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The Plowshares Project is a Peace Studies collaborative between Manchester University, Earlham College and Goshen College in 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 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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
With the Lilly grant, the Plowshares Program intends to:
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, 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.
During the regular semester, students at the Peace House take two Peace Studies courses taught by adjunct faculty. From the Plowshares website:
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.
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.
Wabash College is a private, men's, liberal arts college in Crawfordsville, Indiana with about 920 students. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, Wabash is ranked in the top one hundred of national liberal arts colleges.
Anderson University is an private Christian liberal arts university in Anderson, Indiana. The college is affiliated with the Church of God. Anderson University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and the Independent Colleges of Indiana society. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate majors, as well as graduate programs in business, music, and theology.
Trinity Christian College is a four-year liberal arts college in Palos Heights, Illinois, a southwestern suburb of Chicago. The college was founded in 1959 by a group of Chicago businessmen who wanted to establish a college providing students with a Christian higher education in a Reformed tradition as a college in Illinois. This accredited, four-year liberal arts college offers degrees in more than 70 programs of study.
Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) is a private Mennonite liberal arts university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The university also operates a satellite campus in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which primarily caters to working adults. EMU's bachelor-degree holders traditionally engage in service-oriented work such as health care, education, social work, and the ministry.
Bethany Theological Seminary is the official seminary of the Church of the Brethren. Bethany, located in Richmond, Indiana, is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is a public, residential, liberal arts college in North Adams, Massachusetts. It is part of the state university system of Massachusetts. It is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. Originally established as part of the state's normal school system for training teachers, it now offers a wide variety of programs leading to Bachelor of Science and Arts degrees, as well as a Master of Education track.
A credit is the recognition for having taken a course at school or university, used as measure if enough hours have been made for graduation.
Eli Lilly was a pharmaceutical industrialist and philanthropist from Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Under his vision and leadership, Eli Lilly and Company, founded by his grandfather, grew from a successful, family-owned business into a modern corporation and industry leader. Lilly served as the company president (1932–48), chairman of the board of directors, and honorary chairman of the board.
Lilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and among the largest endowments in the United States. It was founded in 1937 by Josiah K. Lilly Sr. and his sons, Eli Jr. and Josiah Jr. (Joe), with an initial gift of Eli Lilly and Company stock valued at $280,000 USD. As of 2014 its total assets are worth $9.96 billion.
Earlham School of Religion (ESR), a graduate division of Earlham College, located in Richmond, Indiana, is the oldest graduate seminary associated with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). ESR's Mission Statement is as follows: "Rooted in the Christian Quaker tradition of contemplation that inspires action, Earlham School of Religion prepares theologically diverse students for a pluralistic world. Our curriculum unites spiritual formation, academic study, social engagement, and vital ministry."
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) is an accredited Anabaptist Christian seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA and the Mennonite Church Canada. It was formerly known as the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary until its name was changed in 2012.
The University of Georgia School of Social Work (SSW) is a college within the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, Georgia, United States.
The WUJS Arad Institute was a Jewish educational institute in Arad, Israel established in 1968. In 2006, WUJS Arad came under the sponsorship of Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America. In 2008, the program relocated to Jerusalem.
The Pepperdine University School of Public Policy is a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree program, located in Malibu, California. It is one of five graduate schools at Pepperdine University with specializations in Public Policy and Economics, Public Policy and American Politics, International Relations and National Security, and State and Local Policy.
Rainy River Community College (RRCC) is a community college located in International Falls, Minnesota. It is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.
Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) is an accredited graduate-level program founded in 1994. It also offers non-credit training. The program specializes in conflict transformation, restorative justice, trauma healing, equitable development, and addressing organizational conflict. CJP is housed at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia, which describes itself as "a leader among faith-based universities" in emphasizing "peacebuilding, creation care, experiential learning, and cross-cultural engagement." One of the three 2011 Nobel Peace Laureates, Leymah Gbowee of Liberia, earned a master's degree in conflict transformation from CJP in 2007.
The Film and Media Studies program (FMS), Tufts University was founded in 1982, and is affiliated with the Experimental College at Tufts University. The Film and Media Studies program used to be known as Communications and Media Studies (CMS).
Chesterton House is a Christian Study Center and 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with Cornell University in Ithaca, New York that works with the students, staff, faculty, and administration of Cornell to bridge the academy and the Christian church. The work of the organization has been mentioned in major media outlets such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
1: http://www.plowsharesproject.org/php/peacehouse/credits.php