German Mennonite Peace Committee

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Coordinates: 49 ° 21 ′ 28.7 "  N , 8 ° 46 ′ 56.4"  E

German Mennonite Peace
Committee (DMFK)
logo
founding 1956 in Ludwigshafen
Seat Bammental
main emphasis Do and communicate peace theological work
Chair Daniel Dettweiler, Sigrid Funck, Heike Lange
Managing directors Jakob Fehr, Brigitta Albrecht
Website www.dmfk.de

The German Mennonite Peace Committee is a work of the Working Group of Mennonite Congregations in Germany. The central theme of the Peace Committee is God's peace and justice should take shape in this world . The DMFK is supported by donations from Mennonite communities and individuals. In addition to the full-time peace worker, the work is carried out by a board of directors, numerous individuals and occasionally by paid volunteers.

history

The German Mennonite Peace Committee was founded in 1956 in the Bürgerbräu in Ludwigshafen as a reaction to German rearmament . The experiences of the Second World War also played a role. With the establishment of the Peace Committee, the German Mennonites tried to reconnect with the pacifist theology of the early Mennonites after some of the German Mennonites had given up their non-violent position in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Mennonites are traditionally assigned to the historical peace churches . With reference to the Sermon on the Mount , the Mennonites of the Reformation already stood for nonviolence .

Content orientation

In addition to work in the individual communities and the implementation of seminars and conferences, the DMFK focuses on concrete projects such as the promotion of peace projects at home and abroad. The DMFK also contributes to the ecumenical discussion in the field of peace theology. Instead of military escalation, civil conflict management is to be strengthened. In this sense, the Peace Committee is also politically active in church and society.

Michael Sattler Peace Prize

Since 2006, the Peace Committee has been awarding the Michael Sattler Peace Prize at irregular intervals to projects or people who are theologically or practically committed to peace and reconciliation. Previous winners are:

Cooperation with other organizations

The DMFK has been supporting the international work of the Christian Peacemaker teams since 2009 . In the power of biblical nonviolence, CPT uses trained volunteers to support local peace and human rights activists in conflict areas. The presence of these international peace workers gives oppressed people a voice, helps reduce violence and creates space for social transformation. The DMFK contributes to this work and offers financial support for people who want to join this work. Since 2014 the DMFK has been working on a concept for a CPT project on the European external border to accompany and protect refugees.

The DMFK was originally founded to support and look after conscientious objectors . Until the suspension of compulsory military service in 2011, the DMFK was involved with other church and socio-political organizations in the Central Office for Law and Protection of Conscientious Objectors . In 2003, the DMFK founded the Military Counseling Network (MCN) as a contact point for US soldiers stationed in Germany. The Military Counseling Network offers US soldiers legal advice and specific assistance to help them leave the US Army. Up to 100 soldiers were advised annually during the Iraq war. In 2008 the Military Counseling Network was awarded the Friedrich Siegmund-Schultze Prize for Nonviolent Action . In 2013, the DMFK ended its direct collaboration with MCN.

At the European level, the committee works primarily with Church and Peace eV. In addition, the DMFK is one of the sponsors of the Mennonite volunteer program Christian Services . In cooperation with the Mennonite Peace Center founded in Berlin in 2005 , the DMFK supports work in the field of interreligious dialogue in Neukölln / Berlin. The DMFK took part in the Decade to Overcome Violence , initiated by the World Council of Churches , and took part in WCC campaigns for a pilgrimage of justice and peace.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Sattler Peace Prize 2016 for Christian-Muslim Peace Initiative in Nigeria. Mennonews.de, accessed on February 23, 2016 .