The 2022 Peace and Justice training week can be partially articulated through the words of John Buchanan, “To live for a time close to great minds is the best kind of education.” The twelve days spent in worship, meditation, and communion with my fellow interns was truly a schooling like no other. God truly blessed me to be in the presence of not simply great company, but great minds!
Erin, Isaac, and I were also able to mutually energize, stretch, and empower one another as fellow interns before beginning our individual journeys. This has strengthened my confidence for the road ahead beyond words! Coupling that with the opportunity to meet with just a few of God’s uprising leaders expanded our knowledge of the Disciples Ministry.
Each session allowed us to go deeper into the foundation of how Peace and Justice issues are promoted and exercised in the world we live in today. The topics included Refugee and Immigration matters, minority representation, climate change, social injustices, anti-racism training, and the Disciples Ministries dedicated to improving them. Such as NAPAD, Alliance Q, Green Chalice, and National Convocation just to name a few.
Our trainers taught healthy boundaries, research development, social media communication tips, workshop creation, bible study outlines, and small group presentations. Mostly emphasized were self-care techniques to improve and maintain our positive mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being while attending so many camps over the summer.
The major lessons I will take to camp with me this summer is to remember to pace myself, recognize when I am tired, and to not be Super Woman all the time.
I will leave you with a quote from Jean Rostand, “A few great minds are enough to endow humanity with monstrous power, but a few great hearts are not enough to make us worthy of using it!” Peace and Justice solutions are not just a culmination of great ideas, but the continued actions that are performed through ‘loving your neighbor as yourself.’ Each Peace and Justice matter from Socio-Economic injustices, Social injustices, Racial injustices, Ecological injustices, Political injustices, to gun violence, refugee crisis, child abuse and neglect and body autonomy can be repaired from this remedy alone.
Once we learn to respect our personal inadequacies. We can then recognize the beauty in all of humanity. Which will then afford us the grace and continued mercy that follows us ALL our lives!!