Prayers for Peacemakers, 24 August 2017

Thanksgiving and prayer of blessing for ten people who recently graduated from the CPT training for peacemakers.

Let us give thanks for the ten wonderful people who successfully accomplished and graduated from the month-long intensive CPT Training for Peacemakers. Their peacemaking journeys will continue on various CPT teams and/or in their home communities around the world.

The training was a beautiful and deeply transforming experience and yet by no means easy. The experiential training sessions require presence and engagement of one's whole being and willingness to be transformed. The graduates experienced a number of difficult situations and processes both individually and growing together as a community. One person had to leave the training abruptly, another dealt with an unexpected painful health condition. The trainees were missing five other people who could not come due to oppressive visa policies or personal circumstances. And yet today we celebrate with ten peacemakers from Brazil, Uruguay, Czech republic, Germany, Canada and the U.S.A. who have successfully accomplished the training and will go forth into the world to practice and share what they had learned. As we pray, let us ask for blessing and divine guidance on their new ways, returns to home communities and transitions to new life and work with CPT.    

This was the 48th training that Christian Peacemaker Teams has organized and held during its 31 years of existence. Over 500 people have trained to join the organization and to strengthen their peacemaking skills. We are deeply grateful for everyone committed to this journey of peacemaking, for all who participate either in the trainings or in making them possible through numerous ways of support and accompaniment of prayer.

Psalm 118: 19 - 25

Open for me the gates where the righteous enter, and I will go in and thank the Lord. These gates lead to the presence of the Lord, and the godly enter there. I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory!

The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.

This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Please, Lord, please save us. Please, Lord, please give us success.