Nearly two dozen peace workers from 10 countries gathered for collaboration and encouragement March 26-29 at the European Peacebuilders’ Roundtable hosted at the Paris Mennonite Center in France.

Convened by Mennonite Central Committee, the gathering drew participants from beyond Europe to share their experiences and strengthen connections in a time of rising global tensions.

The weekend offered a hopeful counter-narrative as many Europeans fear a drift toward wider conflict. Participants represented a wide variety of peace initiatives, demonstrating that peace work takes many forms, including:

— Climate justice combined with anti-militarism work in the Netherlands;
— Community-building and support for refugees and displaced people in England;
— Coordination of regional peace projects from Jordan;
— Individuals in Spain choosing to leave jobs that support war efforts;
— International church networking in Portugal;
— Nonviolence education and protests against the arms trade in France;
— Peace education and hospitality initiatives in Germany;
— Peace education and national reconciliation efforts in Northern Ireland and Ireland;
— Research into communication strategies of nonviolent movements in Switzerland;
— Trauma resilience and peace education in Lithuania.

Devotionals highlighted a recurring theme from history: In times of war and division, far more work is being done for peace and healing than is visible at the time.