Nancy Merritt, Northern California State Coordinator of The California Peace Alliance/Campaign for U.S. Department of Peacebuilding invites you to join their "Second Monday Telephone Conference" on January 9, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. (Pacific Time) to discuss "Creative Non-Violence and Peacebuilding in 2017."

2016 was a challenging year. 2017 may be even more challenging. We are approaching Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 16, 2017. We are on the verge of a new government.

We are about to begin the Season for Nonviolence (SNV), which is the 64-day period from January 30 - April 4, 2017, memorializing the lives of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. King, Cesar Chavez, and others by focusing on their legacies of peace and nonviolence.

In his New Year's message, Pope Francis cited more that 50 countries that are involved in armed conflict and said, "Violence is not the cure for our broken world." In addition to Gandhi and Dr. King, Pope Francis referred to nonviolent examples such as Leymah Gbowee and the thousands of Liberian women who organized pray-ins and nonviolent protests that resulted in high-level peaceful talks to end the second civil war in Liberia. He talked about building peace through active and creative nonviolence.

This is a time to look inward at what non-violence means to each of us and to look outward at building what Dr. King called the beloved community. As we begin 2017, how can we act in creative nonviolence to be peace?

Dr. King said, "But the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of a beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. It is this type of understanding goodwill that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men." He said, "Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives."

On the call, Nancy Merritt will explore what it means to be a beloved community of peacebuilders in 2017, and in particular, what this means to those who are involved -- or want to be involved -- in the Peace Alliance/ Campaign for a U.S. Department of Peacebuilding and other peacebuilding communities. Nancy welcomes those who have joined on their calls in the past and is looking forward to talking with those who are new to the calls.

Call-in # 1-712-775-7031, Access Code 719-062-520#
If unable to get through on that number, dial 1-951-262-7373
If being told there is a charge, call 1-884-884-1322
This call is open to all who are interested.

"Is it possible that the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual.

The next Buddha may take the form of a community --

A community practicing understanding and loving kindness,

A community practicing mindful living.

This may be the most important thing we can do for the earth."

- Thich Nhat Hahn

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned a “beloved community” where all people are welcomed and treated with dignity. For King, religion was not a cause of division but an avenue to the deeper unity of love that should be expressed in justice for all. That’s an excerpt from Daniel Buttry’s profile of Dr. King in Read the Spirit's Interfaith Peacemakers department.

Beloved Community Gathering Conversations January 16, 2014

Several of us have been meeting to review and discuss Peter Block's book Community: The Structure of Belonging.

“This book is written to support those who care for the well-being of their community.  It is for anyone who wants to be part of creating an organization, neighborhood, city or country, that works for all...”

The overall premise of the book is to “build the social fabric and transform the isolation within our communities into connectedness and caring for the whole.” To do this we need to “shift our conversations from problems of the community to the possibility of community” and “commit to create a future distinct from the past.”

January 16, 2014 we met at the Redding Public Library and here are some notes from Ellen Pfeiffer regarding Chapter 4 The Restorative Community:

• “Restoration comes from the choice to value possibility and relatedness over problems, self-interest, and the rest of the stuck community’s agenda.” 
• “Restoration is created by the kinds of conversations we initiate with each other.  
• "The conversations are the leverage point for an alternative future.” 
• “Shifting the context from retribution to restoration will occur through language that moves in the following directions: from problems to possibility; from fear and fault to gifts, generosity and abundance; from law and oversight to social fabric…”
• “Restorative community is created when we allow ourselves to use the language of healing and relatedness and belonging. 
• “Our conversations and gatherings have the power to shift the context from retributive community to restorative community. 
• From conversations about problems to ones of possibility.
• From conversations about fear and fault to ones of gifts, generosity and abundance.
• From a bet on law and oversight to a preference for building the social fabric.
• From a focus on leaders to a focus on citizens” 
• "It moves us from having faith in professionals and those in positions of authority to having faith in our neighbors. 

What gifts/talents/generosity/abundance do we have that we can share with Shasta? How to increase the conversation? Consensus to look more into this both of these again and discuss at next gathering.

Idea of the Beloved Community: 

• “Volunteer Program” Lots of needs for volunteers (POP List) 
• Match needs up with Beloved Community members talents 
• Host of column in the Record Searchlight 
• Each organization describe who/what they need 
• Have the link between the public and the organization be The Beloved Community. Consensus to discuss this further at next gathering 

Upcoming Activities: 

• MLK Day of Service Celebration – Jan 20, 2014. Inside of program will be on the Beloved Community.  Eddie will talk about the Beloved Community.
• Sheriff’s Multicultural Festival at the Shasta Mall – Jan 25, 2015. Eddie has arranged for a table – needs volunteers 
• NAACP Dinner -  January 30, 2014
• Shasta Lake Multicultural Festival - February 22, 2014. Beloved Community will have a table – need volunteers.

Next Gathering: Thursday, Feb 6, 2014, 6 PM at the Redding Public Library.

• Discussion on Chapter 5 Take back our Projections – Susana to lead.
• Feedback/Interest from MLK Day of Service
• Continue conversations on above Volunteer Program
• Time Bank
• Asset Based Community Service
• Discussion of Needs:
• Craft of “Elevator Statement”
• Five Principles Design
• New logo - card

Upcoming Opportunities: Beloved Community Tables

Choose Nonviolence

January 20 2014 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The theme for the 2014 King holiday observance by the King Center, in Atlanta, CA is Remember! Celebrate! Act! King's Legacy of Peace for Our World.  It underscores the urgency of Dr. King’s challenge to people of every nation to choose nonviolence as a way of life, as well as a method for peaceful social change. 

People all over the world are crying out for an end to the senseless violence that afflicts their families, communities, nations and world. 

Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center said, "Our hope is that The 2014 MLK holiday observance will help lay the foundation for a world-wide movement to begin building the beloved community of my father’s dream.” 

In Pursuit of Happiness: Becoming Beloved Community

The Bioneers series XIII radio program, broadcast at 10:30 AM on radio station KCHO (88.9 FM) featured and interview with John A Powell.

Powell states "It's obvious that we're not here for ourselves. That makes no evolutionary sense. There's something larger than us, and to the extent that we can live that and celebrate that, I think we're healthier, and then that's love.  So I think if we think of love in this way, and a beloved community in this way, when we hold all this stuff together, together."

Audio is no longer available, but you can read the full transcript here.

Regarding the beloved community, narrators John A. Powell and Grace Bauer say, "Dr. Martin Luther King’s global vision of Beloved Community foretold a world in which all people can share in the wealth of the Earth. Poverty, hunger, and homelessness would not be tolerated. Marginalization would be dissolved by inclusion. Love and trust would triumph over fear and hatred. He did not think the world was devoid of conflict or suffering, but rather that it could be resolved peacefully, mutually, and non-violently. As Dr. King wrote: “Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class and our nation.”

The Stuck Community

At previous gatherings of A Beloved Community we discussed Chapter 1 (Insights into Transformation) and Chapter 2 (Shifting the Context for Community) in Peter Block's book Community: The Structure of Belonging.

On December 4, 2013 Jim reviewed Chapter 3 - The Stuck Community. Here is a brief summary:

"The existing community context is one that markets fear, assigns fault, and worships self-interest.  This context supports the belief that the future will be improved with new laws, more oversight, and stronger leadership Possibility thinking and associational life are marginalized, relegated to human interest and side stories in the media.  The corporate model is the modern ideal, and the economy is the center story. The story in the stuck community defines the role of the media as framer of the debate.  In community building, we need to realize that what the media reports is a reflection, not the cause of the conversation that citizens currently hold.”

We discussed the questions:

1. What is the current community story of Shasta County?  
2. Of the Beloved Community? 
3. What is the “hidden agenda” found in every story? 
4. What is meant by a retributive agenda?

We reviewed some sample front pages of the Record Searchlight (particularly the articles Homeless Camps Raising Ire, Fear and Americans Lose Trust in Neighbors from Associated Press, published on December 1, 2013) and it was clearly illustrated what is meant by "marketing fear and fault."

We asked ourselves "What role does the media play in defining and telling the story of a community?" The illusion is that legislating laws, more oversight, and stiffer penalties will improve society.

What are some actual effects of more government involvement in community life?

Jim pointed out that the value of “associational life” (per John McKnight) is a key force in building community - that's what we are building at our ABC gatherings. "The stuck community essentially discounts associational life and instead values, and even glorifies, the system life, especially the private decor and corporate mindset." Here are some ways in which we discount associational life (the place where the social fabric is built):

• The only true measure of community is economic prosperity.
• We name social service and institutions that serve the public good "not for profit."
• Associations are under constant pressure to be more corporate; to merge, become more efficient, submit to external oversight, measure harder, and submit to greater accountability
• The public benefit sector makes front page news only when there is a scandal.
• We marginalize compassion in the public conversation.

The point is: Citizens have the capacity to change the community story. One of the goals of a Beloved Community is to figure out how to do this and to collectively discern the possibilities for "our story."

Rick pointed out how the Winter 2013 edition of Good Magazine has a feature on "Celebrating Possibility" with the Good City Index that measures 8 factors:

1. Hub For Progress - Where in the city do new ideas capitalize?
2. Civic Engagement - What ongoing project best show citizens involved in their city's improvement?
3. Local Vibes - What traditions capture the distinctiveness and uniqueness of city life?
4. Signature Moment - What time of the year brings out the best in the city?
5. Transportation - How do locals move around?
6. Green Space - Where's the best outdoor spot in?
7. Diversity - How do people of different backgrounds come together in the city?
8. Work/Life Balance - How do locals kick back and slow down?

These are good questions to ponder for our communities in Shasta County. We don't live in a stuck community. We are changing the conversation and the community story. 

Interested? Join us January 16, 2014 at 6 PM as Ellen leads a review Chapter 4: The Restorative Community. A Beloved Community is now gathering each month on the first and third Thursday evenings at 6 PM at the Fireside Room in Redding Public Library. There are no gatherings planned for December 18th and January 2nd.

A Beloved Community will participate in Redding's Winter Celebration Friday, December 6th from 4-8 PM and the Annual Lighted Christmas Parade Saturday, December 7th at 6 PM.

What is Community?

The following is a summary of the Beloved Community Conversation for the November 20, 2013, 6 PM gathering.  Lynne, Rick, Vanessa, Nathan, Terry, Jan, Eddie, Jim, and Ajen were present. 

During this evening's conversation, Rick reviewed Peter Block's book Community: The Structure of Belonging. He offered an overview of Chapter 2 which provides a discussion on how the "Context of Community" can be shifted by looking "beyond the future" towards possibilities and existing capabilities, resources and expertise of a community rather than focusing on the community's past, its perceived limitations or its perceived problems. 

Chapter 1 of Block's book is entitled Insights into Transformation. Earlier in November, at the November 7th gathering, Ajen reviewed Chapter 1 and discussed how restoring community means building "social capital" or social fabric based on:

• Gifts 
• Associational life
• Power of language - conversations 
• Power of context - possibility, generosity and gifts 
• Power of possibility 
• Aliveness and wholeness 
• Transformation and unfolding 
• Appreciating paradox 
• Choosing freedom and accountability 

Chapter 2 of Block's book is entitled Shifting the Context for Community, with the following highlights:

• "The context that restores community is one of possibility, generosity, and gifts rather than one of problem solving, fear and retribution.
• A new context acknowledges that we have all the capacity, expertise, and resources that an alternative future requires.
• Communities are human systems given form by conversations that build relatedness. The conversations that build relatedness most often occur through associational life, where citizens show up by choice and rarely in the context of system life, where citizens show up out of obligation,
• The small group is the unit of transformation and the container for the experiencing of belonging.
• Conversations that focus on stories about the past become a limitation to community; one that are teaching parables and focus on the future restore community."

Further, as Principles of Strategy:

• "The essential work is to build social fabric, both for its own sake and to enable chosen accountability among citizens.
• Strong associational life is essential and central.
• Citizens who use their power to convene other citizens are what creates an alternative future
• The small group is the unit of transformation.
• All transformation is linguistic, which means that we can think of community as essentially a conversation."

We then spent the rest of the time talking about the meaning of community.

Rick then recounted his experience of 2 1/2 days with Extravagance UCC in Cleveland, Ohio the first week in November. There a group of about 40 strangers met several times in small groups to answer the question "What is Church?" and how to build a virtual, online spiritual community. The immediate community building process was facilitated by eating all meals together; sharing ritual (worship) experiences; listening to an outside keynote speaker; celebrating; continuing the conversation and community building through social media connections (Twitter; Facebook pages; bios; blog links; videos; photos); and working together on a new, online, spiritual community to be launched in summer 2014.

Using that experience as a model, which incidentally closely follows what Block outlines in his book, we asked the question: What is your definition of community (when you felt you "belonged" and are "at home")? The responses to which are noted on the picture of the whiteboard above.

From this discussion, we talked about the nature of the community in general and specifically about the community-group that met tonight. Lynne shared her recent experience with the local Artists Gathering. 

Given the questions raised by Jan and Rick, we addressed if this is group is something formal where we called it a "meeting" which comes with minutes and agendas or is it something where a group of people come together to hold a conversation on specific and general topics.  With those present, it seemed as if we were leaning towards the latter.  

In addition to this, the frequency of our gathering times was also discussed. 

Looking forward, Jim will be offering a review of Chapter Three in December. 

Rick drew our attention to 211.org, which maps agency connections in Shasta County.

Rick also expressed his personal 2020 vision in an effort to further "shift the context" of our conversation: 

• Greater sense of inter-relatedness among all citizens – all of life is sacred.
• Greater connectedness and cooperation between organization, agencies and groups 
• Sustainable local systems – local jobs for all skill levels 
• Day Center for homeless 
• Employment opportunities for college graduates to return to Redding and find good jobs. 
• Coding taught in schools 
• Vitality and beauty in downtown Redding 
• Connected trail system 
• Shasta Forward land planning renewal

Subsequently, both Rick and Nathan offered similar suggestions that it would be worthwhile for each of us to share our passions with the rest of the group. The discussions that followed highlighted the fruitful possibilities of such sharing.

At the close of our gathering, we read and reflected on the following closing statement provided by Vanessa:

"We gather here today in a spirit of gratitude to further empower and embody the message of love, hope, and humility in Shasta County. May we, together, dwell and live with peace, generosity, and courage for we truly are a Beloved Community."