2021 Schedule and Registration
Program Description
The Peace and Justice Practicum will provide a framework for focused study, spiritual preparation, practical implementation plans, mentoring and action for peace and justice ministries. Participants can identify and pursue their practicum on an individual basis or as a team in collaboration with other practicum participants, congregations, community organizations and faith groups.
Who should participate?
Persons with a passion for Peace and Justice interested in making a real difference for peace and justice in our world are invited to consider the Peace and Justice Practicum offered by Lamoni Heartland Mission Center of Community of Christ. A participant in the program is known as a practitioner. While the program is centered in practices and disciplines derived from the teachings and mission of Jesus Christ, it is open to persons of all religious affiliations and non-adherents. Interfaith exploration of peace and justice activities is encouraged.
What is involved?
The practicum is designed to prepare people for direct involvement and actions to create conditions of peace and justice in a world scarred by violence and injustice. The program promotes missional concepts based on proven peace and justice principles found in the life and teachings of Jesus and applied in modern contexts.
How-to apply and participate:
There are no enrollment fees for the program. Practitioners generally provide their own study materials, however, materials can be provided for those who request it. To apply for and become a practitioner in the program, please use the following form. To participate on an ad-hoc basis, simply follow the links in the calendar section of this website.
The Five Disciplines of the
Peace and Justice Practicum.
Focused Study.
Studies in non-violence, conflict resolution, social inequality (race and gender), economic inequality, poverty, politics of protest, open commensality, kin-dom of God, and more. Peace and Justice Practitioners will have the opportunity to study individually, online and in-person. Each practitioner will pursue quarterly research and study objectives. In addition to studying issues at a general level, participants will research the subject of study as it reveals specific issues of peace and justice that the practitioner feels called to address.
Spiritual Preparation.
One of the key elements of the Peace and Justice Practicum is the use of spiritual formation practices to enhance personal peace and promote practitioners who are ambassadors of peace and advocates for justice. The practicum provides resources for spiritual formation and a course of spiritual practices and discernment of peace and justice conditions and issues that carry on throughout the program. A practitioner is also invited to participate regularly in a faith community while participating in the program.
Practical Implementation Plans.
Drawing on the full range of experiences in the program, including the research of local needs and requirements, the practitioners will develop practical implementation plans. The plans may developed on an individual basis or as a team in collaboration with other practicum participants, congregations, community organizations and faith groups. However, all plans are expected to incorporate collaborative approaches. A practitioner should look to experiment and seek evidence-based solutions to peace and justice issues with a focus on transformative solutions and underlying causes.
Mentoring.
Peace and Justice Practitioners should seek out mentors to guide and assist them in their peace and justice practicum experience. This may include spiritual direction, allying with community leaders, pastoral and mission center mentors and more. The Peace and Justice Practicum will provide mentor/mentee guidance materials and tools in the second year of the program.
Action.
Action is the essential and distinguishing component of a practicum. Practitioners design and carry out a project which leverages and enhances their understanding of the relationships among peace, justice, and social change. Practitioners typically work with a congregation or social change organization in which they can apply skills and knowledge and offer service in collaboration with others. Practitioners find volunteer and leadership opportunities with changemaking organizations that allow them to make a difference for peace and justice in their areas of interest. Practitioners will analyze their peacebuilding approaches, find connections between peacebuilding theories and practices, and evaluate the overall impact of their peace and justice efforts. The action discipline is motivated by compassionate and harmonious relationships with the self, others and the community.
Nonviolence
Nonviolence is an essential and required characteristic of program participation. When direct action tactics are pursued, the program expectation is that they are nonviolent. Nonviolent direct action may include sit-ins, strikes, street blockades and counter-economics. When direct action is pursued, the practitioner is expected to complete formal nonviolence training before participation and be aware of an in agreement with Community of Christ guidelines on nonviolent direct action.
Program Requirements
Participation in Peace and Justice Practicum activities may occur on an ad-hoc basis and is equivalent to auditing a college course. Registration in practicum events is open to all sincere participants.
Practitioners develop their own program requirements. Practitioners will make use of the Peace and Justice Practicum Self-Designed Program tool. This tool allows them to map out and track their progress in the five disciplines of the program.
Recommended engagement in the program is as follows:
Focused Study Requirements: It is recommended that the practitioner incorporate at least three activities from each of the main study tracks: Nonviolence, Inner Peace, and Social Justice and accumulate at least 20 study credits.
Spiritual Formation Requirements: It is recommended that practitioners incorporate daily spiritual practices in their lives including the Daily Prayer for Peace and Daily Bread. The Spiritual Formation discipline may include participation in spiritual direction, spiritual companioning, or self-directed spiritual formation activities. The Peace and Justice Practicum will offer a variety of spiritual formation experiences as part of the program and as it relates to overall Lamoni Heartland Mission Center and Community of Christ spiritual formation programs and resources. Our intention is not to duplicate these efforts but rather to supplement them with specific peace and justice spiritual formation resources. In addition weekly reading and meditation upon the LHMC Peace Moments is recommended. We recommend reading the peace moment and then journaling a response to the peace moment or other dimensions of peace that catch your attention and to which you feel led to consider further exploration.
Practical Implementation Plan Requirements: It is recommended that the practitioner develop at least three focused practical implementation plans over the course of the practicum and that these begin no later than year three.
Mentoring Requirements: It is recommended that the practicum participant identify and begin a mentor-mentee relationship beginning in the middle of the second year of their program participation. A mentoring evaluation and feedback tool will be available for practitioner and mentor use. Practitioners should select mentors who will be altruistic and consider the needs of the mentee above the needs of the mentor. Mentors should be honest, trustworthy, and active listeners. Mentors, clearly should also have extensive experience.
Action Requirements. Action plans may be developed and implemented all along the way in the program. You do not have to wait until the third year. It is recommended however that at least one action plan be developed in the third year (or its equivalent) after you have experienced much of what the program has to offer and that two additional plans follow. Action plans in the first two-years are considered experimental or preliminary action plans. Every action plan should incorporate an evaluation and feedback component. Ideally, action plans include provision for collection of evidence of the impact or effectiveness of the plan that are measurable and can aid in evidence-based progress. In the action discipline, practitioners engage in peace and justice activities. Plans may need to be adapted during the action phase and in-field and impromptu adjustments are sometimes necessary. Practitioners are encouraged to publish their results and share the stories of their experiences.
Annual Program Focus
2021 Nonviolence
2022 Inner Peace
2023 Social Justice
2024 Interfaith Cooperation
2025 Nonviolence
2026 Inner Peace
2027 Social Justice
2028 Interfaith Cooperation