Swords Into Plowshares: the UCC @ the United Nations

Walking through the hallways of the United Nations headquarters in New York City is an introduction to the world’s nations that gather there and to the work it undertakes. The images and languages that surround you are delightfully diverse. The artwork hung in various exhibits and galleries tell vivid stories of peoples around the globe. The session titles portrayed on screens outside meeting rooms (and the volume of acronyms so overwhelming it made my head spin) offer a glimpse of the daily discussions. 

“UNPFII” was one recurring acronym on my recent visit to the U.N.: the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. “FfD” was another one: Financing for (Sustainable) Development. I attended sessions on “Preventing Violence, Investing in Peace” and “Preventing the Use of Nuclear Weapons”, to name just two.

The idea of the United Nations was conceived amid the crucible of World War II. Allied world leaders who had collaborated to end that war were determined that such a war and its devastating toll should never again come to pass. They knew that preventing future wars would require a space where the world’s nations could hold each other accountable and build relationships that would make instead for peace. That space would become the “United Nations”, a name originally suggested by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. At the U.N.’s inception in 1945, there were 51 Member States. Today there are 193 Member States.

The four main purposes of the United Nations remain as relevant and urgent in today’s global context as they were in 1945:

1. To keep peace throughout the world
2. To develop friendly relations among nations
3. To improve the lives of the poor, to eradicate hunger, disease and illiteracy and to encourage respect for each other’s rights and freedoms
4. To be a center for helping nations achieve these goals.

Why does the United Church of Christ even have representation at the United Nations? It’s a question some have asked me, so I posed the question to Donna during my visit last week. Her answers were quick and passionate, as were those of a colleague working at the United Nations on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Christine, who sat down with us for the discussion.

“We are not divorced from the world,” Donna said.  “We are part of the world.  We can’t ignore the cries of people in crisis and conflict around the world. We are mandated by the Gospels to respond.” The United Nations also gives churches access to world governments, noted Christine, allowing us to speak to them about the values we carry. Churches also have something meaningful to contribute to those conversations, she said, because we have extensive experience in delivering services across the globe and have long-term relationships globally.

Outside the U.N. building stands a large bronze sculpture by artist Evgeniy Vuchetich that was gifted to the U.N. by the USSR in 1959. It depicts a figure, holding a hammer high in one hand and a sword in the other, hammering the sword into a ploughshare. It’s a reminder of the U.N.’s stated goal to make and keep peace in the world, and a reminder for us as people of faith of the prophet Isaiah’s commission:

“He shall judge between the nations and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4)

As long as peace remains elusive, there will be work for the United Nations to do. As long as our global siblings suffer from conflicts, hunger, and disease, the Church will be called to faithfully respond and to partner with others dedicated to the world’s healing.

(Seventeen Strategic Development Goals guide the U.N.’s work. Check them out here and see where your own church’s ministries can contribute to these priorities. Learn more about the UCC’s work at the United Nations here.)

The Reverend Shari Prestemon began her service with the national ministries of the United Church of Christ in January 2024. As the Acting Associate General Minister & Co-Executive for Global Ministries she has the privilege of supporting several teams: Global Ministries, Global H.O.P.E., Public Policy & Advocacy Team (Washington, D.C.), & our staff liaison at the United Nations. She previously served as a local church pastor in Illinois and Wisconsin, the Executive Director at Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi, and the Minnesota Conference Minister. Her call to ministry grew, in part, from early Global Ministries experiences, especially service as a Peace & Justice Intern in Dumaguete City, the Philippines.