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In the aftermath of two devastating world wars, Christian leaders helped build a global ecumenical movement grounded in a simple but powerful conviction: that unity, cooperation and shared faith could help prevent the horrors of conflict from happening again. Today, as the world faces the highest number of armed conflicts since 1945, that vision of Christian unity for peace is needed more than ever.

Act for Peace was founded in 1949 to help millions of displaced peoples across Europe after WWII and to help the churches resettle refugees in Australia as part of a global network of concerned ecumenical organisations believing in the power of shared humanity to address such crises. As the international humanitarian agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia, we believe that the Biblical call to seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God compels us to stand for peace, to protect human dignity and to work together across divisions for a more just and compassionate world.

Act for Peace has always had a strong commitment to working with others, preventing and responding to conflict and displacement and advancing the foundations for ‘a just society’ to enable lasting peace. We also have a deep commitment to locally led leadership and decision-making. We understand from experience that local communities and displaced people are best placed to make decisions on the issues that impact them, especially in crisis situations.

At the time of writing, our trusted partners in the Middle East tell of their growing concerns; of how the recent military attacks across an increasing number of countries in the region are causing destruction and loss of innocent lives, uprooting people from their homes and separating families. In Lebanon, recent military action has led to over 500 deaths and 750,000 people being forced to leave their homes in search of safety. Fifty-five villages in Southern Lebanon were asked to evacuate in the middle of the night with nowhere to go.[1] Entire families fled with nothing, but what they could quickly gather and carry.

As always, it is innocent people that suffer first and worst. In the words of a staff member from ACT Alliance, “The Arab region is once again being scarred by violence that is difficult to put into words.” As they report, this escalation means that civilians are bearing the cost across the region: Syria, Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and the Gulf countries are all under attack. The view on the ground is of a broader regional context in which violence has become politicised and normalised, with civilian suffering being increasingly overlooked. Our partners in the region continue to ask, “But how can this suffering be normal?”[2]

Throughout our history, Act for Peace has responded with practical, humanitarian assistance, motivated by love and a commitment to God’s justice. We are again supporting a humanitarian response to this escalating crisis. However, our very name and our commitment to peace challenges us to ask, “What does it mean to be peacemakers, how do we speak and act for peace in this world context?”

We believe that we must stand with those who are bearing the brunt of this conflict. Echoing the World Council of Churches, we insist that as a matter of moral and legal obligation all those involved in spreading the conflict must protect civilians from harm and refrain from targeting civilian areas and infrastructure[3]. Along with our global partners ACT Alliance, we note and condemn all actions that undermine international law and threaten regional and global security. As history has repeatedly shown, military interventions come at a very heavy cost and alone will not deliver democracy or peace. We believe in the ecumenical movement’s vocation to speak out and call all actors to take immediate steps to de-escalate, refrain from further military action and return to diplomatic dialogue.

Iran, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel can seem a long way away from Australia. However, we are all impacted, not just by increased petrol prices but in deeper ways too: a sense of disquiet, even horror, feelings of helplessness, grief. Many parishioners have family and cultural roots back in the Middle East. These are difficult times.

Yet in Australia, up to 1.5 million people attend church on any given Sunday, representing perhaps 5% of the population. For all of us then, what does it mean to be peacemakers in our churches, our communities and in our world? Together, let us pray for peace in our world, let us support and amplify those voices calling for protection and de-escalation, who remind us that military action should be a last resort, not a first response. Let us all remind ourselves that war and violence impact innocent people the most and that our fellow human beings must be protected, supported and their lives restored. Let us all be models of peace building in all our lives, based on the example of Christ and the faithful church over the millennia.

We have the calling and the opportunity to use our collective presence to act for peace. Our national leaders need reminders from us of the importance of following the way of peace. In these times, all global leaders need to be reminded by the global church that wisdom, humility and a desire for peace are at the heart of good governments and thriving societies.

Let us also pray that we as congregations and as a wider church find ways of peacebuilding in these times. We know this means welcoming the stranger, returning good for evil, seeking the peace of the city, indeed the peace of all cities, Tehran and Beirut included. We know this means we need to be peacemakers in our individual and communal lives. We know it means standing with those who are bearing the brunt of the horrific bombardments taking place right now. We know what we need to do to act for peace, and we know we need each other and the grace of God to see peace on earth.

Salaam