Peace Through WISDOM

On July 8th, Sunday, at the Church of Today West in Farmington Hills, WISDOM held their sixth event as a joint venture with Peace X Peace. Peace X Peace focuses on empowering women as the most effective means of enriching lives locally and promoting peace globally. They connect women’s groups, called sister circles, in the United States one to one with sister circles everywhere in the world – via the internet – for direct, private exchange of information and personal experience that results in mutually supportive actions. These personal relationships established through e-mail reach across cultural and religious differences to diminish biases and misconceptions. The mission of Peace X Peace meshes beautifully with the Mission of WISDOM – to expand and intensify our knowledge about each other in order to dispel myths, stereotypes, prejudices, and fear that exist with lack of understanding.

We began our joint venture by welcoming 70 women to “Peace Through WISDOM” and followed that with a beautiful interfaith prayer by the Rev. Barbara Clevenger of Church of Today West. We then watched the 86 minute documentary entitled “Peace by Peace: Women on the Frontlines.” While the media inundates us with violent images and stories of failed peace talks, there are hundreds of thousands of women who are working on the ground to keep their countries from falling apart. In spite of the obstacles they encounter, and the lack of their voices at the peace table, women in all regions of the world are devising creative and effective strategies to advocate for education, health, human rights, increased political participation and sustainable economic development. This documentary profiles the work of women peace-builders in five countries: Afghanistan, Burundi, Bosnia, Argentina, and the United States (New York City), and how they challenge the traditional paradigms of peace-building.

After the showing of the documentary we worked toward forming our own interfaith community based groups to connect with women around the world and help to further peace and understanding. Members from the First Congregational Church of Rochester, who have been successful in forming two Peace X Peace Sister Circles, shared their thoughts about how they got their sister circles started and what has worked for them.

This presentation was followed by dinner – where WISDOM women sat together at tables that were comprised of women of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds. There were dialogue starters at each table to help break the ice. Following dinner, we went through the handouts with everyone. The handouts consisted of the following:

1) “Step X Step” – What to do to join the Peace X Peace Network
2) Registration information for Peace Through WISDOM Sister Circles
3) Peace X Peace Suggestions of possible Circle Interests
4) Peace X Peace Frequently Asked Questions
5) Pertinent Quotes re: Women’s Circles from The Millionth Circle by Jean Shinoda Bolen
6) Key Principles for Sister Circles
7) Information on the Women’s Global Roundtable
8) Closing Prayer

Participants were asked to fill out the Peace Through WISDOM registration information pages in their packets, to put their particular topic of interest (environment, religion, education, health, cross-cultural understanding, preventing violence against women, etc.) on their name tags, and to position themselves around the room next to one of the posters on the wall that had the geographical area listed where they would like their global sisters to be from. Once the women separated themselves by areas of the world, they then sub-divided again according to the interests listed on their nametags.

About 4-6 sister circles were formed. Two interested in the Middle East, one interested in Asia, one interested in Africa, and the possibility of several others who will get back to WISDOM with their circle information in the near future. The directions to the newly forming circles were the following:

1) Before you leave, make a date with your newly formed circle to come together again some time during the summer
2) Remember that before you begin the process of communicating with women on the other side of the world, you must first establish your sister circle here in Michigan. Take the time to get to know each other.
3) Everyone must go home and register on the Peace X Peace website (www.peacexpeace.org) and become a member. (Step One on the instruction page)
4) After you have solidified your circle as to interests, and chosen a name for your circle, the e-mail captain must go to the Peace X Peace website and register the circle (steps two through seven on the instruction page). The e-mail captain will include everyone’s e-mail addresses in this registration.
5) You will receive an invitation to join Peace X Peace after you have registered your circle. You must answer this invitation.
6) You should read through the entire packet of handouts from Peace Through WISDOM on your own, or with your sister circle.
7) The e-mail captain of each circle must fill out the Sister Circle form with everyone’s names, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers, and give it to WISDOM to copy and give back before you leave. That way WISDOM can contact the circle members in the future for a Peace Through WISDOM reunion.
8) Please go to the WISDOM Solutions blog (www.wisdomsolutions.blogspot.com) or go to the WISDOM website (www.interfaithwisdom.org) and click on “News and Events” which will take you to the blog, and add information to the blog about how your sister circles are coming along.
9) Feel free to contact Gail Katz for blogging help. (gailkatz@comcast.net or 248-978-6664 cell phone).
10) Gail Katz will also be sending out periodic e-mails with reminders to check the blog.

A big thank you to Church of Today West and the Rev. Barbara Clevenger and her staff for all their help and the use of their beautiful facility. Thanks to all of you for your participation in the Peace Through WISDOM event, and for your faith that women of all religions can come together to make a difference!

Please stay tuned for WISDOM’s next event!