement period available for people to address today’s conflicts, concerns and conditions.[6][7]

On Earth Peace has been involved in Kingian Nonviolence training and organizing since 2009. It offers a range of trainings and consultations -- in person and online -- including 2-hour introductions to Kingian Nonviolence, half-day programs, and the standard "Two-Day Core" or 16-hour core workshop. OEP offers periodic training of trainers courses and other advanced courses for people seeking skills as organizers or a deeper engagement with the legacy.

In 2023, On Earth Peace began a pilot project of developing affinity groups to offer local communities a way to develop stay connected with OEP and receive ongoing support for nonviolence initiatives they develop on issues they are facing.

Internships and Fellowships
edit

OEP averages 15 paid internships per year for young adults and students in the US and internationally. Interns receive training in Kingian Nonviolence and anti-racism/anti-oppression along with job-specific skills and mentoring. Interns fill one-year positions as organizers, fundraisers, communicators, and in other roles as needed.

Internships are intended for young adults aged 18-24, current college and graduate students regardless of age, and recent graduates who begin an internship within one year of graduating. Fellowships are second-year internships focused on institutionalizing lessons and experiences from the first internship year. In recent years, On Earth Peace interns have hailed from across the United States including Puerto Rico; Malta; Palestine; Nigeria; England; Zimbabwe; Spain, and China.

Youth programs
edit

OEP offers Community Engagement Grants for youth groups of up to $500 in grant funding to support a youth-initiated project for peace and justice in their community. Organizing through a Kingian Nonviolence framework, grant winners will closely work with On Earth Peace staff to develop skills and implement their project.

Community Engagement Grant recipients complete three trainings through On Earth Peace. The trainings focus on community organizing through a Kingian Nonviolence framework and other topics designed specifically to support the proposed project.

OEP connects with children through their caregivers by providing webinars and creating resources for children and families. During the pandemic, the OEP community produced more than a hundred Read Aloud videos featuring peace and justice books.[8]

Leadership

edit

On Earth Peace is run by a three-person co-executive team along with an average of 15 paid interns and fellows. The staff members are supported by the Board of Directors and the Anti-Racism Transformation Team.

Affiliations

edit

On Earth Peace's work is rooted in its faith. Since 1998, OEP has been an agency of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference. It is affiliated with the Church of the Brethren which is one of the Historic Peace Churches.[9]

In 2020, OEP joined the Supportive Communities Network (SCN), the first denominational agency to do so. SCN is a project of the Brethren Mennonite Council of LGBT Interests, affirming and working for publicly the full participation of LGBTQ+ people in the life of the church.[10][11]

Finances

edit

IRS 990 Forms are available in On Earth Peace's GuideStar listing.

  1. ^ "About OEP". On Earth Peace. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  2. ^ "Church of the Brethren Manual of Organization and Polity, January 2021. Chapter 2, "The Denominational Board and The Annual Conference Agencies."" (PDF). Church of the Brethren. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  3. ^ Durnbaugh, Donald (1989). Pragmatic Prophet: The Life of Michael Robert Zigler. Elgin, IL. ISBN 978-0871787156.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ "OEP Faith Heritage". On Earth Peace. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  5. ^ Ryan, Janell (2019-04-17). "OEP Adopts New Values, Vision, and Mission". On Earth Peace. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  6. ^ LaFayette, Jr, Bernard; Jehnsen, David (1996). The Leaders Manual: A Structured Guide and Introduction; Kingian Nonviolence: The Philosophy and Methodology. Galena, OH: Institute for Human Rights and Responsibilities, Inc. ISBN 1-888615-00-1.
  7. ^ "East Point Peace Academy". East Point Peace Academy. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  8. ^ "OnEarthPeaceTV YouTube Channel, ReadAlouds playlist". YouTube. 19 June 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  9. ^ "On Earth Peace". Peace Insight. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  10. ^ bmclgbt (2020-05-08). "On Earth Peace joins SCN". bmclgbt. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  11. ^ Newsline, Church of the Brethren (4 July 2021). "Standing Committee takes action to continue conversation with On Earth Peace, updates appeals process, discusses nominations from the floor – News". Retrieved 2021-08-30.