Episcopal Peace Fellowship

06/14/2026

"Signs on the horizon give evidence of a growing suspicion among nations. Beneath the surface the world seethes with unrest... It is our duty as disciples of the Prince of Peace to insist upon policies that are consistent with the maintenance of equity, fair dealing and the sanctity of pacts and agreements among races and peoples. We are bound by every solemn obligation to wage unremitting war against war.
"An excess of nationalism or an attitude of detached unconcern for the ills of other nations, together with the building up of an armed force beyond reasonable national needs, deprives us of any opportunity to be a conserver of the world's peace. Love of country must be qualified by love of all [hu]mankind; patriotism is subordinate to religion. The Cross is above the flag. In any issue between country and God, the clear duty of the Christian is to put obedience to God above every other loyalty."
~ The Episcopal Church House of Bishops, 1933 (published in "Cross Before Flag: Episcopal Statements on War and Peace")

06/12/2026

Ten years ago today, a gunman with an assault weapon entered Pulse nightclub, a LGBTQ+ community space in Orlando FL, and fatally shot 49 patrons and wounded 53 others. The victims, primarily LGBTQ+ and Latinx persons, died in a devastating act of terrorism and hate.

Today, a decade and countless mass shootings later, Congress has failed to ban assault weapons. This inaction is immoral and has only led to the loss of countless additional precious lives and the irreparable damage of communities throughout our nation. It is essential that our elected representatives act now to prevent further trauma and preventable deaths. Contact your member of Congress today.

We express gratitude to the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida for its requiem service this week to remember all those whose lives were tragically affected a decade ago. https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2026/06/10/central-florida-cathedral-observes-pulse-nightclub-shootings-10th-anniversary-with-requiem-service/

[Episcopal News Service] The Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Orlando, Florida, memorialized the 49 people who were shot and killed nearly 10 years ago – June 12, 2016 – at Pulse, a nearby gay night…

06/11/2026

Prolonged solitary confinement causes long-term psychological and physiological harm and is considered a form of torture by the U.N. Urge Congress to pass the End Solitary Confinement Act (ESCA), the most comprehensive federal legislation ever proposed to end the torture of solitary confinement across all federal facilities, including immigration detention centers. More than 120,000 people are held in solitary confinement in U.S. prisons and jails. As we prepare for the U.N. International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (June 26), in partnership with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, EPF calls on our members to take action through The Episcopal Public Policy Network on this timely issue. http://www.votervoice.net/Shares/BJIGfAs0ACgshATT9uh7FAA

[Photo: Ethan Vesely-Flad]

06/09/2026

At the end of 2026, voluntary U.S. Selective Service System registration ends. Anyone assigned male at birth between ages 18-25 will be automatically registered for a military draft. What does draft law say about conscientious objectors to this system? Our allies at the CCenter on Conscience & Warhave created this helpful guide to C.O. Draft Law. https://centeronconscience.org/conscientious-objection-and-draft-law/

The following is an abbreviated guide to draft law. A more substantial document is available here. At the end of 2026, voluntary Selective Service System registration ends. Anyone assigned male at birth between ages 18-25 will be automatically registered for the draft. What does draft law say about....

05/01/2026

"The strongest of strongmen is only as powerful as the myths that legitimize his authority. It’s why Trump – an ostentatiously immoral man before his foray into politics – has so obediently bowed to the demands of religious nationalists. Their laying on of hands and national days of prayer offer him legitimacy, just as white preachers did for the White Citizen Councils and State Sovereignty Commissions of the Jim Crow South. By attacking the Pope, Trump has tried to make the moral challenge to MAGA’s authoritarianism personal. But nonviolent movements expose the violence of *systems*. When people come to see that their basic values compel them to stop cooperating with evil, authoritarian regimes cannot last."

Where to look for hope as the legal victories of America’s moral movements are dismantled

04/29/2026

UPDATE: Many thanks for so many excellent quality applications. The deadline has now passed and the Search Committee continues its discernment.

The Episcopal Peace Fellowship is hiring a permanent Executive Director! The deadline for applications is May 31, 2026. Founded in 1939, EPF includes individual members, chapters, and action groups around The Episcopal Church. Read the full position description (PDF file) here: https://bit.ly/EPF2026EDPD

04/20/2026

Join the Fellowship of Reconciliation tomorrow, April 21st at 4pm ET for a timely conversation with two staff from the Center on Conscience and War: Kelly Dougherty and Bill Galvin. They will share inspiring, hopeful stories about those who make the life-changing and life-saving decision to say "I OBJECT" -- even from the battlefield -- and we will learn the steps that need to be taken to make conscientious objection the prevailing term used to frame war in our society. Register for the Zoom event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/_B1OtOygSvCuOcKw6-00Aw #/registration

04/16/2026

“Some theologians use a ‘just war’ framework in analyzing government-sanctioned violence, while others argue for a pacifism rooted in Jesus’ teaching that Christians should love their enemies. Under either theological approach, the Trump administration’s war on Iran fails the test, the panelists concluded.”

[Episcopal News Service] The United States launches a deadly war thousands of miles away in Iran. The “Secretary of War” frames the military attacks as aligned with “the providence of our almighty …

04/14/2026

"The reason [the federal government] abandoned the enforcement of draft registration back in the 1980s was that the prosecutions backfired, and young people got the message that there was safety in silence and safety in numbers. And it’s that continued, quiet but persistent, nonviolent noncooperation by young people, that has been one of the most greatest successes of the peace movement and of nonviolent direct action in past decades, that has prevented a draft. We should thank young people for their service in reining in military expansionism."

Support our work: https://democracynow.org/donate/sm-desc-ytThe federal government is preparing to begin automatically registering eligible U.S. men ages 18 ...

04/14/2026

We mourn the news of the death of the Rev. Jim Lewis, a longtime justice organizer and EPF member. Jim was a leader in addressing economic injustice, labor rights, and workers concerns throughout the Church and wider society, including through his efforts with the Delmarva Poultry Justice alliance in the Mid-Atlantic region. His extensive ministry included distinguished tenures in the Dioceses of North Carolina, Delaware, and West Virginia, throughout which Jim wrote his "Under the Fig Tree" newsletter that was a prophetic source of inspiration for many, and Jim served as a theological consultant with EPF's Palestine solidarity efforts on our Steadfast Hope project.

Jim Lewis, Presente!

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — A lifelong community activist and minister Rev. Jim Lewis passed away Sunday afternoon, according to St. John’s Episcopal Church ministers. He was 90 years ol…