Every other week, some of us here at CPT meet to discuss what the upcoming months will look like: organizing public events, planning anniversaries, discussing ways to get ourselves out there. The people at CPT are a humble bunch. It’s up to our colleague Mark to remind us from time to time that we really should “toot our own horn”.
With that in mind, we’d like to celebrate one of our own.
A few weeks ago, Mennonite Church USA honored Weldon Nisly as a Legacy Peacemaker with its Bring the Peace award! He’s spent a lifetime organizing towards peace, and has spent the past decade working with our teams in Palestine and Iraqi Kurdistan.
Weldon is co-chair of CPT’s steering committee, so he does a lot of unglamorous work behind the scenes. He’s also never shy about tooting CPT’s horn. On a recent episode of the Liturgical Rebels podcast, he spoke about his joy in working in Iraqi Kurdistan, the team’s unique contribution to the historical record, and the importance of spiritual grounding in sustaining this kind of work. “The most important thing we do,” he said, “we sit and drink tea, and talk, and listen to their stories.”
Speaking to Mennonite Church USA, Weldon said “Peace is more who we are than what we do.” His teammates in Iraqi Kurdistan have a few words to say about how they’ve seen that philosophy in practice: “We’re really proud of Weldon for this well-deserved recognition of his lifelong commitment to peacemaking and justice. Weldon’s life exemplifies a humble pastoral approach to building solidarity and amplifying partners’ voices towards nonviolent possibilities. He embodies a spiritual groundedness that has provided wise mentorship to the Iraqi Kurdistan team. We love him dearly.”
From all of us at CPT, congratulations Weldon! We are proud to celebrate with you.
