Trip Note--Italy #2, 2/09

Trip Notes--Rome, Italy 2/14/09

Greetings from Rome. We just finished the Global Baptist Peace Conference early this afternoon. An image that captures one of the themes (not formally, but lived!) took place during a question and answer period following the plenary presentation of Gustavo Parajon. The Baptist pastor from Congo who is now pastoring an immigrant church in Milan got up to ask a question, but he began a long statement about the war in Congo. He was very well spoken, but clearly was not speaking directly to Gustavo's presentation. The moderator finally tried to cut him off and press for the question, even approaching for the microphone, but the Congolese pastor said, "Let me speak." He was proud, gentle yet insistent. He continued on determined to say what he wanted to say. Finally the moderator gave up and let him finished. Gustavo responded that one of the important things for people from small countries (perhaps small in terms of global power, not necessarily
geographic size) is the need to find a voice. This Congolese pastor raised his voice and was determined to have his say, and what he said was something we needed to hear as the war in Congo is the bloodiest since World War II yet gets very little attention.

Raising the voices from the margins was an important part of our experience. Sharon and I led a session that included teaching on Mainstream and Margin as well as the Bible study on Rizpah in 2 Samuel 21 in which she raised her voice through a nonviolent action from an incredibly marginalized position. We had stories from places like Morocco, Zimbabwe, Nagaland, Angola, and US prisons. We had sermons from a clergy couple from Cuba and a powerful sermon about violence against women.

We had a demonstration in the piazza in front of the Baptist headquarters yesterday. We wore pinafores with signs about the various wars going on around the planet and the number killed in each conflict as well as quotes from people like Jesus, Gandhi and King. During the demonstration as people walked around our vigiling circle folks stood on the balcony outside the Baptist union office to read facts about the wars, then we had prayers from people from Uganda, Congo and other war torn lands.

But the importance of the voice being hear was experienced again in our worship service on Friday night which took place at the Waldensian Church downtown. After the demonstration we walked to the church for a 3-hour service with incredible music, a sermon from Ken Sehested and communion. But the telling moment came in the prayers of the people. They had organized a number of people from various countries to pray in their own languages followed by a sung response from the congregation. People from Zimbabwe, Cuba, Nepal, Italy, Congo and the US (my friend and neighbor Ken Flowers of the Greater New Mt. Moriah Baptist Church) were among those praying. It was time to end and the music leader started to move to the next song, but a man from Nigeria insisted on praying, and so he led in a prayer, then another from Uganda, then another. It was a beautiful moment of the Spirit moving the margins to speak, empowering the margins to take their holy place
before God's mercy seat and plead about the horrors and hopes of their countries. I was moved to tears at the power of having a voice for these dear friends.

There is so much to share. I encourage you to go to our website in a couple weeks to see some of the presentations, pictures and videos so you can share a bit in the conference: www.globalbaptistpeace.org.

Meanwhile, you can also pray for me. I'm coming down with a cold. I've been working like crazy on the conference logistics, finances and even some workshop leading. I haven't been getting much sleep. Then we spent a good part of Friday walking in Rome. Sharon and I shepherded friends from Liberia, Kenya, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines to give them an experience of a lifetime in Rome. Coming from those tropical countries, we have them our coats, stocking hats and gloves and wore lighter clothes ourselves. I'm not sure if that's what pushed me over the edge or following up our walking by standing in the cold for the vigil. But now I'm not feeling so well. Still it was worth it. The gathering was amazing, the connections, networking, plans made, encouragement and much that I'm sure will only be revealed in time. Thank you for your prayers, financial participation and solidarity.

Peace,
Dan

Trip Note--Italy 2/09

Trip Notes--Rome, Italy, 2/11/09

I am in Rome--or just outside it in a beautiful Catholic retreat center--with over 300 peacemakers from around the world for the Global Baptist Peace Conference. We have people from over 50 countries who have gathered, mostly Baptists, but also Pentecostals, Catholics, Reformed church folks, Methodists, an Anglican and one Muslim. It's a peace conference where we have already touched some of the deepest pains in the world but also celebrated the transformative power of Christ. The worship has been stunningly rich. Sometimes worship needs to be closest to the sorrow of the world to know the wonder of grace and resurrection joy--that's certainly how our experience has been so far.

I've been working as the registrar for the non-Italians, a huge organizing challenge. Given that we had over 40 people have their visas denied, it's still an incredible gathering. Some of the people I've been working with over the years are here to learn more, share their stories, be encouraged and connect with other peacemakers engaged in similar struggles. Peacemaking colleagues I've worked with are here from Nagaland, Orissa, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Georgia, Nicaragua and Wado from the Karen refugee camp. We have large delegations from Cuba, India as well as folks from Uganda, Kenya, El Salvador, Colombia, Palestine, Bangladesh, Japan, Burundi, and the list goes on. It's like homecoming, but with a serious purpose, helping us sustain our peacemaking for the long-haul.

Today Gustavo Parajon spoke, a key Baptist peacemaker who worked with the conciliation commissions that were part of ending the war in Nicaragua. He's one of my role models, and I was deeply moved to hear him.

Yesterday we had day-long intensive training seminars. Sharon and I facilitated a seminar on Bible-based conflict transformation. We had a great group, including 9 Cubans. We finished with the Rizpah story, weaving together all the work we had done earlier in the day. We also passed out CDs with my "Bible Study Manual on Conflict Transformation" in 7 langauges (English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Arabic, Burmese and Portugese). It has also been translated into Italian and will be given to all the Italian participants.

This afternoon it started to snow. We have huge snowflakes falling and sticking to the ground. Many of the conference participants from the tropical countries have never seen snow. It was amazing watching them standing out in the snow, taking pictures, relishing the flakes hitting their open hands--an unexpected delight.

This is the first breathing room I've had since Sharon and I arrived on Friday morning. As soon as we got checked into the hotel I went over to the Italian Baptist Union office to start working on the plans, especially picking people up and dealing with matters such as housing for the extra nights. Then Saturday and Sunday we were getting people at the airport, checking to see who wasn't going to make it because of not getting their visa, trying to find people who somehow slipped by our signs and the waiting people, getting people from the airport to downtown Rome, and later to the conference center. We had a press conference on Monday morning as the Italian Baptists are trying to use this opportunity to give Baptists more visibilty especially identifying them in relation to peace concerns.

I'll try to send a few more "snapshots" along the way. Meanwhile please keep this rich time in prayer that people who need to connect for some of the new things God might do will make those connections, that the discouraged folks would be lifted up, that people will gain just the skills they need for the challenges before them, that we will all have health, and that the ripples of peace will spread from here to touch distant places.

Ciao!

Pace (that's "pahch-ey"--"peace" in Italian),
Dan

Trip Note--Jamaica 1/09

Jamaica, 1/25/09

Yes, I'm in Jamaica in January--sounds unjust, doesn't it. Sitting on the beach, drinking rum with little umbrellas in our glasses--no, not exactly. I'm here for a meeting with my global consultant colleagues in International Ministries, along with our Area Director Charles Jones. Every other year we hold our meeting in a different country where we are developing new mission partnerships. The Jamaican Baptist Union and International Ministries have established a mission partnership. My visit to Jamaica in May 2007 was the first project of that partnership in Jamaica. Our gathering here is building on that and exploring ways for further extension of our shared mission.

We've been getting tours related to Jamaican Baptist history and mission. We've also had special meetings. I met with pastors in a tough neighborhood of Kingston to talk about dealing with the systemic violence in their community (Jamaica has one of the highest murder rates in the Western Hemisphere). I'd met with these pastors before, and they wanted to continue to discussion and go further. So while my colleagues met with various pastors and church leaders in the fields to which they relate I ran a mini-seminar on doing assessment of oppressive situations and building strategies to undo some of the negative dynamics.

Then today (Sunday) I went back to Denham Town. Denham Town is another of the rough neighborhoods of Kingston. Four and five years ago they had what they call "the war" a turf battle between major political/community gangs that was half-way between US gang war and open urban armed combat. The roadblocks set up by men in the neighborhood that I remembered from 2007 were still there, just yards from the Denham Town Baptist Church (DTBC). A neighboring church that had been ransacked and burned to the ground in the war had been rebuilt with a lot of help from the Baptist church. DTBC is an amazing congregation, packing out their small building, with a lot of young people and older members who are very active in reaching out to the community and mentoring the young ones. I preached on Luke 13.1-9, bearing the fruit of repentance in times of violence. I talked about what it is like to follow Jesus by loving our enemies in such times and places. These folks are doing it, not giving up even when it is hard, so I was there more to encourage and bless them and perhaps give a few ideas by sharing the stories of others courageously and faithful facing similiar difficulties.

We've also been doing some of our business as global consultants as we are scattered arouund the world. I am blessed to have some special colleagues: Lauran Bethell, Walt White, Mike Mann and Stan Slade. You can look them up at the IM website (www.internationalministries.org) to learn more about their wonderful ministries.

I'm also grateful for computers. With the Global Baptist Peace Conference coming up February 9-14, I could not afford to miss too much work on that. I'm the registrar for the conference, and we are dealing with over 150 people coming from countries where they will need visas to get into Italy for the conference. We raised scholarship funds for about 80 of those folks (full or partial). For each one I have all kinds of specific problems to help with, along with the other 100+ people coming from non-visa countries like the US. So when we're not working with Jamaicans or in our global consultants meetings, I'm working on the e-mails dealing with problems around the world. People are getting their visas, though, so hurray!

Blessings on you all. Thanks for praying for me, even in Jamaica. Looks like I'll have to wait for at least a third visit to see a beach!

Peace,
Dan

INDIA

I’ve done conflict transformation (CT) work in India for over a decade. Most of my work has been with the Nagas in northeast India (Nagaland and Manipur). I’ve also facilitated trainings with the Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India, working with many different ethnic groups. I’ve done CT training programs in Delhi, including with Chin refugees from Myanmar. More recently I’ve been involved in peace-building and trauma healing in Orissa (just southwest of Calcutta) where Hindu militants have been killing Christians, destroying hundreds of churches and thousands of homes.

For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/country_profiles/1154019.stm

MYANMAR

I worked for three years from 1989 to 1992 in a peace mediation effort between the military government and ethnic insurgents, providing support and consultation for indigenous church leaders who led the mediation process. Since 2001 I have traveled almost every year to Myanmar to teach conflict transformation skills and principles to church leaders, through the sponsorship of the Shalom Foundation and Myanmar Institute of Theology.

Shalom Foundation:
http://www.shalommyanmar.org/
For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1300003.stm

INDONESIA

My first trip to Indonesia was a brief one with Daniel Hunter in 2001. We helped church leaders who had faced violence from Muslim militias to explore transformative ways to deal with the inter-religious conflicts they face. In 2007 I returned to Indonesia, teaching conflict transformation in academic contexts. I also worked with YTB Indonesia, an ecumenical Christian relief agency to train their staff in CT, including helping regional staff to apply those principles and skills to regional inter-religious conflicts.

YTB Indonesia
http://www.ytbindonesia.org/content/index.php
For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1260544.stm

ETHIOPIA

I began working on Ethiopian conflict issues first with the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities in North America. In partnership with an Ethiopian pastor we gathered about 70 Ethiopian and Eritrean Christians from 6 cities in the U.S. and Canada for a reconciliation retreat in Detroit while the war was still going on between their countries.

That launched a series of reconciliation conferences in Toronto, Washington, D.C. and Columbus, Ohio, which included prayer vigils at the Ethiopian and Eritrean embassies in Washington urging the two countries to come to a negotiated settlement of their conflict.

Then in 2005 I was invited by the Evangelical Churches Fellowship of Ethiopia, the national ecumenical organization, to facilitate conflict transformation trainings in Addis Ababa. That training opened up new relationships with the Ethiopian Baptists, and further invitations to conduct trainings with the Baptists as well as with the ECFE. One of the major conflict foci was inter-religious relationships, equipping church leaders to be creatively involved in building positive relationships across lines of religious division.

Addis Kidan Baptist Church:
http://ethiopianaddiskidan.org/
For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1072164.stm

REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA

Since early 2004 I’ve taken 5 trips to the Republic of Georgia, working with the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia and with the International Center for Conflict and Negotiation. I’ve facilitated many trainings in conflict transformation and religious tolerance in a context where Orthodox extremists have attacked non-Orthodox churches, burning many down. In the summer of 2005 I led an Xtreme Team from the American Baptists Churches to the Republic of Georgia.

Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia:
http://www.ebcgeorgia.org/Neue_Dateien/start.html
International Center for Conflict and Negotiation
http://www.webservice.ge/~iccn/
Xtreme Team:
www.xtremeteamonline.org.
For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/1102477.stm

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

At the invitation of a Ukrainian Baptist pastor in Bosnia, I have facilitated trainings with Bosnia Christians and Muslims, with the focus on issues of trauma recovery and reconciliation. Both my trips, in 2006 and 2007, included work in the cities of Sarajevo and Tuzla. One special group I worked with was a post-traumatic support group for Muslim Bosnian army veterans.

For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/1066886.stm

LEBANON

In 2007 I taught a conflict transformation course at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut. In 2008 I returned for ABTS’s Middle East Conference as a resource person. I have been working with Lebanese Christians on building constructive relationships with the Muslim community.

For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/country_profiles/791071.stm

Arab Baptist Theological Seminary:
http://www.abtslebanon.org/

THAILAND

I’ve worked alongside many of my International Ministries colleagues who serve among the tribal hill peoples of northern Thailand, especially the Lahus, Akhas, and Karens. I have done conflict transformation training among ethnic refugees from Myanmar who live in camps along the Thai-Myanmar border. I’ve also facilitated trainings hosted by my IM colleagues who serve among women who have been trafficked in exploitative labor or are at high risk of such exploitation, frequently involving prostitution. These ministries are dealing with young women who have been severely traumatized and have many emotional difficulties that spark conflicts within the ministry settings. I helped equip the staff for effective ways of handling such situations.

For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1237845.stm

CONGO

Congo has suffered from the deadliest war on the planet since World War II in which around 4 million people have died. I lead conflict transformation training programs in Kinshasa and Kikwit for church leaders. I also trained them in experiential education methodologies so they could develop their own effective training workshops.

For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1076399.stm

SIERRA LEONE

In 2004 Daniel Hunter and I facilitated conflict transformation training to equip church leaders for grassroots reconciliation, healing and conflict resolution work in the wake of the peace agreement that ended the civil war in Sierra Leone.

For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1061561.stm

LIBERIA

In 1996 and 2004 I facilitated conflict transformation training programs in Liberia for church leaders and community activists. The 1996 visit sparked the creation of the Liberian Baptist Peace Fellowship which has supported the negotiation efforts that ended the civil war which deposed the government of Charles Taylor. I’ve trained and consulted with the leaders of the LBPF over the years.

For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1043500.stm

HONG KONG

My work in Hong Kong has been primarily focused on church conflicts. I’ve done conflict transformation training programs with the Baptist churches as well as lecturing at the Theology Division of Chung Chi College at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/3650337.stm

NEPAL

There is a small Christian community in this Hindu Kingdom which has been torn apart by a war with a Maoist insurgency. At the invitation of my International Ministries colleagues I provided training and consultation for church leaders about how to play roles supportive of peace in their society as well as how to deal in a healthy way with their own internal conflicts. The recent peace agreement has provided a bit of respite for the nation, but there are still huge challenges with conflicts that threaten to return the country to war.

For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/country_profiles/1166502.stm

COSTA RICA

Costa Rica has been the most stable country in Central America, but economic declines have provoked more social conflict. At the invitation of some of my International Ministries colleagues I provided conflict transformation training for church and community leaders for use in their congregations and communities. I also trained church leaders and missionaries in experiential education methodologies and practices.

For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/country_profiles/1166587.stm

JAMAICA

Jamaica is a beautiful Caribbean country that is plagued by the second highest murder rate in the hemisphere (after Colombia). The violence is often centered in the cities and a political culture of electoral violence. In 2007 conducted conflict transformation trainings in many churches, particularly in Kingston. I also conducted training in nonviolent conflict resolution with school teachers and staff in urban and rural school districts (the lines of gangs run from the cities back to the rural communities where their families come from, impacting those rural communities and schools with gang violence as well). The Jamaican Baptist churches are very theologically and socially astute, some of the best participants I’ve ever had in my trainings.

In 2009 I returned with some International Ministries colleagues for further relationship building and training. I returned to the Denham Town neighborhood of Kingston to share more with the Denham Town Baptist Church which has played a major transformative role in their neighborhood amid “the war” between rival gangs.

Jamaican Baptist Union:
http://www.jbu.org.jm/

For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/country_profiles/1190968.stm

ITALY

I first came to Italy with Marinetta Cannito Hjort, co-facilitating with her as she was doing her project for her Masters in Conflict Transformation at Eastern Mennonite University. Marinetta is an Italian Baptist, currently living and working in the U.S., though she now is training in other countries as well. The Italian Baptists are very strong in their witness for peace and justice. The CT training looked a congregational conflict, but also explored conflicts related to the influx of immigrants and the organized crime violence in Naples, where I’ve twice conducted trainings.

The Italian Baptist Union hosted the Global Baptist Peace Conference held outside Rome on February 9-16, 2009. I was part of the planning committee for the conference, serving as registrar for those outside of Italy. We had almost 300 participants from 59 countries. Besides Baptists there were Christians of many types (Catholics, Pentecostals, Anglican, Reformed) as well as one Muslim. I led one of the intensive day-long seminars and did a workshop on interfaith relationships. We held a public peace vigil in downtown Rome.

Italian Baptist Union
http://www.ucebi.it/en/struct.php

For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/1065345.stm

CROATIA

I have taught a conflict transformation course at the Evangelical Theological Faculty in Osijek, which was the town where the advance of the Serbian army was halted following the destruction of Vukovar. I conducted a training on trauma and sustaining the work of peace-builders with the Center for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights in Osijek, which covers the region of eastern Croatia including Vukovar. I also conducted trainings with Baptist churches in Zagreb and from villages in the war zones of eastern Croatia.

For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/1097128.stm

BOLIVIA

In 2006 I was invited to Bolivia by an International Ministries colleague to do training in the churches in conflict transformation. But the election of Evo Morales to the Presidency of Bolivia, the first indigenous person to hold that office, created a challenging new situation for the Protestant churches. On the one hand there were conflicts in the society with risks and opportunities through the Morales presidency. On the other, Protestant churches who had been perpetually marginalized by the Catholic Church were invited to participate in shaping the new constitution. My coming was a catalyst for Baptists, Pentecostals and other Protestants to think about their role in the new social/political context. Besides the training programs I led in Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and Pa Paz, I appeared on more radio and TV programs than I’d ever done before. IM missionary Mario Morales arranged for the publication in Spanish of my Bible Study Manual on Conflict Transformation with an introduction about the Bolivian context by him and Bolivian Baptist theologian Mario Rivas.

For BBC’s country background information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/country_profiles/1210487.stm

NAGALAND

Nagas have been in conflict with the government of India from the time of independence from the British Empire. The conflict became violent in 1955. A flawed peace agreement in 1975 (The Shillong Accord) led to the fracturing of the Naga political organization, and violence between the Nagas groups became as serious a problem as violence between the Indian army and Naga insurgents.

In 1996, while working with the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America and in conjunction with International Ministries we sponsored peace talks among the Naga factions in Atlanta. There were many problems and limitations with the Atlanta talks, but they were the first step in a peace effort that eventually led to cease-fires between the Naga groups and the Indian army as well as informal cease-fires between Naga groups.

After training and strategy sessions in 1999 Naga civil society groups including church leaders launched the “Journey of Conscience: From the Heart of Nagaland to the Soul of India.” This major action and following activities changed the political dynamics, linking Naga and Indian civil society groups to develop a peace constituency. It also spurred India to move from cease-fire talks to political talks with Naga leaders.

I have been frequently traveling to India to conduct conflict transformation training with Nagas, to teach conflict transformation in Naga educational institutions, and to train insurgent leaders in how to enter into negotiations about their political issues rather than pursuing violent means to attain their goals.

In 2008 a new stage of the Naga reconciliation process developed through the work of the civil society groups who formed the Forum for Naga Reconciliation. The FNR sponsored a series of meetings in Chiang Mai, Thailand which made historic breakthroughs in getting leaders from the armed groups to meet each other as well as traditional tribal leaders. That reconciliation process has now returned to Nagaland and broadened into the larger public. I have worked closely with the FNR along with a team of British Quakers to help facilitate processes and train and advise the FNR.

News Source: Morung Express