Nonviolent Peacemaking: in your community … in your world

Justin Whelan

23-25 October 2009 (Friday 7pm – Sunday 5pm)
Katoomba NSW
Cost: $100 / $70 conc.

A weekend retreat for beginners and experienced practitioners in the beautiful surroundings of the Blue Mountains.

Come and learn about:

  • the principles and power of active nonviolence in the tradition of Jesus, Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr;
  • connecting personal transformation and social change;
  • concrete skills for putting nonviolent power into practice.

Whether we like it or not, most of us are enrolled in a class called “Violence 101” throughout our lives. This violence is all around us, in the media, in our families, across all parts of our society. Consciously or not, we are continually being schooled in the logic and practice of emotional, verbal, physical or structural violence.

Take time to discern the movement of God’s spirit at work, breaking down the logic of violence, calling us to be peacemakers in every aspect of our personal and collective lives, drawing us out into creative possibilities we never imagined for ourselves.

role play silent vigil at baxter detention centre

Using materials from From Violence to Wholeness and Engage: Exploring Nonviolent Living, together we will be inspired to rise above the destructive logic of violence, learn new ways of resolving conflict nonviolently, and practice the art of nonviolent peacemaking – in our community, in our world.

Download the flyer here

Angie O’Gorman wowing audiences

carolepowell

From Brisbane to Ballina, Lismore to Byron Bay,  lecturer, author and practitioner of active nonviolence, Angie O’Gorman is wowing audiences where ever she goes.  Sharing ancient mythology creation story and modern understandings of scriptural text have people  excitedly seeking and deepening their own jouney into the sprituality of nonviolence. One of many highlights for a woman of the Ba’Hai tradition at the interfaith dialogue in Brisbane was for the first time hearing what Jesus really meant when he told people to turn the other cheek. This is the same experience for many christian partcipants who find them selves asking ‘why aren’t we hearing this from the pulpit?’

Angie is helping us to understand the need for our own disarmament and place of centering and to understand what real power is and how we can create and use that in our own lives. She manges to do all of this  with strength, sensitivity, compassion and a great sense of humour.

Pace e Bene Australia has shared Angie’s own personal story of a nonviolent response to personal assault for many years and it has certainly been a blessing to have her as our Inspirator for 2009. Audiences in Sth. Australia and Victoria have a lot to look forward to.