Rev. John Dear addresses advocates at EAD's 2014 Opening Celebration

April 2, 2014 - Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice drew nearly 1,000 people from as far away as Alaska and Sri Lanka to Washington, D.C. from March 21-24 for its 12th National Gathering and Lobby Day. This year's annual event focused on efforts to reduce acquisition and use of guns for purposes that cause harm, and to rebalance funding priorities toward preventing violence and enhancing human security.

EAD is pleased to announced that video recordings of many of our dynamic plenary speakers from the event are now available on our website to all for viewing and sharing with your faith communities. Click below for links to our speaker pages where the videos can be viewed:

• Rev. John Dear's rousing call to nonviolence from our Friday Opening Celebration;  
• Dr. Maryann Cusimano Love's informative policy presentation and Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelsons' rousing call to our 2014 Legislative Ask at our Saturday Policy Plenary;
• Presentations from our Lunch Plenary panel on solutions to gun violence, sponsored by Heeding God's Call;

• Motiva Johnson speaks at EAD's plenary on gun violence.

  Sunday's Interdenominational Worship sermon from James Winkler of the National Council of Churches and testimonies of EAD 2014 Young Adult scholarship participants;
• Presentations from our Sunday morning plenary panel exploring global and local solutions to the situations of violence around the world;
• A question and answer Legislative Ask Lunch Plenary focusing on EAD's Lobby Day preparations; and 
• The witness of hope from Little Friends for Peace and Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners at our Sunday Banquet. 

We remind everyone, too, that information shared with members of Congress on EAD's Lobby Day remains available as well to download and share with others. Photo galleries from Friday's Opening Celebration, Saturday's activities and Lunch Plenary, Sunday's worship, activities, and banquet, and Monday's Lobby Day are also available on our website.

Ecumenical Advocacy Days Executive Director Douglas Grace announced at the concluding Sunday Banquet of the 2014 National Gathering that EAD would reconvene on the dates of Friday, April 17 to Monday April 20, 2015 at the Doubletree Hotel by Hilton Washington, D.C. - Crystal City for the organization's 13th annual National Gathering and Lobby Day. Grace encouraged participants to spread the word and save the dates. Plans and theme for 2015's gathering will be announced in the late summer or early fall of 2014, Grace said. Be sure to check the EAD Website at AdvocacyDays.org/2015 for more information as it becomes available.