Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1984-2001 (Creation)
Level of description
Collection
Extent and medium
5.50 Linear Feet; 2 records cartons and 1 oversize folder
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Peace and Justice Committee of the Mennonite Church was established by the Philadelphia '93 General Assembly.
The Mennonite Church had long had a standing committee devoted to peace issues. The Military Problems Committee (1907-1919) might be considered the earliest "ancestor" of the Peace and Justice Committee. The Military Problems Committee was succeeded by the Peace Problems Committee in 1919. The work of the Peace Problems Committee included promulgating non-resistance in the Mennonite Church, assisting conscripted conscientious objectors, and witnessing to the state and the general public.
The Peace Problems Committee merged with the Committee on Economic and Social Relations in 1965 to become the Committee on Peace and Social Concerns. In a 1971 restructuring of the Mennonite Church, the Peace and Social Concerns Committee was placed under the juristidiction of the Mennonite Board of Congregational Ministries.
In the late 1980s, the Peace and Social Concerns Committee disappeared from the Mennonite Yearbook and Directory. In 1992, a meeting was held to reinstate the committee, which took the new name Peace and Justice Committee.
The Peace and Justice Committee served as an organ to promote peace within the Church and beyond. It promoted training in mediation, supplied resources on peace and justice, commissioned peace evangelists, provided educational opportunities and materials, and monitored peacemaking challenges in North America.
In the 2002 denominational merger, the Mennonite Church Peace and Justice Committee became the Mennonite Church USA Peace and Justice Network.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
These records consist primarily of meeting minutes, official correspondence and reports, news releases and statements, and documentation of the committee's relationship to other bodies of the Mennonite Church. The transition to the Peace and Justice Network is also somewhat documented, as is the short-lived Peace Evangelism program of the mid-to late 1990s. Educational and PR materials are also included, as well as entries into the "Visions of Peace" children's artwork opportunity.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Flat
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
These materials are open for public research.
Conditions governing reproduction
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. Copyright owned by the Mennonite Church USA Archives.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
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Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
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Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
2010-10-28
Language(s)
- English