Every year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on September 21st. The United Nations declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace.
As Peace Catalysts we're celebrating the day and taking the opportunity to strengthen our resolve to do everything we can to work for peace between Christians and Muslims in our communities and world. Will you join us?
Here's how you can participate:
Join Us On Social Media
Post on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter about why you support Christian-Muslim peacemaking, tag us, and use #PeaceCatalysts to get entered to win free Peace Catalyst goodies!
We'll also be posting ideas for how to celebrate Peace Day, so keep an eye on our accounts for creative ways to make a difference in your city.
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Support the Peace Catalyst Movement
This work is crowdfunded by people like you, and even the smallest donation makes a difference. Become a peace catalyst by giving to help bring Muslims and Christians together in cities across the U.S. and around the world.
Join an Event Near You
Upcoming Peace Catalyst events are scheduled around the country, with more added all the time. Find out if there's one in your area, and come be a peace catalyst with us.
Jason, a pastor from California, shared an example of the very thing that’s happening at tables and gatherings across the U.S. because of you and your partnership in this work.
In the aftermath of recent shootings, many Christians are expressing the desire to show solidarity with Muslim communities around them. Solidarity is defined as “unity or agreement of feeling or action,” but what does that really mean, and how is it actually done?
A few days ago over coffee, I enjoyed a good conversation with a Muslim friend whom I met on my first trip to Bosnia. He shared with me how much he loved a recent message from Pope Francis that called Christians to focus on simplicity, charity, and love instead of the materialism and greed that usually accompanies the holiday season. He also lamented how Muslims are often trained to try to persuade Christians through arguments, rather than spending time learning about and from them.
American churches and organizations are loving their Muslim neighbors in practical, beautiful ways. Many more groups than I ever imagined are reaching out in love to their Muslim neighbors.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9) AND “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). How do we reconcile these two famous peace passages?
There are several questions we get asked over and over again. The wording may be different, but the concerns remain the same. So we're writing a number of blogs addressing some of our Frequently Asked Questions. Today’s question: “Is it really possible to have peace between Christians and Muslims?”
It’s fine to talk about what we believe, but it is better to see people’s faith put into action. As we work alongside people and hear each other’s stories of life and faith and family, it makes it a lot harder to believe the stereotypes. What would happen at your church if Muslims started showing up to help paint the walls or mow the grass? Can you think of a good project we could do together? The Muslims in Louisville are asking.
Even if one disagrees with my assessment of Muslims, I think we can all agree on the clear teaching of the Prince of Peace. A couple weeks ago I spent three of the most intense and exciting days of my life making peace in a city in Central Java, Indonesia. Everywhere I went I told my favorite stories from our work in Peace Catalyst International and shared key verses from the Bible about peacemaking.
I arrived at the Mosque that afternoon with an outline for the day’s event, a Muslim friend to co-facilitate with me, and a trust in God to do good things. It was going to be a discussion on caring for sisters of other faiths. But I left the Mosque with a heavy conscience, shaky hands, and no small amount of confusion. So much for my first “real” peacebuilding events. They did not go as planned. They went worse.
One of the first questions people ask when it comes to local peacemaking is how to get started and how to go about beginning new relationships. So here are some starting tips.