To Be Present for An Other …

“Through the selection of questions that empower, to the intuitive sacredness of each reframe, the genius of communication shines through in every soul who agrees to sit with presence with other souls who are rapt with pain and drowning in fear. If you are willing to go to their hell with them in every instance, you will be the artist who leads them from the self-imposed prison of skewed perception to the clarity of understanding. In that act of willingness, you will be made a stronger person in your own right.”

From     N.W. Burnett, Calm in the Face of the Storm: Daily Spiritual Practice for Peacemakers, p. 256 (2010)

Illustration Angelika Kauffmann, Artist, “Christus und die Samariterin am Brunnen” (Christ and the Samaritan Woman at the Well), 1796, Courtesy Wikimedia Commons (public domain in source country and in US)

Does Nonviolent Direct Action Work? Yes.

Nonviolent direct action was employed by Martin Luther King, Jr., to effectuate change in the USA, and modeled on the writings and work of Gandhi in South Africa and India.  These are two examples of successful nonviolent change.  But are there others?  Does nonviolence really work? 

The answer is, yes. 

Nonviolent revolutions have about double the success rate of those marked by violent means.   The rates of success were documented in a study by Maria J. Stephan and Erica Chenoweth, "Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict." International Security 33, no. 1 (Summer 2008): 7-44. 

According to Stephan and Chenoweth, of 323 violent and nonviolent movements between 1900 and 2006, 53% of the nonviolent ones succeeded as compared to only 26% of the violent ones. What’s even more telling is that when the movements were repressed, the nonviolent movements were 6 times more likely to succeed.

The article can be accessed at the following link:  http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/files/IS3301_pp007-044_Stephan_Chenoweth.pdf

 

The Pink Panzer

 

 

Technorati Tags: nonviolence,nonviolent direct action,arab spring,ows

Upcoming Events to Calendar!

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY:

A week from today, on September 23, 2011, the Rev. Peter Tibi, a Presbyterian Mission Co-Worker with RECONCILE, International (in South Sudan) and Visiting PCUSA International Peacemaker, will arrive in Columbia for a visit of several days.   This will be of interest to anyone interested in either peacebuilding or in Sudan and Africa missions. 

A flyer has been published HERE.   Please feel free to download it and post some copies, as well as announce the dates and locations of his speaking engagements!  There are several opportunities for those who are interested in hearing him.

A summary of his schedule is

· Saturday 9/24/11,9:00 AM – 3:00 PM, at Forest Lake Presbyterian (bring a brown bag lunch), Rev. Tibi will share in-depth discussion of his work in the morning. The afternoon will be a gathering of peacemakers for talk about Christian Conflict transformation.

· Sunday, 9/25/11, Rev. Tibi will share Sunday School and will preach at McGregor Presbyterian, followed by a church picnic at 5:30 P.M. that evening.

· Monday, 9/26/11,Rev. Tibi will speak at the University of South Carolina

· Tuesday, 9/27/11,6:30 PM, Presbyterian Student Center, University of South Carolina

· Wednesday, 9/28/11, 5:30 PM, Supper and an evening program at Shandon Presbyterian.

NOVEMBER:

Then, the next opportunity for building our church communities through development of skills in reconciliation will be in November. Forest Lake Presbyterian will act as host church for the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center to conduct one of its four national level trainings, "Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders".

This is a great opportunity to send a pastor or elder for training that will equip that person to train others in ways to turn conflict into opportunity for cooperation. This week long seminar is designed to equip church leaders to assess and to deal with conflict of any degree or level, whether it is merely to assist individuals in working through individual disagreement, or to engage an entire congregation in mediation of conflict that threatens to tear a church apart. Endorsements from leadership in other Presbyteries can be found HERE.

Although this may seem like an expensive training, consider the alternative? This training is designed to inoculate your congregation with the conflict-competence it takes to resist (or to heal from) divisive influences. Hosting this training in the Columbia area results in substantial cost savings over sending leadership to train in distant parts of the United States. Please consider sending at one or two members of your congregation who could commit to then come back and conduct more trainings for your general congregation.

MARCH OR APRIL OF 2012:

And then, on the weekend of April 21, 2012, Presbyterian minister Theresa Latini, Associate Professor of Congregational and Community Care at Luther Seminary (and author of the book, The Church and the Crisis of Community: A Practical Theology of Small-Group Ministry), has been tentatively scheduled to teach a weekend seminar on the communication technique called Nonviolent Communication (also known as Compassionate Communication). The aim of this seminar will be to strengthen families and congregations by increasing our skills in expressing to one another the things we feel most deeply about, without inciting retaliation, anger, or judgment. Theresa will help participants learn to use NVC as a tool in the church’s work of transforming broken and shallow forms of community into life-giving, life-sustaining relationships with God and others This will be an excellent workshop for people involved in congregational and personal care, such as Deacons and Stephen Ministers.

The Peacemaking Committee is looking for a church to host this workshop. Please call Alexandria Skinner at 803-414-0185 if your church would be excited to provide hospitality for this event.

Please share this information about upcoming events with your congregation and your church session!

Learn more about RECONCILE International and CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION

On Saturday, September 24, 2011, please come hear the Rev. Peter Tibi speak about the conflict transformation ministry of RECONCILE, International, in South Sudan and to learn more about conflict transformation in general.  Following Rev. Tibi’s talk and a short morning program, there will be a brown bag (bring your own) lunch.  Then, in the afternoon, Beth Padgett of Columbia’s Community Mediation Center is making arrangements for four different conflict resolution practitioners to speak about cutting edge techniques for peace building they use in their professional practices. 

The conference will be held at  Forest Lake Presbyterian Church , 6500 North Trenholm Road, Columbia, SC.  For more detail, see below: 

The morning will be devoted to hearing about the work of RECONCILE, International (Resource Centre for Civil Leadership) in the world’s newest nation, South Sudan.  RECONCILE was established in 2003 by the New Sudan Council of Churches for the purpose of building peace.  Activities of RECONCILE presently range from individual trauma healing, to mediation and reconciliation of disputes on a tribal level, to training of Parliamentarians in their job duties as the new government comes into being.  The Rev. Peter Tibi, a former Deputy Executive Secretary of the New Sudan Council of Churches, is the current Executive Director of RECONCILE.

Lunch will be bring your own, brown-bag with tea and soft drinks provided.

In the afternoon, beginning at 1:00 P.M., Beth Padgett of the local Community Mediation Center is arranging for four different professionals to spend fifteen minutes each discussing a specific practice or technique that can be utilized in the field of conflict transformation, followed by some round table discussions.

The meeting will adjourn by about 3:00 P.M.

There is no cost or fee involved.  This is purely a time of sharing and inspiration for people involved locally and regionally in peace building and conflict transformation.  You are welcome to attend morning, afternoon, or both.  Please feel free to invite others working in the field of conflict transformation to attend, as well.  However, if you do plan to attend please send email to TrinityPeacemakers@gmail.com so that we will have an idea how many people to expect.

Also please mark your calendars for the weekend of April 21, 2012.  On that weekend, Professor Theresa Latini, Associate Professor of Congregational and Community Care Leadership at Luther Seminary, who is also trained extensively in Nonviolent Communication , will teach about this technique that will strengthen individuals, families and churches in the area of congregational care. 

Prayers Requested For Mission Co-Workers in South Sudan

The Presbyterian Church has a deep and lasting commitment to the people of Sudan.  As part of that commitment, Presbyterian churches support mission co-workers Shelvis and Nancy Smith-Mather in their work building peace through the  RECONCILE, International (Resource Centre for Civil Leadership), in Yei Province in South Sudan. 

Shelvis and Nancy participate in Reconcile’s training events that address inter-ethnic conflict.  Shelvis is principal of the Peace Institute, which offers three month trainings in community based trauma healing, peace studies, and conflict transformation. 

Nancy says, “I sense a powerful call on my life to reflect Jesus’ concern for the marginalized, the oppressed, the downtrodden, the sick, the poor, and the broken-hearted.”

She continues, “In a region where 1 in 7 children do not celebrate their 5th birthday, 92 percent of the women cannot read or write, and many citizens have experienced more years of war than of peace in their lives, there is a great need for Jesus’s ministry of transformation.”

Please remember Shelvis and Nancy often in your prayers as they engage in this  important ministry of building peace through conflict transformation and reconciliation.   

Welcome Rev. Peter Tibi

The Rev. Peter Tibi, Visiting International Peacemaker for the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUSA) will be in Trinity Presbytery from September 23 – 28th of 2011.

Rev. Tibi works in the area of conflict transformation among the peoples of South Sudan, the world’s newest country.  He is presently Executive Director of Reconcile, International, which is supported by many churches in Trinity Presbytery. 

If your church or organization would like Rev. Tibi to visit and speak to you about his work, please contact Alexandria Skinner at 803-414-0185. 

Rev. Tibi received his Bachelor of Divinity from Bethany Divinity College in Dotham, Alabama; his B.A. from the University of Gloucestershire, UK; and his Masters in Theological Studies from  Bethany Divinity College and Theological Seminary.  Rev. Tibi has served as the Principal at Imatong Bible College in Juba, Sudan. He served as an administrator and Assistant Executive Secretary for Africa Inland Church-Sudan, and worked within AIC for 13 years. He moved on to the New Sudan Council of Churches, where he served as the Deputy Executive Secretary; then in the Sudan Council of Churches as Acting Executive Secretary and General Secretary, all over a span of five years.  Rev. Tibi has served as the Executive Director of RECONCILE, International, since November of  2009.

After two decades of a brutal civil war that killed 2 million people and displaced millions more, a relative peace has come to Sudan with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005. Now, five years after the signing of the agreement, how will Sudan hold tight to the peace?

Following a war that has occupied the great portion of a generation’s lives, how can such a traumatized people break a cycle of violence that has been building within culture itself?

In the midst of such ravaged infrastructure, where communication and interaction with other communities and government is so difficult, where can the people obtain the civic education needed to be effective members of a democratic society?

The churches of Sudan asked these exact questions, and responded with the creation of RECONCILE.  Please consider either inviting Rev. Tibi to speak to your group, or finding time on your calendar to attend one of the events which will be scheduled for that week.

Conference postponed, email for more information

RESTORING COMMUNITY IN A BROKEN WORLD

A Peacebuilding Conference

Racial reconciliation, tribal warfare, conflicted congregations, crime victims, shell shocked soldiers, and family feuds — what do all these have in common?

A need for healing

Come learn some explicit approaches and techniques that will help professionals and lay people alike as they seek to build community and restore a sense of wholeness to individuals, families, and churches in need of reconciliation.

Friday evening, Saturday all day workshops, and Sunday morning worship includes two meals together (Attendees may register for Saturday only).

Professional Continuing Education Credit will be available for Attorneys, Licensed Professional Social Workers, and Clinical Psychologists, for a nominal fee.

Nonviolent Communication: The Rev. Theresa Latini (Luther Seminary), a Presbyterian pastor and certified trainer in NVC, will introduce the basic concepts of this method of communicating that will improve every aspect of your interpersonal relationships.

Restorative Circles: Mikhail Lyubansky, who has studied Restorative Circles with internationally known Dominic Barter, will introduce the theory and method of this community-owned restorative practice that was developed by Barter and his associates in the favelas of Brazil.

STAR Model of Trauma Healing: Elaine Zook Barge, Director for Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University, will introduce participants to the STAR method for trauma healing

Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission: The Rev. Nelson Johnson and the Rev. Joyce Johnson will share their experience with the Greensboro Massacre and the resulting Truth and Reconciliation Commission they founded which has now won international recognition and awards.

The work of the Presbyterian Church in Sudan: The Rev. Peter Tibi, a Visiting International Peacemaker of the Presbyterian Church, will share his work among tribal warriors in South Sudan, the world’s newest country.

SPONSORED BY THE PEACEMAKING COMMITTEE FOR TRINITY PRESBYTERY

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

To cover the cost of speakers from out of state, we request the following registration fees: 

Full weekend’s events, including Friday dinner and Saturday lunch	$50
Saturday only, including lunch	$45
Student rate, for full time students (includes 2 meals)	$20
Add $40 for 3 hrs. of professional continuing education credit	add $40
Limited scholarships are available

To register, call Alexandria Skinner at 803-414-0185 and leave a message (your call will be returned) or send email with your name, address, phone, arrival date, and stating total amount due to TrinityPeacemakers@gmail.com  . Please do not send money at this time.  Payment information will be emailed shortly.

As a final request, will you please help us spread the word about this great conference!?  

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

“Jesus did not say, ‘Blessed are the peace lovers,’ He rather said, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ . . . . " -Jim Wallis

The Coventry Litany of Forgiveness

Ruins of the old cathedral

 

In November of 1940, the 12th Century Coventry Cathedral was destroyed by German bombs. Rather than respond in hate, the Provost at the time, Richard Howard, encouraged his congregation to respond with faith, hope, and love. A new cross was formed out of charred timbers that had fallen.  A second cross was made from nails found on the site of the ruins, and was hung on the wall.  Construction was begun immediately on the new cathedral.

The decision to forgive and to seek reconciliation led to the foundation of The Community of the Cross of Nails, which now pursues a ministry of peace and reconciliation in troubled areas of the world.

A Litany of Forgiveness is recited every weekday at the Cathedral. It goes as follows:

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,
Father Forgive.

The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own,

Father Forgive.

The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,
Father Forgive.

Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,

Father Forgive.

Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee,

Father Forgive.

The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children,

Father Forgive.

The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God,
Father Forgive.

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Disband the Presbyterian Church (USA)?

A group of 45 conservative pastors has proposed fundamentally altering the structure of the Presbyterian Church (USA).  Their letter was originally published in the Presbyterian  Layman on February 2, 2011.   A copy can also be found HERE.

On February 4, 2011, PCUSA leaders issued a reply encouraging the church to engage in conversation.  Two responses to that invitation are HERE (Presbyterian Voices for Justice) and HERE (Blog of Margaret Aymer Oget). 

What is your response?  Please include links to blog entries in your comments.