Home - Pax Christi Memphis

Next meeting March 13th at Immaculate Conception • Marian Hall • See notice below

Pax Christi, the Peace of Christ, strives to create a world that reflects this peace by witnessing to the call of Christian nonviolence. Although the majority of members are Roman Catholic, Pax Christi is open to all people who want to work for peace in the spirit of the nonviolent Jesus.

Pax Christi Memphis meets the second Tuesday of every month at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 1695 Central Avenue, at 6:45 pm in Marian Hall. The facility is handicap accessible. Entrance is on the west side of the church building. There is ample lighted parking and security.

In lieu of the regularly scheduled meeting, Pax Christi Memphis encourages all who are concerned about crime and youth violence to watch the 2011 documentary “The Interrupters” airing on Frontline on WKNO-TV on Tuesday, February 14. The documentary follows three former gang members – two men and one woman - as they intervene in various street conflicts to defuse violence. They are part of a Chicago program to reduce urban violence.

Click here for a New York Times Review of The Interrupters

Pax Christi Memphis
News and Notes
Number 1, 2012

December Meeting

Our meeting took place at the home of Jerry and Judy Bettice. Chapters 3 and 4 in Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way by Walter Wink were the focus of our discussion. Small groups and later the entire assembly were encouraged to reflect on the material in Wink's book in relation to the OCCUPY MOVEMENT. No formal record of the points raised was made for this brief summary.

January 10 Meeting
Please study chapters 5 and 6 in Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way by Walter Wink in preparation for a brief discussion of these concluding portions of the book.
Members present will join in renewing of the Vow of Non-Violence. See our website for the text of the vow: http:www.paxchristimemphis.org/7.html; paper copies for private use can be obtained from Pax Christi Memphis, 4043 Allison Avenue, 38122. We will celebrate with a social and simple refreshments that members bring to share. The planning team will provide beverages, napkins, plates, etc.

Did you know?
"Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger." This statement is also part of the subtitle of The Spirit Level by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett. The publisher is Bloomsbury Press, and the book can be found in the public library. Thirty years' research in this work is based on public health data from the United States and several other countries. "...More unequal societies are bad for everyone within them--the rich and middle class as well as the poor." (This latter quote is taken from inside the front of the book jacket.)

COMING EVENTS
· CMIRA (Christian Memphians for Immigration Reform) will meet on January 6, at noon, in Christ Community Health Center, Central at Hollywood. Bring a bag lunch.
· January 14, 2012 - 30th Anniversary Dinner for the MidSouth Peace and Justice Center at First Congregational Church, 1000 South Cooper. 6 PM Banquet, 7 PM featured speaker Noam Chomsky.
· February 23: Veterans for Peace present Ray McGovern, retired CIA officer, at 7 PM, First Congregational Church.
· Vanderhaar Symposium, March 15, 2012 - "Compassion and Solidarity: Struggling for Justice, Building Peace" with Dr. Ida Maria Isasi-Diaz, Professor Emeritus of Christian Social Ethics and Theology at Drew University Theological School. Christian Brothers University in the University Theater at 7 PM.

Reflection for this Political Season
If we are to engage in serious dialogue about the relationship between Christian faith and our political commitments, we must invest more energy in bringing scripture to bear on them. We must attempt to understand what scripture is actually saying rather than carelessly bend ing it to fit our political agendas. That does not mean, of course, that there will not continue to be debate about what given texts mean. But we should, and must, engage in a more seri ous treatment of biblical narratives. (Charles E. Gutenson in Sojourners of April 2011)

Support Pax Christi Memphis
It is time for the annual appeal for your support as members of Pax Christi Memphis. The suggested levels of support are: single members, $15 per year; couples, $20; and students or those on limited income, $5. Please send your checks made out "Pax Christi Memphis" to 4043 Allison Avenue, Memphis, TN 38122; or bring your cash or check to the January 10 meeting.

Agenda Items
If you have anything you want to have discussed at our regular meeting, contact one of the members of the planning team at least ten days before the next meeting. Team members are Judy Bettice, Linda Raiteri, Altonette Stone and Janice Vanderhaar.