"You Peacemakers are Light"
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Message from the Rev. Ryan Arnold
International Day of Peace Service
September 21 at Cowles Commons, Des Moines

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Petition for a Weapons-Free Simpson College  Read/Sign the iPetition 
A petition to the president and trustees regarding a proposed Shooter Program is signed by alumni, supporters and friends
 The next Board of Trustees meeting is February 5, 2016 and we would like to have the signed petition presented to them at that time. This is an issue for concerned alums, friends, or Clergy of the Iowa Annual Conference. You are also encouraged to write your own letters to President Simmons, Simpson Administration and the Chair and Members of the Board of Trustees. Thank you, The Reverend Rebecca J. Bentzinger '77 

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From the opinion pages of the Rochester (NY) Democrat & Chronicle, an article by Randall W. Stone:
"GOP presidential hopefuls need to learn about world." (PDF)
Stone is professor of political science at the University of Rochester and nephew of the Rev. Hugh Stone.  

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​Dear Friends,
We live in a violent culture.  All around us in movies, video games, and TV shows people are shooting at other people.  As United Methodist Christians we believe we have a responsibility to offer a different way, a way of cooperation and of valuing and caring for each other.  We believe that our UM camps can play a role in that effort.  However, we have recently been dismayed to learn that Wesley Woods Camp is planning to use Laser Tag as one of the activities it offers.  Laser Tag is a game, the roots of which are in military maneuvers created by the Army to train troops for combat.  No amount of renaming, no amount of avoiding words such as “guns,” “dead,” “shoot,” or “kill,” no amount of claiming that it is not a battle, and no amount of claiming that the equipment is not shaped like guns mitigates the truth of that reality.  The bottom line is that campers are targeting other campers and shooting at them in order to score points.  No matter how it’s framed, this “Christian” Laser Tag cannot hide its roots as training for combat troops on the battlefield, and serves to cauterize us to the reality of gun violence.  It contributes to the idea that the way of battles and gun violence is the norm for our society and that the best way to solve problems is to use violence.  We believe that is not a message our camps should be sending, and especially not a message to teach to our young people.
We mourn the loss of innocent children’s lives today through gun violence, whether in war or in the homes and streets of our own country.  We believe that a game that requires campers to target and shoot at other campers is inappropriate for UM camps. 

For all these reasons, the Iowa Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) proposed the petition linked below.  
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MFSA Petition on Laser Tag at Wesley Woods
The Iowa Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) [and those persons listed below] are opposed to the use of Laser Tag at Wesley Woods or at any of our UM Camps, and urge the camps to use activities and games that model and teach the Biblical understanding of care for others, and games that promote an alternative to the violence in our society by teaching and modeling love, peace, and justice. ​(MFSA Position Paper and letter PDF).