Wednesdays, July 17 - August 21, 2024

Does the gospel provide a framework to address the real challenges of our world? During this introduction to Christian Peacebuilding, we’ll approach this question by expanding our understanding of themes like God’s reign, Kingdom, justice, conflict transformation, and reconciliation.

This 6-week online small group will help you learn about how conflict unveils ruptured relationships, both interpersonally and between groups, and how conflict can become an opportunity to work toward God’s fullest vision of reality - one of justice and mutual flourishing. 

This small group is designed for you if you’re an everyday Christian or a Christian leader who is curious about how your faith and life can be a remedy for the chaos and pain of our world.

Cost is free. Space is limited to 18 people.

WHAT WILL THIS SMALL GROUP INCLUDE?

• Meet & Greet - Hear the personal stories of other Christians around the world

• God’s Vision & Mission - Shalom & Peacebuilding

• The Church’s Peacebuilding Vocation & Call

• Introduction to Conflict Transformation

• Discipleship: Christian Formation for Peacebuilding

• Peacebuilding Postures & Skills

Participants can expect a highly interactive experience with a lot of discussion along with the content. We request that participants intend to be present for the majority of the sessions in order to facilitate their own learning and the learning of the class.

DATE & TIME

This small group will happen online via Zoom. Each week, participants will receive preliminary resources (readings and videos) to reflect on before our meeting. The goal for these small groups is to provide a diverse set of introductory materials and some guided reflection questions so that participants can engage in an ongoing transformative process themselves and also reuse the content to lead exploratory conversations and small groups about peacebuilding in their own communities.

• Central Europe / Central Africa

  • 9:00-10:30am

• Eastern Europe / Eastern Africa / Israel / Palestine

  • 10:00-11:30am

• India

  • 12:30-2:00pm

• South Korea

  • 4:00-5:30pm

• Sydney

  • 5:00-6:30pm

• New Zealand

  • 7:00-8:30pm

MEET YOUR FACILITATORS

BRYAN CAREY

In 2016 Bryan and his wife, Stephanie, moved to the Balkan region, where they have been learning alongside and supporting the work of Muslim, Catholic, and Orthodox peacebuilders.

Bryan hosts workshops, conducts trainings, and teaches about peace-oriented theology, peacebuilding practices, and how Christian groups can get involved in community peacebuilding. He regularly organizes learning experiences for international and regional Balkan participants that cultivate understanding and empathy for the narratives of other groups, ultimately with the aim to deepen relational connections that allow for collaborative work. Bryan also volunteers for Mirovna Akademija (The Peace Academy), a local NGO which does peacebuilding education and training for local Bosnians and foreign groups.

PHILIP KAKUNGULU

Philip lives in Kampala, Uganda with his family. He is a pastor and seminary graduate with a Master of Divinity, having majored in Faith-Based Training in Conflict Transformation for Trainers. As the team leader and founder of Crossing Lines Africa and a founding member of the African Peace Warriors Network in 2013 (part of Global Peace Warriors), Philip works as a peacebuilding mobilizer, promoting peace-oriented theologies and facilitating conflict transformation training around the Great Lakes Region of Africa and beyond. In addition to his peacebuilding and conflict transformation work, he has worked extensively with faith leaders in refugee settlements and internally displaced people settlements in Uganda, South Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, D.R.Congo, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi because he sees all work to heal individuals and groups as part of God’s reconciling mission. He lives with the conviction that God’s peacebuilding mission forms the basic essence of Christianity and that we participate in the Kingdom of God as we pursue peace with God, self, neighbors, and the world. Philip believes that this all-encompassing peace is the core of what Christians are called to work for in the world, living with the conviction that we will never look in the face of another human being whom God does not love. Philip is married to Immaculate, and they have four children.