People

• CPTers come from a WIDE RANGE OF BACKGROUNDS...

• we are ORDINARY PEOPLE...

• EXPLORING ANSWERS to the extraordinary question...

"What would happen if Christians devoted the same discipline and self-sacrifice to nonviolent peacemaking that armies devote to war?"

Peacemaker Corps: full-time and part-time workers

These people staff our field-based violence reduction projects. They commit to full-time or part-time work for three years. Meet some of our CPTers....

Support Team

CPT's "staff," this group is generally based in our offices. They also serve on our violence reduction teams in the field.

Steering Committee

Representatives from:

• CPT's officially sponsoring groups and denominations
• CPT's Peacemaker Corps
• supporters who bring a balance of skills and voice from their commuinties

This body functions as the board of directors and has general oversite of CPT's programs and operations.

Supporters

CPT is upheld by a sea of support: churches, organizations, individuals, meetings, fellowships, foundations, etc. CPT could not exist without this network of support. Thank you!

Who are CPTers?

CPTers are Christians committed to nonviolence, willing to take personal risk in the work of front-lines peacemaking and violence-reduction, and able to work as healthy members of a team in high stress environments.

Meet these CPTers -- where they come from, why they do this work, and the challenges and rewards of being a CPTer:

Esther

I am a CPT Reservist (part-timer), am married, in my mid-60s, mother of two young adults – a son and a daughter. I was raised in an Old Order Amish family in Goshen, Indiana. I am now a Canadian citizen and a member of Valleyview Mennonite Church in London, Ontario. I graduated from Goshen College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. I completed a thirty four year nursing career as a Nurse Manager, a Clinical Nursing Instructor of University of Western Ontario, an Employee Relations Officer, and a Registered Nurse Recruiter.

Where have you worked?

• Delegations in Grassy Narrows/Kenora, Colombia, and Middle East
• USA/Mexico Borderlands, based in Douglas, Arizona
• Grassy Narrows/Kenora in Northwest Ontario
• Hebron, West Bank
• Numerous public witness events - "Shine the Light" Campaign in Toronto and Washington DC, SOA event at Fort Benning, Georgia, other events in North Carolina, Indiana, and Ottawa, Ontario
• Volunteer work in the Chicago office.
• Numerous presentations for churches, and other groups and gatherings. On planning committee for Peace Congress.

How did you get involved?

In 1997, I started participating in humanitarian aid/medical missions to Russia, Cuba, and Honduras, with a growing awareness of economic injustice, systemic racism, white privilege, human rights violations, the politics of power and control, and the ways in which violence is used as means of resolving conflict. Material aid provides short term relief, but does not address underlying causes. Friends of mine were involved in CPT and with their encouragement, inspiration and example, I decided to join.

What attracted you?

CPT expressed a congruence between my faith and belief in Jesus' call to be peacemakers. I was also drawn to the inclusive nature of CPT in welcoming people of faith. Growing up in one of the traditional peace churches made the transition to CPT a "natural fit."

Why are you doing this work?

It is a way of putting my faith into action, moving from being an academic arm chair peacemaker to actively 'getting in the way.' It is a matter of faithful obedience.

What does your support community think about your work?

My faith community is very supportive, and welcome regular reports while I am on project, and presentations when I return. My immediate family have trepidations about my involvement, but are supportive, knowing that I love what I am doing, that I thrive on challenge, and will continue to go outside of my comfort zone, and push out my growing edges.

An inspirational story from your work:

"Maria" was wandering alone in the hot summer sun, in the ditch beside the massive USA/Mexico border wall. The rest of her group had abandoned her because she had leg cramps, one of the first symptoms of dehydration, and she could not keep up the rapid pace. She had no food, water, or money when CPT members found her, near the site where they had been holding a three day fast along the border wall. Maria's only possession was her New Testament which she clutched to her chest. She was immediately given water and bread, then driven back to the CPT apartment for additional food and shelter, while arrangements were made for transportation to a nearby city where her husband was waiting for her. As she departed, Maria gave CPT a gift of thanks, the only item she had left to give: her black nylon Nike ball cap. The cap now hangs on my bookshelf as a reminder that the unforgiving Sonora desert has been denied yet another victim, and that "in as much as you have done it for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it unto me."

What are the most challenging things about this work?

In the face of sometimes enormous odds, I wonder if what we do actually makes a difference, or changes anything. And yet there are constant reminders that if nothing else, we bring hope to the communities with whom we stand in solidarity. Being immersed into a completely different culture and language is a challenge, yet so enriching as we are warmly welcomed, and learn so much about the people and their history. While we may have daily encounters with risk, danger and violence, we know that we have been trained to deal effectively with these situations, and have made the commitment to get in the way.

What would you tell someone interested in CPT to consider before joining?

Be prepared for a move out of the comfortable pew and experience a radical transformation in their spiritual and personal life.

What else would you like to share?

"You must be the change you want to see in the world". -Mahatma Gandhi

Jan

I am in my early 50s, from Scotland, and a full-time CPTer. Previously I was a teacher of children with special needs. I have an adult son and daughter. I am a member of the Anglican Third Order of the Society of St Francis, but also attend Quaker meetings. I have worked with CPT since 2005.

Where have you worked?

Iraq and Palestine. I also serve on CPT’s Steering Committee (board of directors) as a representative of the Peacemaker Corps (CPT field-based members).

How did you get involved?

I first heard about CPT in 2002 when I attended a meeting about the Israel/Palestine conflict at which a CPTer spoke. Interested, I went on a delegation to Israel/Palestine in August 2003 to learn more about CPT’s work.

What attracted you?

I liked the fact that CPT worked with both Israeli and Palestinian peace groups. In Hebron I noticed that CPTers were very much part of the community in which they lived.

I trained in January 2005 and joined as a Reservist (part-timer), planning to continue teaching full time. However, after spending my six week summer break in Baghdad in 2005, I felt called by God to work full time with CPT. In July 2006 I became a full time CPTer.

Why are you doing this work?

I am seeking ways to actively bring my faith and my peace and justice work together. For me CPT does exactly that.

What does your support community think about your work?

My family and friends understand how important this work is to me. Most are very supportive, although they sometimes worry about my safety. The work would be more difficult without their support.

An inspirational story from your work:

The work is rewarding. Working with others we have helped establish a football/soccer team for the children in the Old City of Hebron, Palestine. The Old City is under full Israeli army control, and the Israeli soldiers were unhappy with where the Palestinian children were playing. However, with a little (non physical) pushing and some encouragement, a compromise was achieved that will allow the children to continue to play. It is a small achievement for Palestinians and Israelis to negotiate and agree over children playing football, but it is a small step in the right direction.

What are the most challenging things about this work?

It can be difficult to live and work in the midst of conflict and suffering. I value the time each morning that the team comes together for worship. My own faith and that of team-mates makes this work possible.

Sandra

I am in my early 30s, a full-time CPTer, a Colombian woman, with a psychology degree from the National University of Colombia. I am Mennonite. I am mestiza (indigenous roots). My family is composed of my mother, my sister, my brother and my pet.

Where have you worked?

Mostly Colombia. I served for a short time in Kenora, Ontario (Canada) and I participated in CPT’s women’s delegation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and then a exploratory trip to northern Uganda (Africa). I also served on CPT’s Steering Committee (board of directors) as a representative of the Peacemaker Corps (CPT field-based members).

How did you get involved?

I participated in the first all-Colombian delegation to the project. After this visit I felt a strong call to work on justice and peace issues. After a time of discernment on the Spirit as an intern on the Colombia project, I decided to listen to this call and follow it.

What attracted you?

I was drawn to CPT’s focus on rural communities affected by the violence, and the importance CPT gives to the human side of the conflict. It is a real challenge for me to see the armed actor and the oppressor as a human being, and not as an enemy.

Why are you doing this work?

We need to support peace and justice initiatives in a concrete way. This includes the spiritual, physical, political and emotional levels. You can see the difference this work makes for the community members, to know that they are not alone.

What does your support community think about your work?

My family and community think that I am following God´s call. It is true. They recognize that there are risks for me as a Colombian working in my own country, but they trust in God´s protection and they are learning even more about our own country and our conflict.

An inspirational story from your work:

The rural communities with whom we work in Colombia are an inspiration. I can go and visit them any time and come back to my home in a big city. But they are always threatened with violence and they stay there in the countryside, in the midst of the conflict, surrounded by armed actors. The community members, who are the ones who most suffer, share everything with us from their lives, as if we are very old and good friends. Their trust in God´s presence is a key point for their resistance and struggle.

What are the most challenging things about this work?

There is a lot of work to do, and very few people to do it. The structure of economical, political and social violence is so big. We need to recognize that we are not able to change everything. Sometimes life together as a team is difficult and it is hard to keep our energy in balance so we can continue to do this work.

What would you tell someone interested in CPT to consider before joining?

CPT is an experience that will impact the rest of your life. You will never see the world in the same way, you will have the opportunity to add a grain of sand for justice and peace. You will be able to see some Seeds of Peace growing up in the middle of terror and devastation. You need to be a Seed of Hope for your people and my people. We are tools for peace, but the real masters of peace are the people resisting violence and devastation every day.

And finally…..

The opportunity to be very close with suffering communities is a powerful and transforming experience. With our diversity of gifts we need to work closely with those who are suffering and resisting, and we need to allow God´s Spirit to flow through us for a better world.

Sean

I am in my mid-twenties from Springfield, OH. I am a native-born Ohioan, a fifth generation American of Irish and German descent. I am from a family of six, including three sisters, and a large, close-knit extended family. I am Roman Catholic. I have been a student, bartender, political activist in the U.S. and Ireland, grocery cashier, repairman of water coolers; have worked in student life in Italy, and am now a full-time Christian Peacemaker.

Where have you worked?

I have worked with CPT in Palestine, mostly on the At-Tuwani project but also some in Hebron.

How did you get involved?

I heard about CPT while working in Rome. I first read about the organization on CNN.com regarding their work in Iraq and then heard about their Palestine project from a colleague while planning a short personal visit to the mideast. I did a CPT delegation soon after returning to the U.S. and completed training the following winter.

What attracted you?

I was drawn immediately to their hands-on commitment to and reclaiming of a faith that I felt had become co-opted and hijacked by people whose love of neighbor seemed limited to those neighbors with whom they shared a common worldview, ethnic identity, or social class and whose love of enemy seemed nonexistent.

Why are you doing this work?

I believe Christ’s call to pick up our own cross is a call to some form of real action on behalf of our fellow human beings, a call to radical love, and that is something I feel personally called to. I reached a point where I needed something less abstract in order for my faith to remain relevant. I am also doing it for myself. Through this work, I experience immense spiritual and mental growth and am learning, from the people around me, a lot about life and what it means to be a Christian and a world citizen.

What does your support community think about your work?

My family and close friends are very supportive and for that I am indescribably grateful. They are also curious as to what I am doing, and so in a sense are taking the journey with me. They are one of the greatest spiritual strengths in my life. I’m not sure I could do this without them.

An inspirational story from your work:

The day before Easter, shepherds from Tuwani and the neighboring village of Mufaqara came together to graze their sheep in a large valley that had been inaccessible for six years because of a settler outpost overlooking it. Settlers came out with the army and attacked the sheep, trying to push the flocks out. At the end of the day, one settler said to a shepherd that if he came back the next day, he would kill him. The next day, Easter Sunday, more shepherds came than the day before. The army and the settlers watched as a dozen flocks, hundreds of sheep, and families with picnic lunches filled the valley, undaunted by the threats from the day before.

What are the most challenging things about this work?

Accepting the losses. Coming to terms with the fact that our work doesn’t guarantee a happy ending. Also, life in Tuwani is very simple. Along with being its greatest blessing, it can also be a challenge. At times, when the weather is hot and the fleas are biting and food and water are running low, it can be difficult to think pro-actively about the project.

What would you tell someone interested in CPT to consider before joining?

Consider all the options, do a delegation to the project you are most drawn to, think about whether CPT is the right organization for you, and if so, “ahlan wa sahlan!” [Arabic for “welcome.”]

Suzanna

I am a young woman from the United States, who was raised in the Lutheran church (ELCA). Prior to CPT I studied Art History and Italian at Vassar College. I was a full-time CPTer for over three years and am now a part-time Reservist.

Where have you worked?

Mostly with the Colombia Team in Barrancabermeja. Also short-term involvement in CPT delegations to the Borderlands project in Sonora/Arizona.

How did you get involved?

During college I was active in anti-war organizing and Palestine solidarity and awareness campaigns. I think in my heart I have always been a pacifist, but I became an active pacifist in those years. As I was getting close to graduating, I realized I didn’t want to have a ‘job’ in the traditional sense, but rather wanted to be a fulltime activist. I started to look online for ways to do that, and CPT was one of many options that I explored. From there I decided to participate in a CPT delegation.

What attracted you?

On my delegation I was attracted to the openness to creativity and collaboration, and the recognition of each team member as a whole, multifaceted individual.

What are you doing this work?

I believe deeply that addressing violence must be done – confronting the in-your-face violence, and the violence that functions in the most removed way. Challenging both the foot soldiers and the structures of domination and oppression.

What does your support community think about your work?

My family, friends and community support me from their faith perspective, although not as much from their political perspective as one might hope. They try. I try to challenge them in ways that invite them to grow. My younger brother is especially supportive from a political perspective.

An inspirational story from your work:

Often the inspirational part of work is found in the days where it seems like nothing is happening – the visits to the rural Colombian communities when we drink a lot of coffee or lemonade, chat and take a nap, the public actions that do not get a rise out of the local Colombian police, three phone calls that help someone who is targeted flee safely from the city, or a bunch of letters to officials who are sick of hearing from us so that human rights cases actually get investigated. None of these things make good “stories,” but they are the daily inspirations. When nothing too thrilling is happening, that probably means our goal of reducing violence is happening through our presence.

What are the most challenging things about this work?

Some of the most challenging things are dealing with dynamics of racism, sexism, and other forms oppression that are rooted in international economic forms of domination. These can be especially challenging because our work is about active engagement with the world – we’re supposed to engage these things, both externally and within CPT.
Some other challenges:

• living in community
• the high rotation of individuals on-team
• the constant displacement of local people fleeing violence
• the temptation to try to be super-heroes and therefore not take good care of ourselves
• disconnection with friends, families and communities because of my commitment to a different geography
• constant emphasis on the need to act for change
• the reality that there are few other people in the world who have jobs like ours
• it’s hard for others to relate to this work without either ignoring it, or putting CPTers up on a pedestal, both of which are not good bases for relationships.

What would you tell someone interested in CPT to consider before joining?

Do deep self-examination before committing to CPT because there are a lot of pieces of the CPT experience that work for some and not for others. And when CPT isn’t a good fit for someone, it may have very little to do with the person’s commitment to peace work. Think seriously how well you can work as a team member – lots of jobs say they require teamwork, but I would argue none require it as much as CPT. How well can you live in community, and how well can you be “semi-nomadic” for years at a time as you move in and out of field-work?

I see anti-oppression work as central to all CPT work. We should all have a commitment to anti-oppression work, a dedication to building and bettering our anti-oppression analysis, and clarity about what privileges we do and do not have as we walk into this work.

Ask yourself the question, “Am I ready to never be the same again?” In some ways the growth and change that CPT work brings is wonderful, and in many ways extremely painful. This is hard to prepare for.

What are the rewarding parts of this work?

• We see, sometimes only briefly, spaces where real change is going through infancy and will one day be Real Change in our world.
• Communities share themselves with us on a level that cannot be explained, only experienced, and we experience this depth of sharing only when we understand that we do not have the answers.
• We can never forget the realities of capitalism and imperialism because we have friends that suffer from them; those of us who are members from the Global North can never forget that we are part of those oppressive structures.
• Most importantly, the organizations and communities we work with educate us in the skill of finding joy in pain, destruction and sadness. This skill is fundamental to our humanness. CPT work, when done well, helps us be more human.
  

Finally, I am always willing for folks who are interested in CPT to contact me by email at Suzanna.collerd [at] gmail [dot] com

William

I am a CPT Reservist (part-time worker) in my early 40s, a member of the Toronto Catholic Worker community, and a queer activist.

Where have you worked with CPT?

Chiapas (Mexico), Burnt Church (Esgenoopetitj, Canada), Colombia, Palestine, Anishnabe territory (Canada)

How did you get involved?

In the mid-nineties I was following the unfolding of the Zapatista movement in Chiapas (southern Mexico) with great interest, particularly because they had linked their struggle for justice with other justice movements throughout the world, including that of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered people, which is my community. By 1997 I had decided to volunteer as a human rights observer in Chiapas through a human rights office. At the same time, a member of my community was asked to consider joining CPT's newly-formed team in Chiapas. Unable to go herself, she suggested CPT contact me since I was going anyways! The rest is, as they say, history, and I have been working with CPT either full-time or part-time since then.

What attracted you?

I was inspired by the vision of pacifists not sitting back and condemning the use of violence from the comfort of their own homes. I was drawn to using active nonviolence in the midst of dire conflict situations, and the choice to light a candle instead of cursing the darkness.

Why are you doing this work?

I am invigorated by working with so many inspiring people in a framework of deep democracy that really feels true and hopeful.

What does your family and/or support community think about your CPT work?

I have the benefit of being part of a home community that includes other CPTers, so there is a lot of understanding and support here. My own family, I think, respects the commitment I’ve made, but my mother in particular gets pretty nervous every time I go somewhere.

An inspirational story from your CPT work?

After I had left our Colombia project, the team there let me know an ex-paramilitary guy had stopped by the CPT office in Barranca to report that he had left the armed paramilitaries, and that he linked that decision to a conversation with another CPTer and myself.

What are the most challenging things?

It’s hard to find a way to address my own needs around financial security as I get older in the framework of CPT’s needs-based financial support. I know financial security is all illusion, but as friends and family members have their houses and pension plans, I sometimes get stressed out about the “what-if's”.

What would you tell someone interested in CPT to consider before joining?

Make sure that you take your days off, that you work with a spiritual director, that you pray regularly, and take regular retreats.

Steering Committee

CPT's Steering Committee functions as the board of directors and has general oversite of CPT's programs and operations. It is composed of:

• Representatives from CPT's officially sponsoring groups and denominations
• Representatives from CPT's Peacemaker Corps
• Supporters who bring a group balance of skills and voice from their communities

MEMBERS

• Jan Benvie -- Peacemaker Corps representative
• Tony Brown -- Mennonite Church USA
• Ruth Buhler -- Mennonite Church Canada
• Nora Carmi -- At-large member
• Anton Flores -- At-large member
• Ben Fong -- At-large member
• Rachel Long -- Church of the Brethren
• Rafael Lopera -- Congregation of St. Basil
• Vikki Marie -- At-large member
• Susan Mark Landis -- Mennonite Church USA
• Lee McKenna -- Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
• Phil Miller -- Church of the Brethren (On Earth Peace)
• Eric Olfert -- Mennonite Church Canada
• Michael Snarr -- Friends United Meeting
• Hedy Sawadsky -- At-large member
• John Stoner -- Every Church a Peace Church
• Brian Young -- Friends United Meeting

"Getting in the Way"

"Getting in the Way," CPT's motto, has multiple meanings.

Violence Reduction: Getting in the Way of violence. CPT intervenes in situations of violence.

Discipleship: Getting in the Way of (entering) the path of discipleship of Jesus. Early followers of Jesus referred to their movement as the Way.

An Inter-relatedness between the two: by entering the path -- getting in the way -- of peacemaking discipleship, we are led to proactively intervene and get in the way of violence. And by intervening in violence, we discover deeper meanings of discipleship.

Gene Stoltzfus, director emeritus of CPT, reflects...

In the early period of Christian Peacemaker Teams we wanted to find a simple phrase, sentence or saying that could represent our experiment in peacemaking. On more than several occasions in the field, in the Steering Committee, and in ad hoc groups we brain stormed words or phrases.

We continued our peacemaking work expecting that somewhere in our engagement with the broken stuff of our world, a phrase growing directly from experience, would become apparent to all of us. Eleven years after the vision for teams of Christian Peacemakers was first articulated at a Mennonite World Conference and seven years after we began program work, the result of our quest began to make itself known. The answer was simple, engaging and connected to a long religious and spiritual history. When we found it, there was no further debate on this subject. It seemed so right, "Getting in the Way".

The year was 1995. The place was Hebron in the Palestinian West Bank. A major massacre of Palestinians had occurred there, at a site important to Jews and Muslims, a site where Abraham and Sarah are entombed. In response to the mayor's invitation and the advice of local people, a CPT project began in mid year. All of us in CPT were finding our way, testing methods to act and to prevent violence. We knew, for example, Israeli settlers threatened Palestinian school children and we began to look for ways to be with them in a presence of protection.

On November 4, CPTer, Wendy Lehman on one of her first field assignments and a new delegation participant, Dianne Roe went out to accompany children at the Cordoba Elementary School. As Dianne stood talking to some teenage girls at the school, several settlers pushed her to the ground and kicked her. The settler youth also attacked the students, dragging them by their hair. Twenty minutes later a settler armed with an Uzi threatened Wendy, Dianne and other CPTers. On the same afternoon 80 settlers blocked the road where students walked to and from their school. November 4 was a tumultuous day. That same evening an Israeli militant shot and killed Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

A week after all these events, Dianne was back in Corning, NY reporting to her home church when a women in her congregation asked, "Why didn't you just get out of the way so you wouldn't be hurt?" The option had never occurred to Dianne since in violence reduction you don't just get out of the way whenever there is a threat to your personal safety.

Some time later, Dianne was invited to create a banner for an international conference organized by Sabeel, a Palestinian Christian group seeking a just peace for the region The conference organizers wanted to incorporate the notion of Way, an early name for Christians. The main feature of the banner was feet in worn sandals. Dianne used a photograph of Wendy's feet as a model. The feet of CPTer Sister Anne Montgomery also contributed to the final banner. After a discussion with conference organizers the phrase, GETTING IN THE WAY, was superimposed on the feet.

When I saw the banner during a visit to Jerusalem some time later, I immediately remembered our long search for a phrase that could describe CPT. In a Bible class years earlier I studied the Way (Acts 9:2), a word that appears frequently in the New Testament and actually is part of the grounding of other world religions. In Islam, Sharia law hints at the notion of a Way. Buddhism speaks of the Middle Way, a path of moderation between the extremes of asceticism and sensual indulgence. I inquired at Sabeel for permission to use the banner drawing and the phrase. They agreed, and we began to test out our signature phrase, GETTING IN THE WAY.

My primary conviction and enthusiasm for rooting ourselves in the basic language of Way was that it reaches to the foundational threads of Christianity, to the stories of Jesus himself and his immediate followers who combined words, healing, confrontation, public discourse, suffering and possible death at the village and urban level, and at the personal and political level - all as an inherent part of the journey. This is a perfect place from which to launch the project of violence reduction.

GETTING IN THE WAY implies that there is a way. It's a way that requires healthy feet, and clear convictions nurtured in the spirit and it leads through villages and cities, across oceans, mountains and rivers. It incorporates a persistent spirit that is not seduced by the twin diversions of either compulsive activism or unengaged living.

THE SPIRIT OF THE WAY suggests that the person on the pathway will not easily veer off course or look backward, tempted by power, wealth, or security. The Way knows that in the real world, people will encounter words, other people and systems that can pull them down or off the path - "benign" racist statements, little lies, killing of innocents and non innocents, organized violence, hatred, destruction of nature. People of the Way learn to use their minds to develop careful strategies. Their bodies are engaged and their spirits link with the power of God throughout the whole universe.

GETTING IN THE WAY implies a quality of collective work and decision making that still retains flexibility for an individuality that is not bound by short term ego needs. This way has unexpected opportunities for transformation, surprise and miracles as well as occasional impediments and obstacles.

PEOPLE OF THIS WAY are not looking to be saved by the power of the nation state and its military. In a press release about the settler attacks in 1995 Wendy Lehman summed up the components of Getting in the Way as it came to her that day in Hebron, "I've certainly learned a lot about the power of prayer and its interconnectedness with action. Our work here involves risk, and we sometimes put ourselves in situations where we have only our faith in God, the power of nonviolence, each other and our Hebronite hosts to keep us safe. Without the prayer support of our friends back home, I'm not sure we could do it."

PEOPLE IN THE WAY practice a form of mellow long term militancy that is armed with a special literacy to read the signs of the times. Whether the message is joyful or ominous we invoke the power of God in celebration.

Frequent Questions

1. Who are CPTers and how did they get involved with CPT?
2. How do I join?
3. Do I have to be a Christian to join?
4. How many people are in CPT?
5. What qualifications and training do CPTers have?

6. Who supports CPT, and where do you get your money?
7. How are CPTers compensated?
8. How much does your work cost?
9. Who are your teams accountable to?

10. Isn't your work dangerous?
11. Do you only work in countries outside the USA and Canada?
12. How do you decide where to go, and when to leave?
13. Why aren't you working in…?
14. Why are you so anti-US?

15. I can't join CPT, is there something else I can do?
16. Is there a local CPT group I can connect with?
17. What good is a CPT delegation, and why should I go on one?

18. What have you accomplished, and what difference do you make?
19. Is CPT a missionary organization?
20. Aren't you duplicating the work of other groups?
21. What good is a CPT prayer vigil or other symbolic public witness?
22. Isn't violence inevitable in any society?

1. Who are CPTers and how did they get involved?

CPTers started out by participating in a short-term CPT delegation, open to anyone with a commitment to nonviolence. CPTers are ordinary people from diverse backgrounds. They are students, clergy, engineers, homemakers, administrators, teachers, retired elders, farmers, nurses, academics, auto mechanics, veteran activists, and those newly on the road of active peacemaking. These CPTer profiles introduce a few CPTers and describe how they got involved.

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2. How do I join?

First you need to go on a short-term CPT delegation. Afterward, if CPT is a good fit, you will fill out an application to join the Peacemaker Corps - the group that staffs our projects. The next step is training, which is a continuation of the application process. Mutual discernment between CPT and the trainee regarding acceptance into the Peacemaker Corps occurs at the end of the training period. Contact us for more information or to talk to someone about this process. Click to Join a Delegation.
Delegation -> Application -> Training

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3. Do I have to be a Christian to join?

You need to self-identify as a Christian. CPT does not have a "litmus test" to determine whether someone is a Christian but we want applicants to have made a commitment to following Jesus. CPT workers have chosen to join the nonviolent community of Jesus Christ and are committed to seeking God's will in their work, worship, and decision-making. On project sites, CPT works enthusiastically with local partners from a variety of faith traditions, and we encourage the formation and development of other faith-based, nonviolent peace teams.

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4. How many people are in CPT?

CPT has around 40 full-time peacemakers and nearly 200 part-time volunteers who serve in violence-reduction projects around the world. This work is supported by a Steering Committee (board of directors) whose members represent organizations and denominations officially sponsoring CPT. Both full-time and part-time members serve for three years. For the full-timers, serving on CPT project locations is their job. Part-timers commit to serve at least two weeks a year for three years.

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5. What qualifications and training do CPTers have?

CPTers are Christians committed to nonviolence, willing to take personal risk in the work of front-lines peacemaking and violence-reduction, and able to work as healthy members of a team in high stress environments. Prospective CPTers first participate in a short-term delegation, and then attend a month-long intensive live-in training program. The training includes modules on violence-defusing role plays, interpersonal conflict transformation, security in war zones, the biblical basis for peacemaking, undoing racism and sexism, work-style profiles, and much more.

CPTers enter this work with a deep spiritual grounding and commitment to nonviolence. All applicants submit a personal statement and sign a statement of responsibility in which they agree to accept the risks involved in entering a conflict zone.

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6. Who supports CPT, and where do you get your money?

We rely on your prayers and donations. Christian Peacemaker Teams was founded in 1984 by three historic peace churches, Mennonite, Church of the Brethren and Quaker, and now enjoys support and membership from a wide range of Christian denominations, including Catholics, Baptists and Presbyterians. A range of denominations and groups are official sponsors. Thousands of individuals and hundreds of congregations make up by far the largest percentage of financial support. CPT receives a smaller percentage from grants and foundations. CPT does not accept money from any government or governmental agency. All CPTers fund-raise within their communities to support their peace ministry. We provide this financial summary of our income and expenses.

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7. How are CPTers compensated?

Our full-time workers each receive a monthly subsistence support stipend budgeted to cover basic needs. CPT full-timers don't make any money, but they don't lose money either. Part-time workers do not receive a stipend because they generally have other sources of income (their work and life outside of CPT). CPT asks them to fundraise a specific amount to cover the costs of their ministry.

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8. How much does your work cost?

We estimate it costs US$15,000 each year to support one of our full-time field workers. While this may seem high, we note that the U.S., Canada and the UN spend roughly US$150,000 or Cdn$220,000 per soldier per year to maintain a war-fighting or "peace-keeping" capability. CPT's over-all budget is around US$1 million. We are able to keep costs down, because CPTers choose to live simply and stipends are based on what will cover their needs, rather than on what would support a middle-class lifestyle.

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9. To whom are your teams accountable?

Teams are accountable to their local partners and inviting bodies, and to the whole of CPT through a twice-yearly review of their work by the CPT Steering Committee (board of directors). The Steering Committee is made up of representatives from groups and denominations that are official sponsors of CPT, some at-large members, and representatives from CPT's Peacemaker Corps.

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10. Isn't your work dangerous?

Sometimes - operating in conflict zones can be risky. But we believe that until Christians are willing to devote the same discipline and sacrifice to nonviolent peacemaking that soldiers dedicate to war-making, violence will always prevail. That said, most of the time CPTers engage in the rewarding work of relationship-building - drinking tea, sharing meals, making friends.

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11. Do you only work in countries outside the US and Canada?

No. CPT is currently based in the US and Canada and we see all too clearly the many systems of violence and injustice operating in these countries. CPT maintains violence reduction work and campaigns in both the US and Canada.

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12. How do you decide where to go, and when to leave?

CPT places teams in conflict areas only if we have established a relationship with a trusted welcoming group. Sometimes CPT initiates contact with local peacemakers to let them know about our work. Usually a delegation or staff will visit an area and learn about the situation. We look for conflicts in which an international presence can provide protection and expand the space for local peacebuilders to do their work. When a situation becomes so unstable that violence rages out of control, CPT's work may become less effective. If the presence of CPTers is endangering local peacebuilders, we leave. CPT empowers teams on project locations to determine when they should evacuate an area.

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13. Why aren't you working in…?

CPT is a relatively small organization and we don't have the capacity to respond to the majority of the conflicts in the world. We wish we did, and many of us are drawn toward a vision of a massive 100,000-strong force of Christian peacemakers who could nonviolently intervene in lethal conflict. We think the world would be a very different place, if such a peacemaking body developed.

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14. Why are you so anti-US?

We aren't. In fact, most CPTers are from the United States, and wish that the US would consistently live up to the ideals of justice and freedom it proudly proclaims. Sadly, US actions at home and throughout the world have run counter to these ideals, and as responsible world citizens and citizens of the Kingdom of God, we need to confront those roots of violence that grow within the United States. CPTers who are US citizens are uniquely positioned, and have a responsibility, to speak to US decision-makers about the violence that results from US actions.

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15. I can't join CPT, is there something else I can do?

• Sign-up for CPTNET, CPT's internet news service.
• Consider going on one of our short-term delegations. You don't have to be a CPTer to join a delegation; you just need to have the heart of a compassionate peacemaker. Click to Join a Delegation.
• Act when CPT sends-out an Urgent Action to contact authorities; this kind of home-based advocacy helps create protection for CPTers and our local partners.

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16. Is there a local group I can connect with?

CPT has Regional Groups with which you might connect. Regional Groups are built around a core of trained CPTers and CPT supporters who work to reduce violence both in their local regions and by supporting or serving on already-established CPT projects. If a Regional Group exists in your area, don't hesitate to become involved.

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17. What good is a CPT delegation, and why should I go on one?

Our short-term delegations to project locations are an encouragement to local peace workers. Short term delegations can engage in important dialogue or nonviolent witness that might be difficult or impossible for a long term team to do. Delegates provide important advice for ongoing program activities because of the fresh eyes and ears that participants bring to the situation. When they tell their stories back home they augment the voices for justice. Delegations can have a profound effect on participants, and have forged transformative relationships. Click to Join a Delegation.

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18. What have you accomplished, and what difference do you make?

While this question is hard to answer with numerical data, we can point to many cases in which violence decreased and policies improved becuase of the presence of CPT and other similar groups. We know that we have prevented deaths and deterred violence because we have stopped armed groups from acting. We know that the people with whom we work tell us they are safer because of our presence and work. We know that CPT's work has expanded the "space" for local peacemakers to pursue their already-inspiring peace work. And even when the results of our work seem disappointing at times, we know that we are called to be faithful and not necessarily effective.

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19. Is CPT a missionary organization?

No. CPT is a peacemaking organization focused on reducing violence and protecting human rights in conflict zones. While CPTers have chosen to follow Jesus Christ, they do not proselytize. We do, however, have many opportunities to share the basis of our own faith and our understanding of Jesus' call to peacemaking.

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20. Aren't you duplicating the work of other groups?

Not really. Most Christian organizations are concerned with church planting, economic development or peace education. We are one of only a few groups with a mission to place trained peace workers in explosive situations to do "third party nonviolent intervention." We are regularly in touch with these sister groups and encourage one another and cooperate. We are wholly supportive when other peace teams do similar work because the need is so great.

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21. What good is a CPT prayer vigil or other symbolic public witness?

We believe in the power of prayer to transform lives and structures. A prayer vigil or other public witness brings the search for truth into the public place. A prayer vigil or public witness simply tries to connect the word of God with the search for truth in a symbolic way. We believe Jesus witnessed publically in a prophetic critique of the social, political, religious and economic structures of his time. In this tradition of Jesus - a tradition carried on by Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Badshah Khan, and many, many others - CPT organizes and encourages nonviolent public witness, sometimes called "nonviolent direct action," as a method of social transformation towards an envisioned Reign of God. We believe we must take our Christian faith from the pews to the public space. Public witness is an intentional way of offering our peace perspective to the wider community.

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22. Isn't violence inevitable?

This question is debated by anthropologists. Violence is a fundamental part of most contemporary societies. But must it be that way? Without the efforts of peacemakers, that violence might be more vicious, or transform itself into crusades of violence as occurred in Christianity during the Middle Ages. Our experience is that violence can be disarmed with the witness to peace, truth, love and justice. The willingness to give life instead of taking life has immense transforming power, as Jesus Christ has demonstrated when he sacrificed himself for others.

The human race has had thousands of years and trillions of dollars to develop increasingly destructive forms of warfare in the pursuit of peace and security. This has clearly failed. Now is the time to redirect our energies and resources to alternative ways, to Jesus' way, of achieving peace and security.

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History

Over the past 450 years of martyrdom, immigration and missionary proclamation, the God of shalom has been preparing us Anabaptists for a late twentieth-century rendezvous with history. The next twenty years will be the most dangerous—and perhaps the most vicious and violent—in human history. If we are ready to embrace the cross, God’s reconciling people will profoundly impact the course of world history . . . This could be our finest hour. Never has the world needed our message more. Never has it been more open. Now is the time to risk everything for our belief that Jesus is the way to peace. If we still believe it, now is the time to live what we have spoken.

“We must take up our cross and follow Jesus to Golgotha. We must be prepared to die by the thousands. Those who believed in peace through the sword have not hesitated to die. Proudly, courageously, they gave their lives. Again and again, they sacrificed bright futures to the tragic illusion that one more righteous crusade would bring peace in their time, and they laid down their lives by the millions.

“Unless we . . . are ready to start to die by the thousands in dramatic vigorous new exploits for peace and justice, we should sadly confess that we never really meant what we said, and we dare never whisper another word about pacifism to our sisters and brothers in those desperate lands filled with injustice. Unless we are ready to die developing new nonviolent attempts to reduce conflict, we should confess that we never really meant that the cross was an alternative to the sword . . .

In the mid-1980s, members of the historic peace churches were seeking new ways to express their faith. “Low-intensity” wars had broken out in many places including Central America, and the U. S. government usually sided with the elite groups and oppressive systems in these conflicts. Also emerging in that period was a consciousness that by using the creative energy of organized nonviolence, ordinary people could stand in front of the weapons and encourage less violent ways for change to happen.

Thus, Sider’s call contributed to vigorous conversations in churches across North America. In 1986, these discussions culminated in a late fall gathering at the suburban Chicago retreat center owned by the Society of the Divine Word in Techny. God granted a spirit of unity to the gathering of 100 persons and a call went out for the formation of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT.) Representative denominations appointed a steering committee to hammer out basic directions and invited Gene Stoltzfus to begin work as the first staff person in 1988.

By 1992, CPT had put together a series of delegations to Haiti, Iraq, and the West Bank, but members of the organization still felt the need for trained full-time corps of people to work in crisis regions. The Steering Committee thus set a goal to develop a Christian Peacemaker Corps of twelve full-time persons—who would receive stipends comparable to those provided by other voluntary service organizations -- with a much larger number of reservists who would donate their time and resources. By the end of 1998, when the organization finally reached the goal of a twelve-person Christian Peacemaker Corps, it had set-up and staffed violence-reduction projects in Haiti; Washington, DC; Richmond, VA; Hebron, West Bank; Bosnia; and Chiapas, Mexico

Word spread about CPT’s creative work in the field of nonviolence. Groups in urban areas of North America, Native peoples, and numerous third or fourth world churches contacted CPT to explore the possibility of setting up their own regional CPT groups of workers trained in violence reduction. During a 2000 full timers’ retreat at CPTer Cliff Kindy’s Joyfield Farm, CPT full timers and key constituents agreed that CPT should work toward the development of local groups of trained reservists. To accomplish this objective, CPT would adapt the three and a half week training component of CPT for local settings to connect with traditional styles of nonviolent change present in every culture. As of 2007, CPT has regional groups in Cleveland; the Boulder, CO, area; Washington, DC; the Winnipeg, MB area; Northern Indiana, and southern Ontario. Regional groups are developing in the United Kingdom and Minnesota.

The participants at the Joyfield Farm retreat hoped that the regional groups would help CPT deploy larger teams to crisis regions. However, the CPT experience has demonstrated that small teams of four to six people trained in the skills of documentation, observation, nonviolent intervention, and various ministries of presence can make a striking difference in explosive situations.

Initially sponsored by the two largest North American Mennonite denominations and the Church of the Brethren, as of 2007 CPT has gained the additional sponsorship of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, the Congregation of St. Basil (Basilians), Every Church a Peace Church, Friends United Meeting, On Earth Peace, and the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship. Most of CPT’s support comes from church members, congregations, and Friends meetings. As others join this movement to find ways for justice to happen without killing, they will bring their own special gifts to build the work.

A larger, more ecumenical CPT will inspire Christians from all over the world to lay aside the weapons of destruction usually controlled by the mighty. With Jesus’ help and inspiration, these CPTers will show that the power for transforming conflicts is a miracle available to all of humankind.

Mission Statement

"Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) offers an organized, nonviolent alternative to war and other forms of lethal inter-group conflict. CPT provides organizational support to persons committed to faith-based nonviolent alternatives in situations where lethal conflict is an immediate reality or is supported by public policy. CPT seeks to enlist the response of the whole church in conscientious objection to war, and in the development of nonviolent institutions, skills and training for intervention in conflict situations. CPT projects connect intimately with the spiritual lives of constituent congregations. Gifts of prayer, money and time from these churches undergird CPT’s peacemaking ministries."

"We believe that the mandate to proclaim the Gospel of repentance, salvation and reconciliation includes a strengthened Biblical peace witness.

"We believe that faithfulness to what Jesus taught and modeled calls us to more active peacemaking.

"We believe that a renewed commitment to the Gospel of Peace calls us to new forms of public witness which may include nonviolent direct action."

- CPT founding conference: Techny, Illinois,  December 1986

Related Nonviolent Intervention Groups

• Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel
• Fellowship of Reconciliation
• Friends Peace Team
• International Solidarity Movement
• Michigan Peace Team
• Nonviolent Peaceforce
• Operation Dove
• Peace Brigades International
• Witness for Peace
• The Frontiers

Supporting Groups

CPT is guided by a Steering Committee (Board of Directors) of representatives from the officially-endorsing agencies and groups below. Is your organization called to consider sponsorship?

Denominations

• Church of the Brethren
  • On Earth Peace
• Friends United Meeting
• Mennonite Church Canada
  • Peace and Justice Ministries
• Mennonite Church USA
  • Peace and Justice Support Network

Organizations

• Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
• Congregation of St. Basil (Basilians)
• Every Church a Peace Church
• Presbyterian Peace Fellowship