Shalom Resolutions

By Jonathan Dorsett

January is traditionally the time that most people make resolutions for change in their lives; the impetus of the New Year creates an opportunity for reflection on the year that has passed, and space to dream about the year that is coming. The sad reality is that the once the parties have finished and the holidays are over, the return to the tread mill of daily life and the drudgery of the January weather take over and our resolutions are forgotten by the end of the month.

For the past two years, participants on the Peace School programme have been engaging in a different form of ‘resolution’ setting that really has seen sustained changes in their lives. Starting with a week-long summer school and continuing over a year through a combination of weekend gatherings and web-based discussions, Peace School is a community of learning enabling people to explore how to be a peace-maker in every area of their lives; personal, local and global. Coming from the Christian biblical perspective of Shalom, Peace School seeks to inspire people to be shalom activists in their own particular spheres of influence, bringing wholeness into relationships with other people, with God, and with all of creation.

Since Peace School began in 2006, the programme has been the catalyst for changes both big and small in participants’ lives; Six people have traveled to Israel/Palestine on delegations with Christian Peacemaker Teams and the Fellowship of Reconciliation; one person has set up a fairtrade comedy club network with regular comedy nights taking place in 10 venues across the country; and four past-participants got so much out of spending time with each other that they bought a house together to form an intentional community in Old Trafford, Manchester! It is perhaps the smaller ‘unnoticed’ changes that have been the most significant for people however, with the exploration and discovery of shalom values and how living them out has brought transformation in many aspects of their lives. One participant commented recently ‘being able to engage with the values of creativity and playfulness has been like a refreshing oasis, and discovering that being an activist is more about what you are for, rather than against, has been a liberating breakthrough for me’.

Throughout the Peace School experience there is a focus on story; our own individual stories; stories that inspire us; stories that warn us; stories from history; and stories in the making today. Around this idea of story and narrative the programme looks at four exploration areas – Principles & Strategies: Exploring some of the models and strategies for bringing peace and justice into different situations; Theology & Values: Looking at what provides the foundations for shalom activism; Spirituality & Character: examining the strengths and qualities of personality and godliness that are the hallmarks of a shalom activist; and Creativity & Expression: Unlocking our potential to see, think and act creatively.

If one of your New Year’s resolutions this year is to explore a Jesus-centred life-giving activism, and to discover what peace might really look like, then Peace School might be for you! The dates for this year’s programme are 31st July to 7th August 2009 for the summer school, and 23-25 October 2009, 22-24 January 2010, 9-11 April 2010, 18 – 20 June 2010 for the weekends. More details including venues, costs and registration are available on the website www.peaceschool.org.uk or by contacting - Peace School, Fred Shed, 45 Westfield Road, Leeds, LS3 1DG. Tel: 0113 3508266 Email: jonathan@peaceschool.org.uk.