Test Group

This group is for technical testing of the site's features.

Contemplative Leadership

Ensō (円相) is a Japanese word meaning "circle" and a concept strongly associated with Zen. Ensō is one of the most common subjects of Japanese calligraphy even though it is a symbol and not a character. It symbolizes enlightenment, strength, elegance, the Universe, and the void; it can also symbolize the Japanese aesthetic itself. As an "expression of the moment" it is often considered a form of minimalist expressionist art.

In Zen Buddhist painting, ensō symbolizes a moment when the mind is free to simply let the body/spirit create. The brushed ink of the circle is usually done on silk or rice paper in one movement (but the great Bankei used two strokes sometimes) and there is no possibility of modification: it shows the expressive movement of the spirit at that time. Zen Buddhists "believe that the character of the artist is fully exposed in how she or he draws an ensō. Only a person who is mentally and spiritually complete can draw a true ensō. Some artists will practice drawing an ensō daily, as a kind of spiritual exercise."^[1]

Cost and Resource Sharing

Do you want to share a ride or a hotel room for an event?

Are you looking for a book or dvd to borrow?

Do you need help working on a project?

Do you have a link you want to share but can't figure out where to put it?

These are just a few questions about resources we may be able to share with one another!

Start a discussion to fit your interest!

Farmworker Freedom March - April 16-18th from Tampa to Lakeland, FL

We invite you to save the dates for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW)'s "Farmworker Freedom March" from April 16-18, 2010! The CIW will march from Tampa to Publix's hometown of Lakeland, Florida to call for "Freedom from forced labor; Freedom from abuse; Freedom from poverty and degradation." 

The CIW has also announced a mobile "Modern-day Slavery Museum" that will tour Florida in the lead-up to the Farmworker Freedom March. This traveling museum about agricultural slavery will be in the form of a box-truck outfitted as a replica of the trucks involved in the latest farmworker slavery prosecution and will contain multiple educational displays about modern-day slavery in Florida agriculture, its history, its roots, its causes, and its solutions.  

The struggle to end modern-day slavery in Florida's fields has been gaining ground recently. Earlier this month, President Obama declared January 2010 to be "National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month," stating: "Fighting modern slavery and human trafficking is a shared responsibility. This month, I urge all Americans to educate themselves about all forms of modern slavery and the signs and consequences of human trafficking. Together, we can and must end this most serious, ongoing criminal civil rights violation." 

We hope you will mark your calendars to join us April 16-18th and plan to participate in this spring's intensive campaign of education and action to help end modern-day slavery in Florida's fields. Visit www.ciw-online.org for more details or contact us at info@interfaithact.org for more information about how you can get involved with the traveling slavery museum and the Farmworker Freedom March.

Convocation of Peacemakers

April 15-17, 2010, Stony Point Center

a national gathering of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship to deepen the commitment to nonviolence and radical discipleship in the PC(USA)

This group is for before, during, and after the Convocation.  Join the discussion now, and join us in Stony Point in April!

Christ called you to be a peacemaker – we are calling you to raise your voice and help us make the PC(USA) a more potent agent for peace in the world. Please join us.

Convocation Planning Group

Planning the April 2010 Convocation for all peacemakers longing to network, energize, and get active in their faith through radical discipleship and peacemaking. 

PPF at General Assembly 2010

This group is the general hub for all things PPF at GA 2010.  When creating new groups, pages, etc.  Please include "GA 2010" in a tags field (interests), and use this term to search the site.

219th General Assembly
Minneapolis, Minn.
Host: Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area
July 3-10, 2010

GA Overture: PC(USA)'s Committment to Nonviolence

Writing team for Nonviolence Overture.

Northeast and central Florida Presbyterians for Peace

Dallas Fellowship

Regional chapter of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship including Dallas and surrounding areas dedicated to the promotion of peace through prayer, communication & action.