Host a 75th Birthday Party for PPF!

Why host a 75th Birthday Party for PPF in your area? 1. To get local peacemakers together, build community and celebrate 75 years of PPF2. To spread the word about the Endowment 75 Campaign and invite more people to support itDo it your way!A PPF party can be a potluck dinner… or a “Dutch-Treat” meet-up at a local diner…or a few minutes of celebration at a meeting or event that is occurring already. The main thing is to make it fun and do the work of reaching out to include and invite folks in your area. It’s a great opportunity to share the message and story of PPF and to grow our community.Ideas:

• You could have a speaker or music or a time for each guest to share reflections on being peacemakers in our time and place in history.
• Most likely there is a past PPF Accompanier or Activist Council member near you who might say a bit about PPF. Or maybe just let each person share their peacemaking story and what they are involved in.
• For larger events, check to see if a PPF staff person or leader can attend. Contact Emily Brewer at emily@presbypeacefellowship.org

Resources:

• "Bequest" a poem by J. Barrie Shepherd for PPF’s 75th year that can be read and copied to distribute.
• The hymn, “You Turn Mourning into Dancing” by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette for PPF’s 75th year can be sung (Tune: Ode to Joy) and copied for folks to take back to their churches.
• Endowment 75 Campaign Tools such as brochures, pledge reply cards and other materials can be ordered or downloaded. It’s not heavy-handed, just an enthusiastic invitation to participate.
• We have gifts to share/party favors! You can have a raffle for a peacemaking book by the late great Robert McAfee Brown. Or we can send you vintage wood peace symbols made in Japan with a bookmark that tells the story of the peace symbol. These can be party favors for each guest. Soon we will also have special artwork by PPFer Emma Warman to celebrate 75 years.

Steps

1.  Find someone to work with…2 people can do this.
2. In addition to local peacemakers you know, seek out PPFers in your area by contacting Deputy Director Art Hunt at art@presbypeacefellowship.org
3. Set a place and time and get your invitations out: by mail or by phone or by email. If you plan far enough in advance, PPF can help with publicity through our newsletter, our bi-weekly e-news and Endowment 75 Blog.
4. Order Endowment 75 materials and party favors/raffle book by contacting Jan Orr-Harter at janoh4@aol.com or 817-291-3952.
5. Last steps: Plan the program. Copy poem and/or hymn. Plan the tasks: blessing, greeter, set up, clean up, etc. Send out a reminder email. Have a way for new folks to leave their contact info for PPF.
6. Very last step: put candles on a birthday cake, sing your best “Happy Birthday to PPF” and take photos!