What do you get when you bring together a bunch of American Baptists with a
40-year organizational history dedicated to peacemaking and a gaggle of
Southern Baptists with little organization but a huge commitment to
following the Prince of Peace?

The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America!

In March of 1984, 30 or so Baptists of different stripes came together at
Deer Park Baptist Church in Louisville, KY to see if it would be possible to
combine their efforts as peacemakers. An article written at the time summed
up the meeting in this way, “Twenty-four frustrating and not completely
peaceful hours later, their mission was accomplished and the Baptist Peace
Fellowship of North America was born.” (From SBC Today, May 1984)

Born at a key moment in Baptist history, the BPFNA has been a distinctive
voice for the last quarter-century and continues today to enjoy a vibrant
ministry dedicated to “gather, equip, and mobilize Baptists to build a
culture of peace rooted in justice.”

This year the BPFNA is celebrating 25 years of that work. The key event of
our anniversary celebration will be the organization’s annual gathering,
affectionately known as “Peace Camp.” When we gather together at Weber State
University in Ogden, Utah, July 20-25 we will recognize our history and all
those who have made it possible – and we will dream together about what the
next 25 years might bring.

As part of the celebration, we will hear from founders and long-time members
telling stories of our shared past that throw light on our future together –
those story-tellers will include founding Executive Director Ken Sehested
and first board president George Williamson as well as Nancy Sehested and
April Baker. D.E. Adams – a familiar figure in the early years of the
conference – will add his voice in song and long-time member Paul Dekar will
lead daily Prayers for Activists. We’ll also hear from those who are
relatively new to the BPFNA – including story-tellers Daniel and Estela
Schweissing, -- Bible Study leader Rita Nakashima Brock – singer/songwriter
Kate Campbell – and Janet Chisholm, a nationally-known trainer who’ll be
leading a four-part workshop entitled Nonviolence Training for Personal and
Social Change. An interactive worship service will be led each evening by
Peace Camp regular Greg Ledbetter and first-time attendee Angela Yarber. A
wide variety of workshops will be offered – and, as always, we’ll have
special programming for children and youth. Everything we do during the week
will be both a celebration of where we have been and a call to go even
further.

We warmly welcome you to be a part of this gathering – whether you’ve been a
part of the movement for 25 years (or more!), are coming for the first time,
or are somewhere in the middle. This is a conference for everyone who longs
for the spirituality, inspiration, skills, knowledge, and community to
support a life of peace rooted in justice.

For more information, contact LeDayne McLeese Polaski at ledayne@bpfna.org
or visit the web site – www.bpfna.org