Now processed: Presbyterian Peacemaking Program records

Slide from "I hope they don't bomb my lily pad: peacemaking, a child’s view, about 1982." From Pearl: 348007.

The Presbyterian Historical Society has processed the Peacemaking Program Records as Record Group 542, and the guide to the records is now available for researchers: https://www.history.pcusa.org/collections/research-tools/guides-archival-collections/rg-542.

The collection totals 59 boxes, with a scope covering the history and actions of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program (PPP) and its staff as they worked to find ways for the denomination to respond to Christ’s call to be peacemakers. Additionally, there are records of the Presbyterian United Nations Office (PUNO) and the files of the Rev. Donald J. Wilson, chiefly documenting his work in peacemaking and international affairs before the creation of the PPP. The materials are primarily in English with some items in Arabic, Korean and Spanish.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu (right) models a "Peacemaking Jubilee" t-shirt in his Cape Town residence. The Rev. Ken Jones (left) of Cleveland makes the presentation on behalf of 20 U.S. Presbyterian participants in the November 1994 Study/Travel Seminar to South Africa/Namibia, sponsored by PPP. From Pearl: 348265 [RG 542, Box 34, Folder 11]

In 1975, the 187th General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA) called for a study on peacemaking and foreign policy. The Advisory Council on Church and Society (ACCS) created a special task force to undertake the work, resulting in the publication of the report "Peacemaking: The Believers’ Calling," which was adopted by the 192nd General Assembly in 1980. The report called for the creation of a formal peacemaking program and peacemaking offering within the denomination and for all synods, presbyteries and congregations to find ways to respond to Christ’s call to be peacemakers. This led to the creation of the Peacemaking Project and the Peacemaking Advisory Committee (PAC) in 1980, operating through the Program Agency (Unit III, Ministries with Congregations).

The Rev. Richard Killmer served as the first director of the Peacemaking Project. In 1981, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) also adopted "Peacemaking: The Believers’ Calling," which led to the PCUS contributing a grant from the estate of Pearl Wight Burnam to the Peacemaking Project in 1982. These funds were used to hire the Rev. James Watkins to serve as a peacemaking liaison to congregations and presbyteries and to establish a joint peacemaking program for both denominations.

Coinciding with the reunion of the UPCUSA and PCUS in 1983, the Peacemaking Project expanded to become the PPP, with offices in Atlanta, New York and Washington, D.C. Ollie Gannaway, associate for international peacemaking, began to use the Burnam Fund to develop the Peace Associates and International Peacemakers Program, which brought international peacemakers to the United States for month-long visits to interpret the issues of their countries for American Presbyterians. This program also supported American peace associates’ international work and funded travel-study seminars for Presbyterians visiting and learning from places around the world experiencing conflict.

At the recommendation of the 1983 General Assembly, the PPP initiated the Commitment to Peacemaking, a formal program that congregations, presbyteries and synods could adopt.

When the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) moved to Louisville in 1988, the PPP did as well; the Presbyterian United Nations Office was created in New York the same year. Structurally, the PPP was situated in the Social Justice and Peacemaking Ministry Unit (SJPU) until 1994, when a restructure moved it to the Congregational Ministries Division (CMD) of the General Assembly Council (GAC). Another restructure in 2007 saw the PPP move under the mission area of Compassion, Peace and Justice within the GAC.

Front cover of brochure advertising the 2000 Peacemaking Offering. From Pearl: 348244 [RG 542, Box 28, Folder 1]

Read the collection guide to learn about the four series in the Presbyterian Program Records, including Series I, Presbyterian Peacemaking Program Files, circa 1969-2014; Series II, Presbyterian United Nations Office Files, circa 1948-2004; Series III, Donald J. Wilson Files, circa 1954-1979; and Series IV, Audiovisual Materials, circa 1982-2009. 

This article was originally published on the PHS blog: https://www.history.pcusa.org/blog/2024/01/now-processed-presbyterian-peacemaking-program-records