LEPOCO celebrates more than 60 years of working for Peace and Justice at the LEPOCO Annual Dinner, every spring. Volunteers prepare scrumptious light snacks and beverages, there’s an art raffle of beautiful items donated by very talented artists/craftspeople, the Peace Singers sing, and we commission a speaker who inspires us to continue doing the work we do.
Call the office, 610-691-8730, if you’d like to help plan or volunteer on the day of the event.
LEPOCO Annual Gathering with special guest: The Very Reverend Jon Stratton
“What Side Are You On?”
Sunday, April 19, 2026, 4 pm (doors open @ 3:30)
United Steelworkers Auditorium
53 E. Lehigh St. Upper Level, Bethlehem PA
Call the LEPOCO office, 610-691-8730, for more information or to make a reservation.
Born and raised in small-town southern Illinois, Jon is an Episcopal priest who serves as the Dean and Rector of The Cathedral Church of the Nativity on the southside of Bethlehem. Before moving to the Lehigh Valley, Jon lived and worked in St. Louis Missouri for 15 years where he served as the Executive Director of the Episcopal Service Corps, Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in the Central West End, and co-chair of the Faith and Labor Alliance of St. Louis. While in St. Louis, Jon was active in the Fight for $15, the Ferguson uprising, Missouri Jobs with Justice, and many local campaigns to pass progressive legislation and build a more Beloved Community. He is a long time member of the Democratic Socialists of America, an organizer with The Emergency Response Network in the Lehigh Valley, and a vocal advocate for a free Palestine and an end to the violent occupation. He lives in Fountain Hill with his wife, Susie, and their three children.
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Previous Annual Dinner Speakers
*Not a complete list – Many of these are linked to either an information page or video.
April 19, 2026 – Very Rev. Jon Stratton: “What Side Are You On?”
April 26, 2025 – W.D. Ehrhart: “Politics, Poetry & Peace”
April 6, 2024 – Chris Ney: “Friendship As Peacemaking
March 11, 2023 – Reggie Harris: “The Role of Community, Culture and Relationship in Making Social Change“
April 23, 2022 – Stephen Miles: “War & Peace: The Biden Era & Beyond”
March 13, 2021 –Roberta Meek – Song Talk: “From Sojourner Truth to Stacey Abrams: The Unfinished Battle for Voting Rights” via ZOOM
March 21, 2020 – Reggie Harris– cancelled – COVID shut down
March 23, 2019 – Frida Berrigan – “How Nuclear Weapons Ruined My Life: They’re Probably Ruining Yours too”
March 17, 2018 – Kathy Kelly – “Unshackling Ourselves:Lessons from War Zones”
March 18, 2017 – Michael McPherson – “Organizing, Resistance & Triumph: This Is Our Time”
March 12, 2016 – Ann Wright – “Peace Conversions”
February 28, 2015 – Stephen Miles – “Winning Without War”
March 29, 2014 – Randy Kehler – “Resisting the Secrecy & Lies that Make War (& Other Forms of Violence) Possible”
March 16, 2013 – Medea Benjamin – “Building Peace in the Age of Drone Warfare”
March 3, 2012 – Ray McGovern – “The Moral Imperative of Activism”
March 5, 2011 – David Wildman – “Peace in Afghanistan”
March 6, 2010 – Rev. Billy and Members of the Church of Life After Shopping
March 14, 2009 – Jennifer Harbury
See the full list of previous years’ speakers HERE:
Photos from LEPOCO Annual Dinner 2019
