A new one-hour documentary produced by MennoMedia’s film department, Third Way media, explores threads of peacemaking in the Christian and Muslim faiths through the centuries and shows how Muslims and Christians today are working for peace.
Waging Peace: Muslim and Christian Alternatives features some stories from Ontario. When Brice Balmer was a Mennonite pastor in Kitchener, he and Muslim Imam Shafiq Hudda began having breakfast together, which led to a new relationship between their faith communities. Leon Kehl of Floradale Mennonite Church has been working to continue the relationship and Mennonites and Muslims worked together to host recent refugees from Syria/Iraq. The attendance of Muslim students at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate has created opportunities for new friendships and discussions about similar interests in faith, world history, and politics – opportunities that have been welcomed by parents and students alike.
Waging Peace filmmaker Burton Buller was formerly the director of Family Life Communications, Winnipeg, Man., and from 1999 to 2010, was the director of Third Way Media.
Waging Peace is part of the Vision and Values series on ABC-TV, released through the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission. To date, over 130 ABC television stations or 63% of those across the US have signed up to air the documentary between Oct. 23 and Dec. 18. After Dec. 18., the film will be available to Canadian stations.
“This is an opportunity to put out a message helping to build understanding and interfaith dialogue and bringing Mennonite/Anabaptist peace perspectives to a national television audience,” said Sheri Hartzler, co-executive producer of the documentary.
A video trailer, excerpts, and more are available at www.WagingPeaceAlternatives.com.
Waging Peace is also for sale at MennoMedia for $27.95 in Canada and $24.95 in the U.S. Order at www.WagingPeaceAlternatives.com or call 800-631-6535 (Canada) or 800-245-7894 (U.S.).
--Dec. 12, 2011
The documentary was produced by the Third Way Media department of MennoMedia, a ministry of Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA.
The story of Muslim and Christian women working together on a quilt at Floradale Mennonite Church (Ont.) is one of several inspiring but obscure stories revealed in Waging Peace Muslim and Christian Alternatives. The quilt eventually found its way to Palestinian refugees.
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