CPT changed its name
The organization formerly known as Christian Peacemaker Teams has changed its name, replacing the meaning of that first letter with “Community.” I have two reactions. First, the name change is good for the organization. Second, it shows that the broader church has not caught the vision of the peacemaker Jesus. As an organization, CPT supports…
CPT is now Community Peacemaker Teams
After 35 years of committing itself to the transforming power of nonviolence through activism grounded in partnerships with local peacemakers worldwide, Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) is now Community Peacemaker Teams. The organization chose the word “community” because it reflects the diversity of its membership. Everyone at CPT is encouraged to bring their expression of spirituality…
‘The frontlines are where history is being made’
Allegra Friesen Epp is wrapping up a six-month internship with Mennonite Church Canada and Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), but she is already brainstorming ways to continue doing solidarity work. The internship is the first of its kind, created by MC Canada’s Indigenous-Settler Relations (ISR) office and CPT’s Turtle Island Solidarity Network. From February to July,…
MC Canada and CPT send team to Unist’ot’en
Mennonite Church Canada, together with Christian Peacemaker Teams, has responded to an invitation to accompany Unist’ot’en Camp in Wet’suwet’en Territory. This past Friday, May 28, a group comprised of CPTers and members of MC Canada arrived at the camp in northern B.C. The team members are: Rachelle Friesen, Canada Coordinator, Christian Peacemaker Teams; Allegra Friesen…
Christian Peacemaker Teams celebrates 35 years
Christian Peacemaker Teams is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2021 with a year full of webinars and actions. The first webinar takes place on Thursday, Jan. 28. Titled “Looking Back, Acting Now, Planning Ahead,” the event will feature updates from each of CPT’s programs. The organization is also encouraging the public to take action by…
Not so radical after all
While people across Canada and around the world self-isolate from COVID-19, work continues on the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline in northern British Columbia, without the full consent of the Wet’suwet’en people. The 670-kilometre long pipeline plans to snake through Wet’suwet’en territory and export liquefied natural gas around the world. Steve Heinrichs, director of Indigenous-Settler Relations…
CPT creates Turtle Island Solidarity Network
In the wake of the closure of the full-time Indigenous People’s Solidarity Team due to necessary budget cuts at Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), the new Turtle Island Solidarity Network comprised of reservists who are engaged in Indigenous solidarity and decolonization has been created. Turtle Island is the Indigenous name for North America. The new network…
Carrying seeds from Colombia to Palestine
Five years ago I set out on a journey with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), providing international accompaniment to human rights defenders in Colombia. (See “Levelling the playing field.”) Now, as I transition into new experiences with CPT in Palestine, I will take with me the following lessons I have learned from brave Colombian peacemakers: Keep sowing…
CPTer receives peace activism award
Esther Kern, a former Canada coordinator of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), received the Muriel Duckworth Award for Peace Activism at the Voice of Women for Peace International Women’s Day dinner held at Friend’s (Quaker) House in Toronto on March 8, 2018. In her remarks upon receiving her award, Kern, a member of Valleyview Mennonite Church…
