PEACEBUILDING MINISTRIES Living out Justice, Mercy and Humility

PEACEBUILDING MINISTRIES: Living out Justice, Mercy and Humility Summary and Purpose of this Session: The transforming work of the Church includes the work of peacebuilding through the work of justice and advocacy. By using the term “peacebuilding” we want to acknowledge that some of our legal, political, economic, and community systems need healing and transformation. We will use our time today to explore together various ways the Church is already and can engage in “peacebuilding” work that leads to justice, mercy, & humility. As a CONNECTIONAL church, we also (KYUMC) we can work together to accomplish more.

Guiding Scripture: Micah 6:8 (The Message) But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously—take God seriously. What do you find inspiring about this passage? Challenging?

Paths to Peace Model This graphic and model was developed by Katie Mansfield and John Paul Lederach of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. It is used to show the general career paths for students in the field of Peace and Conflict Studies. Yet, it can also help us identify various ways of engaging in the work of peacebuilding, justice, and advocacy. (Also, see handout.)

Restorative Justice Why Restorative Justice Practices? Source: Restorative Justice Louisville web-site: http://www.rjlou.org/our-impact/ Restorative Justice Why Restorative Justice Practices? Kentucky spends more than $19,000 per year to house an adult inmate, but only $7,000 to educate a child. And it costs even more to house a juvenile each year, at around $72,000 – making it cheaper to send a kid to college for four years than to juvenile detention for one year. That’s why restorative justice practices are so important to our community. They have been shown to reduce recidivism of offenders and increase victim satisfaction within the judicial process, building a healthy and strong Louisville for years to come.

One Example of Peacebuilding Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice Proven impact on participants: Source: Restorative Justice Louisville web-site: http://www.rjlou.org/our-impact/ Restorative Justice Proven impact on participants: Several studies of restorative justice programs prove that youth referred to restorative justice programs fared better than those that remained in the traditional court process (prevalence, number of later contacts, seriousness of later behavior, time to first offense). This impact was evident regardless of age at referral, race, gender, urban or rural residence, number of prior official contacts, and the seriousness of current offense. Benefits To Our Community Significant cost savings for every case resolved outside the court system Restoration for victims Closure and healing for victims and their community Promotion and support of positive behavioral change of offenders Successful re-integration of the young offenders back into the community Prevention of future crime

Restorative Justice RJL Video: CLICK HERE

Engaging Peacebuilding Discussion “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Fredrick Buechner “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously—take God seriously.” (Micah 6:8) By using the term “peacebuilding” we want to acknowledge that some of our legal, political, economic, and community systems need healing and transformation.

Engaging Peacebuilding Discussion “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously—take God seriously.” (Micah 6:8) Engaging Peacebuilding Discussion Table Talk Questions: Where do you see a “deep hunger” for peacebuilding in your context and community? How does, or how might, engaging this “deep hunger” bring “deep gladness” to your heart? Your church’s heart? Your communities heart? What might you do to get to know more about the “deep hunger” in your context and community? By using the term “peacebuilding” we want to acknowledge that some of our legal, political, economic, and community systems need healing and transformation. “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Fredrick Buechner