The Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and annual offering had its start at LPC in the late 1970s during the ministry of the Rev. Richard Watts. The “cold war” was heating up and came near to a boil between President Ronald Reagan and USSR President Gorbachev. With a small group of LPC members and other local Lakewood residents, Dr. Watts started to explore ways the church could promote peace during an anxious time. The group grew into “Swords into Plowshares” (see Isaiah 2:4), a ministry endorsed by Northeast Ohio Presbytery of the Western Reserve. By January of 1980, Watts concluded his ministry at LPC in order to pursue peacemaking ministry and eventually became the first coordinator of the Presbyterian Church’s Peacemaking Program.
To celebrate this 45th anniversary, we have invited Dr. Watts to return to LPC and share his memories of how it all unfolded. He will speak in Wright Chapel at 11:20 a.m. after the World Communion Sunday service and coffee hour.