Plowshares Project

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The Plowshares Project is a Peace Studies collaborative between Manchester University, Earlham College and Goshen College in Indiana.

Manchester University (Indiana) liberal arts university with a campus located in North Manchester, Indiana, and a second campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Manchester University is a private liberal arts university associated with the Church of the Brethren and two campuses, one in North Manchester, Indiana and another in Fort Wayne, Indiana, home to the University's College of Pharmacy and Master of Science in Pharmacogenomics programs. Total enrollment is approximately 1,600 students.

Earlham College college in Richmond, Indiana

Earlham College is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. The college was established in 1847 by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and has a strong focus on Quaker values such as integrity, a commitment to peace and social justice, mutual respect, and community decision-making. It is primarily a residential undergraduate college but it offers a Master of Arts in Teaching and has an affiliated graduate seminary, the Earlham School of Religion, which offers three master's degrees: a Master of Divinity, Master of Ministry, and Master of Arts in Religion.

Goshen College private liberal arts college in Indiana, United States

Goshen College is a private liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana. The institution was founded in 1894 as the Elkhart Institute of Science, Industry and the Arts, and is affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. U.S. News and World Reports ranks Goshen as a top-tier regional college in the Midwestern United States.

Contents

History

The Plowshares Project was formed in 2002, and is funded by a four-year grant from Eli Lilly and Company. The project defines its mission and goals by the religious ethos of the Church of the Brethren, the Society of Friends, and Mennonite Church USA.

Eli Lilly and Company American global pharmaceutical company

Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with offices in 18 countries. Its products are sold in approximately 125 countries. The company was founded in 1876 by, and named after, Col. Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical chemist and veteran of the American Civil War.

Church of the Brethren Anabaptist denomination in the United States, descended from the Schwarzenau Brethren.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination with origins in the Schwarzenau Brethren that was organized in 1708 by Alexander Mack in Schwarzenau, Germany, as a melding of the Radical Pietist and Anabaptist movements. The denomination holds the New Testament as its only creed. Historically, the church has taken a strong stance for nonresistance or pacifism—it is one of the three historic peace churches, alongside the Mennonites and Quakers. Distinctive practices include believers baptism by trine immersion; a threefold love feast consisting of feet washing, a fellowship meal, and communion; anointing for healing; and the holy kiss.

Mennonite Church USA Anabaptist church denomination

The Mennonite Church USA is an Anabaptist Christian denomination in the United States. Although the organization is a recent 2002 merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church, the body has roots in the Radical Reformation of the 16th century. Total membership in Mennonite Church USA denominations decreased from about 133,000, before the merger in 1998, to a total membership of 120,381 in the Mennonite Church USA in 2001. In 2013 membership had fallen to 97,737 members in 839 congregations. In 2016 it had fallen to 78,892 members.

Purpose

Plowshares was initiated to enrich the Peace Studies programs at Manchester, Earlham, and Goshen colleges. The program facilitates channels of discussion, and seeks to uphold the peacemaking traditions of the colleges' founding churches.

Peace churches Christian groups advocating Christian pacifism, including: Church of the Brethren; Religious Society of Friends (Quakers); and Mennonites

Peace churches are Christian churches, groups or communities advocating Christian pacifism or Biblical nonresistance. The term historic peace churches refers specifically only to three church groups among pacifist churches—Church of the Brethren; Religious Society of Friends (Quakers); and Mennonites, including the Amish, Old Order Mennonite, and Conservative Mennonites—and has been used since the first conference of the peace churches in Kansas in 1935.

Declared goals

With the Lilly grant, the Plowshares Program intends to:

Peace House

The Peace House is the main outlet for community involvement for the Plowshares Project. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, the house serves as a hub for undergraduate students from any US college or university, and in any major, to become directly involved in the fields of peace and justice.

Indianapolis State capital and Consolidated city-county in the United States

Indianapolis, often shortened to Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to 2017 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion County was 872,680. The "balance" population, which excludes semi-autonomous municipalities in Marion County, was 863,002. It is the 16th most populous city in the U.S. The Indianapolis metropolitan area is the 34th most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S., with 2,028,614 residents. Its combined statistical area ranks 27th, with a population of 2,411,086. Indianapolis covers 368 square miles (950 km2), making it the 16th largest city by land area in the U.S.

The Peace House provides semester-long residence for students pursuing internships with Indianapolis companies and organizations who are involved or concerned with peace and justice issues. There is also a nine-week summer intensive available for students.

Fall and spring semesters

During the regular semester, students at the Peace House take two Peace Studies courses taught by adjunct faculty. From the Plowshares website:

Internship

The internship session mediated by Peace House allows for up to 20 hours of work per week under the supervision of the Peace House director; the work grants up to six credit hours.

Summer session

The nine-week summer session operates without the class work, but still facilitates a full-time internship. The student may work up to 40 hours per week with a selected organization, and may still earn up to six credit hours. During the summer, students may also reside at the Peace House without earning college credit.

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References

1: http://www.plowsharesproject.org/php/peacehouse/credits.php