Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America-Bautistas por la Paz (BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization currently headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It seeks to gather, equip and mobilize peacemakers of faith across North America and beyond to engage in the work of peace rooted in justice. BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz provides resources and tools on a variety of social justice issues such as racial justice, justice for migrants and refugees, climate/environmental justice, justice for indigenous and native peoples and LGBTQ+ liberation to name a few.[1] The organization also has several small grant programs to help fund local and global peacemaking initiatives.
Formed in 1984, its mission statement is as follows: "Witnessing to God’s peace rooted in justice ~ working together until it comes. / Testificando sobre la paz de Dios enraizada en justicia ~ Trabajando hasta que llegue." [2]
Most members of BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz are located in one of the four member nations of the organization (Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the United States) however anyone around the world committed to the work of peace and justice can join. The BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz membership is composed of individuals and organizations with the latter being mostly churches. Some churches choose to get involved at a deeper level and are considered to be partner congregations of the organization.[3] Most members are involved in churches through the Alliance of Baptists, American Baptists Churches USA, or the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz is a faith-based partner of Equal Exchange through the Baptist Fair Trade Project.[4]
Mission & Vision
Mission[5] Witnessing to God’s peace rooted in justice ~ working together until it comes. Testificando sobre la paz de Dios enraizada en justicia ~ Trabajando hasta que llegue.
Excerpt from Theological Vision Statement:[6]
Since its inception as the Baptist Pacifist Fellowship in 1939, our organization has sought to build a culture of peace rooted in justice. Begun in response to the stated needs of conscientious objectors, as the Baptist Peace Fellowship it continued to address issues of war and injustice in the years following World War II. The current organization was founded in 1984 with the desire to provide international perspectives on peace and justice concerns by bringing together Baptist Peacemakers from four nations. Today, we come together from around the globe for peace camps, friendship tours, training programs and other activities.
The goals of our organization are threefold, to:
- Gather together to mutually strengthen and support one another’s witness and work in international and regional gatherings which include community prayer, education, fellowship and song;
- Equip individuals, regional groups and congregations with tools for spoken witness and the hands-on work of peace rooted in justice; and
- Mobilize individuals, groups and churches, in response to pressing concerns—guided by the wisdom of those whose realities are local to the concern at hand.
Baptist Peacemaker
Baptist Peacemaker is a quarterly publication by BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz focusing on the work of peacemakers in the BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz network.[7]
Annual Summer Conference
BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz holds a Summer Conference (also known affectionately as "Peace Camp") each year. Each gathering focuses on a different theme and changes location within the BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz member nations, usually held on a university campus.[8] In 2019, however, the Summer Conference was held in conjunction with the 6th Global Baptist Peace Conference in Cali, Colombia.[9]
References
- http://www.bpfna.org/mobilize/resources
- http://www.bpfna.org/about-us/mission-vision
- http://www.bpfna.org/join/partner-congregations
- https://equalexchange.coop/baptist
- http://www.bpfna.org/about-us/mission-vision
- http://www.bpfna.org/about-us/mission-vision
- http://www.bpfna.org/equip/pm-archives
- https://www.bpfna.org/mobilize/annual-theme
- https://www.bpfna.org/gather/summer-conference