Jim Kenney named Peacemaker of Year

The award presentation was part of the Festival of Peacemaking at Second Presbyterian Church.

As many in Penn Valley know, Jim is a retired Presbyterian minister, and he and Ginger serve as the Midwest Field Representatives for Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL).

The Presbytery news release said Jim “is receiving the award, the first for the Presbytery, for his support of Clergy and Church Against Racial Violence, his leadership in presenting the Sabeel Conference last fall at Village Presbyterian Church and his deep and abiding commitment to Christ’s peace in the world.”

The release goes on to detail some of Jim’s religious journey, stating that he attended Princeton Seminary and served as a pastor for five years in Grand Lake, Colo.; 11 years at Second Presbyterian in Kansas City and four years in Rockford, Ill.

In 1976 Jim and Ginger took the first of five trips to Israel/ Palestine, where they developed a passion to comprehend the strange dynamics of that intense conflict. Their witness for peacemaking in Israel/Palestine includes ongoing programs for churches and community groups; visits with elected officials and letters and articles in the media.

For Peacemaking in the Nation, Jim and Ginger led a workshop on “From Faith to Public Policy.” Their workshop incorporated the insights gained over FCNL’s 64-year history to demonstrate how faith-based input into the political process can be effective.

Besides Jim’s receiving the Peacemaker of the Year Award, there will be recognition given to those churches within Heartland Presbytery that have signed the Commitment to Peacemaking. Adopted by the 192nd General Assembly in 1980, the Commitment to Peacemaking acknowledges the centrality of God’s peace-giving, recognizing past peacemaking efforts of Presbyterians and affirming peacemaking as an integral, ongoing part of the life and mission of all governing bodies of the Presbyterian Church and of individual Presbyterians.