Churches as God's Peace in the World
by Betsey Heavner
When we examine the world's current reality in relation to God's vision for Creation, we quickly see a wide gap. The violence of terrorism overwhelms us. Many of us experience conflict and violence in smaller ways in daily life. Yet God calls us to an another way of living together. Images of shalom and visions of a peaceful kingdom permeate the Bible and the life of Jesus.
As your congregation examines God's call and vision for ministry in your community, how do you respond to this "dis-connect"? How do you respond to conflict and violence? The September issue of FaithQuest News and Notes focused on building skills for conflict management within the congregation; this issue pushes beyond the church walls to face the conflict in God's world all around us.
We invite you to consider a ministry of peacemaking. Bishop Ott describes his vision for a Peace Center Church. Tom Porter describes the new United Methodist Center for Mediation and Conflict Transformation. This new ministry, JustPeace, shows God's surprising creativity. It developed through the General Council on Finance and Administration, our United Methodist agency for pensions, insurance, and administrative matters — not where I'd expect a peacemaker ministry! Mary Logan tells the story. Also in this issue, JoAnn Eslinger, General Board of Discipleship staff, provides a devotional reflection on Amos 5.
Betsey Heavner (bheavner@gbod.org) is Director of FaithQuest at The United Methodist General Board of Discipleship, Nashville, Tennessee.
Peace Centers: A Bishop's Vision