Peace Connections News

There is no better way to start off the year than bringing two big-hearted women onto the board of directors. That is what Peace Connections has done in inviting Priscilla Griffith and Jenna Ratzlaff to be part of the team. “I am excited to be part of something in which I can give back to a community that has given so much to me,” said Priscilla Griffith, a graduate of the Circle of Hope program and current owner of a Habitat for Humanity home in Newton. Griffith is a 45-year-old musician and mother to three children and works in the international shipping department at the Bradbury Company in Moundridge, Kansas. Jenna Ratzlaff is a 27-year-old Director of Social Services at Kansas Christian Home in Newton. Before receiving her undergraduate and graduate degrees in social work, she served as a high school volunteer for childcare during COH Tuesday evening gatherings. “I love social work a lot,” Jenna said. “I feel very honored to help residents with transitions. … And now I also look f...

  (Originally Published Monday, November 14, 2022) This past spring, our Board of Directors came together to discuss our Mission and Vision Statements and discussed our values (listed below). These are the things we hold firmly that dictate how we move through the world and the things that really help us live our mission. These judgments on what is important to us shape how we see the world and show us how we get there. As we are looking ahead to celebrating 40 years next year (!!!), we would invite you to ponder the values written below and to share your own values with us, the stories they shape, and the meaning they create in your life. These words spur us to action, they help us live our faith, and they appear in our day-to-day lives. As a new Director here at Peace Connections’, I feel woefully inadequate to share the story and history of Peace Connections as I haven’t lived it. I would love to hear your stories, how you have engaged with this organization, what connection and...

 ( Originally Published Wednesday, March 02, 2022) Veronica is a graduate of Wichita State University with a Bachelor’s degree in History/Political Science and a Master’s in Social Work. Veronica is currently working as the Director at Heart-to-Heart Child Advocacy Center. While she had known about Peace Connections and their work in the community for many years, it was not until 2018 that she experienced first-hand how great a community resource it truly is. Being able to attend SEAK with her children allowed her to appreciate and learn more about Peace Connections programs which eventually led to being able to become a volunteer herself. Veronica is excited to be able to join the Peace Connections Board and continue to promote and share the mission across Harvey County.

 ( Originally Published February 7, 2022) Gordon retired in Sept 2020 after working 42 years as an editor for a magazine called The Mennonite. He has lived in Kansas all his life - he born in Emporia and has been living in Newton and North Newton since 1976 when he graduated from Wichita State University. He was among those who began the Newton Area Peace Center (now Peace Connections) in the early 1980s and served on the board for several years back then. He has been an Ally for Circle of Hope since 2010 and a member of New Creation Fellowship Church since 1976. Gordon and his wife Jeanne have two children and four grandchildren.