Meet Peacemaker in Action Bill Lowrey, who worked for peace and reconciliation for the Sudanese people for over ten years as he discusses how he, as well as his colleagues, are motivated by their religion to put their lives on the line to work for peace.
For over 20 years, Sudan has been ravaged by wars that have stolen two million lives and displaced over four million people. Amid these desperate conditions, the Reverend Dr. William Lowrey fights for peace and reconciliation for the people of Sudan. His unique approach drew on the rich wisdom of the indigenous Nuer and Dinka peoples, as he integrated their traditional peacemaking methods with modern theories of conflict resolution.
Throughout most of his life, the Rev. Lowrey has been driven to combat injustice. It started with his work to promote racial reconciliation in the American South in his Mississippi church and with other social organizations. There, he honed his ability to work across cultures, and became inspired to take his peacemaking skills to work abroad.
The Rev. Lowrey first took his family to Sudan in 1991, while working with the Presbyterian Church. in 1998, he established a series of People-to-People Peace conferences through the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC), which was very successful. Although he recently took a step back from the frontlines, the Reverend Lowrey's work today is influential on a global scale. As the Director of Peacebuilding and Reconciliation at World Vision International, the Reverend Lowrey has supported and trained peacebuilders in more than 30 countries, sharing the wisdom, skills and secrets from a lifetime of religious peacemaking.
Learn more about Bill Lowrey's life as a peacemaker.
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This video was made possible by grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Henry Luce Foundation. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of Tanenbaum. Tanenbaum's Peacemakers in Action program is also supported by the Leir Charitable Foundations.