Citing the initial success of its 65th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign, the Episcopal Peace Fellowship is expanding peace training and outreach to young people. The EPF's governing national executive council voted to offer more Creative Peacemaking training sessions for Episcopal teens and adults by adding staff.

'Our fund raising effort begun last November on our 65th anniversary has made it possible for us to hire someone to coordinate our training program,' said Ms. Janet Chisholm, chair of EPF's executive council. 'We have received 144 pledges totaling $136,000 that we were excited to be able to make this leap of faith,' said the Rev. Gary Commins, vice-chair of the executive council. 'We will also be adding staff to coordinate EPF regional gatherings, peace events, and participation in delegations to areas of conflict.'

The 'Passion for Peace' pledge campaign was launched last Nov. 11, in an effort to further the mission of EPF. Its main goals are to make peace training available to more groups and to reach out to younger members of the church and offer them a chance to experience the Creative Peacemaking training.

'The training is not only about protesting against war,' said Chisholm. 'It is about changing our culture from its addiction to violence to living into the active peacemaking that Jesus modeled in his life,' she said.

The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church USA at its February meeting threw its support behind the peace training. The council passed a resolution commending to the whole church EPF's Creative Peacemaking urging dioceses and congregations to consider 'how such training might help Episcopalians address the culture of violence in their homes, their workplaces, their congregations and our society at large.'

The EPF was founded by Bishop Paul Jones, other Episcopal clergy and lay people, on Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1939. It has 45 chapters in 32 Episcopal dioceses. Part of the EPF's mission is to 'encourage all Episcopalians to strive for justice and peace among all people and to bear nonviolent witness to Christ's call to peace. As a community we are dedicated to discovering and practicing the biblical concept of peace.'

More information about EPF and its Creative Peacemaking is available on the web at

http://www.episcopalpeacefellowship.org