Paz y pan (peace and bread), a Colombian roadside mural depicting the longings of the country's people. Photo: Samuel Lobato/CWS

April 14, 2008

On April 27 and 28, people of faith in the United States, Colombia and Canada will engage in the 2008 Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia, standing in solidarity with Colombians in the quest for peace in their country.

For the Days of Prayer and Action, Church World Service (CWS) is united with Colombian churches, member denominations, the Washington, D.C.-based Colombia Steering Committee, and longtime Colombian peace builder Ricardo Esquivia. Esquivia is national coordinator of the Commission for Restoration, Life, and Peace of the Colombian Council of Evangelical Churches (CEDECOL), as well as founder of SembrandoPaz (PlantingPeace) and Justapaz, the Christian Center for Justice, Peace, and Non-Violent Action of the Mennonite Church of Colombia.

The people of Colombia are caught in a complex web of violence, rooted in decades of extreme inequality and political exclusion. For more than 50 years, Colombia has suffered through armed conflict, violence and injustice. Current conflict between the national Colombian Army and armed leftist groups, that include the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN), has resulted in gross human rights violations, displacement of more than four million people, and the death of more than 3,000 people annually. Meanwhile, the World Bank indicates that more than 65 percent of the Colombian population lives in poverty.

This desperate situation requires urgent prayer for the people of Colombia--for God’s healing peace to bring an end to this conflict. The Apostle Paul emphasized the power of prayer in his letter to the Philippians saying, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

The Action component the Days of Prayer and Action focuses on two pieces of legislation before Congress--Plan Colombia, which provides military and social assistance to Colombia, and the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Congregations and individuals will be asking the U.S. government to:

• Cut U.S. military aid that does not foster peace, and significantly increase aid for the poor, displaced and victims of the conflict.

• Oppose the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement because it will further increase poverty among rural Colombians, put their food security at risk, and harm Colombia’s bio-diverse environment.

Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia is an opportunity for congregations and individuals to join in helping to build peace in Colombia, by joining in prayer on April 27 and taking action on April 28, by calling on the United States government to help find real alternatives for justice and peace in Colombia.

To find out more information about the 2008 Days of Prayer and Action and how you can take part visit: http://www.witnessforpeace.org/pdf/DaysPacket2008.pdf