September TGIP Monthly Peace: Women and Peacemaking from The Global Immersion Project of San Diego, California, United States "Welcome to the TGIP monthly newsletter" for Friday, 30 September 2016

September TGIP Monthly Peace: Women and Peacemaking from The Global Immersion Project of San Diego, California, United States "Welcome to the TGIP monthly newsletter" for Friday, 30 September 2016
The Monthly PeaceThroughout much of human history, women have lived under the heavy yoke of a patriarchy that has led to their exploitation, dehumanization and oppression. While this has often come as a result of men seeking political or economic power, women have also been seen as “less than” within the Church as a result of incomplete theology that has led to unjust actions. Despite living within these broken systems, women have subversively been leading families, communities, and global movements for peace, often without any recognition or hierarchical status. This edition of the Monthly Peace will educate us on the global plight of women and highlight ways they are leading the way in the everyday work of peace.
A Participant Story "Lynne Hybels, a mentor of mine and a friend of The Global Immersion Project, says that 'women are the greatest untapped resource in the world'. Their 'agency, their creativity and patience, and their capacity to love and to build consensus—all these qualities make women a valuable constituency for peace.'"
Read a reflection from Samantha, alumni of an Israel/Palestine Learning Lab, on women, peacemaking, and Jesus here.

About a year ago, I shook my proverbial fist at God and told him he had a year to prove to me he wasn’t a bully. Nine months later I found myself on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land (because who doesn’t travel halfway across the world in the middle of a crisis of faith?). At one point, we all crowded into a dim room below a church to gather around Jacob’s well, the historical site of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman. Everyone, quiet with reverence, watched as our friend Mary drew water from the well. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and finally shed the last layer of resentment I still held against God. In that moment, I wondered what Jesus would do if he were to encounter me privately in that place. I imagined a tenderness in his fierce determination to embrace me, a woman—the “other”—as a friend. After all, is this not what a peacemaker does?
My lingering resentment at the time was partly rooted in frustration with conventional understandings of female figures in scripture. I’ve often found them to be disparaging, distorting our perspective of women’s participation in peacemaking and the mission of God. We are conditioned to assume a posture of distrust toward women, seeing them as suspect. This is clear in the ways we continue to deprecate women’s emotions, routinely disbelieve women’s testimony, and question women’s intentions.
In the case of the Samaritan woman, although very little about her is revealed, we presume she is immoral. However, the text does not explicitly make this judgement. It’s likely she lost her five husbands through divorces (possibly for childlessness) and deaths (it was common for young girls to marry older men), and her current partner may have been unable to legally marry her. This is not an uncommon pattern in the ancient world [1]. The final nail in the coffin is what Jesus doesn’t say. There is no plea to “go and sin no more” or similar call to repentance, a practice found elsewhere in the gospels. Any evidence that suggests this is a woman of ill repute in her community is speculative at best.
Traditional attitudes toward women are a fundamental divergence from Jesus’ orientation toward them—toward us. Instead of a posture of suspicion, Jesus assumes a posture of humility and trust toward the Samaritan woman. As he sends his companions to town for food (presumably along with the water bucket they would have been carrying on their journey through the desert), he deliberately places himself in a situation where he has to submit himself to her care. Moreover, he intentionally subverts both the gender and geopolitical power structures of the time by choosing to meet with her alone [2]. She is not unaware of the subversive nature of this interaction, as we often are.
Additionally, the substance and content of their conversation are equally as powerful. It is the longest conversation between Jesus and any one person recorded in the gospels and is predominantly theological [1]. She initiates (read: leads) this with her question (or challenge?) about worship. This may be one of the most significant boundaries Jesus crosses—Jewish males do not engage with women of any heritage in theological discussion [2]. He does not feel threatened by her challenge, another mark of humility (we see him likewise defend Mary’s right to engage similarly in Luke 10). Instead he honors her dignity as an image bearer of God. At the end of the interaction, Jesus further reveals himself to her as the Messiah, effectively equipping and commissioning her as the first evangelist in history, bringing Shalom to her entire community.
The same community today, now Balata refugee camp, is in need of Shalom. Originally designed to house 5,000 Palestinian refugees on one square kilometer, the same plot of land is now bursting at the seams with some 30,000, making it the most impoverished and crowded in the West Bank.
Women peacemakers in Balata and throughout the West Bank have devoted themselves to the economic development of their communities through creative entrepreneurial enterprises despite restricted mobility and socio-cultural barriers. They are operating schools, women’s centers, breweries, farms, and small businesses. Two peacemakers that come to mind, Moira, an American-Palestinian woman, and Raya, an Israeli woman, who both lost their husbands to the conflict, participate in The Parents’ Circle, a grassroots organization for bereaved Israelis and Palestinians that “promotes reconciliation as an alternative to hatred and revenge” serving over 600 families [3]. As these women engage in the costly work of peacemaking within their families and communities, I imagine them seeking and finding refreshment from the same living water Jesus offers the Samaritan woman.
Absolutely critical to sustainable peacemaking initiatives around the globe have been women’s contributions, resourcefulness, and leadership. Lynne Hybels, a mentor of mine and a friend of The Global Immersion Project, says that “women are the greatest untapped resource in the world” [5]. Their “agency, their creativity and patience, and their capacity to love and to build consensus—all these qualities make women a valuable constituency for peace” [4]. I think Jesus intuitively understood this. Lastly, a shout out to TGIP for doing powerful work in this area. Their learning labs and other experiences are incredible tools contributing to the formation and empowerment of women as peacemakers. If you ever have the opportunity to join them in a learning lab, don’t hesitate to get involved.
“May we never hesitate to let passion push us, conviction compel us, and righteous anger energize us. May we strike fear into all that is unjust and evil in the world. May we dismantle abusive systems and silence lies with truth.” – theDangerous Women Creed, by Lynne Hybels [5][Samantha Ham]
[1] Margaret Mowczko, newlife.id.au/equality-and-gender-issues/samaritan-woman-john-4/
[2] Matt Tebbe, www.missioalliance.org/jesus-engages-missionally-dangerous-foreigner/
[3] www.theparentscircle.org/
[4] Lakshmi Puri, UN Women Deputy Executive Director, www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2012/10/sustainable-peace-for-a-sustainable-future
[5] Lynne Hybels, www.lynnehybels.com/dangerous-women-creed/

Upcoming TGIP EventsAre you tired of the headlines pointing to the conflict and violence around us? Do you desire to see the way of Jesus in the here and now? Then you understand why it is time to amplify the voices of peace, especially among women who seek to lead and live a legacy that has significance and purpose.
Amplify: A Women's Peacemaking Pilgrimage will strategically guide women into deeper narratives on topics such as Identity, Conflict Transformation, Racial and Cultural Reconciliation and living as Everyday Peacemakers.
For more information on our exciting new opportunity, please visit us here.

Recommended Resources:1) eCourse: As the election season approaches, our churches will be filled with opinions, preferences, and dreams that will span the spectrum. Our 5-week eCourse, Developing Uncommon Friendships, is designed to equip you, your staff, your small group, and your church to move beyond relational obstacles and toward authentic relationships. Throughout this five-week course, you will go on a journey that will equip you to See, Immerse, and Contend with and for those whom you disagree with, have disregarded, or have been disrespected by. Ultimately, you will learn to develop collaborative relationships that lead to tangible restoration. It's a self-paced eCourse, so take it on your own timing for as long as you need (with lifetime access).
2) LISTEN: Transcending partisan politics, former President Jimmy Carter discusses why his work around the world has led him to see the mistreatment of women as the greatest human rights issue.
Jimmy Carter, "Why I believe the mistreatment of women is the number one human rights issue"
3) READ: Both graciously and prophetically, this book reminds us of God’s grand vision for women as central participants in leading the Church in its mission to join God in restoring the world: Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women

News from Around the World1. Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, called yesterday for "women to be at the table for every major decision-making process — and to take a greater role in peacemaking in Syria and other war zones.
She was speaking as her government announced up to £300,000 in funding to support and train female peacemakers in the Middle East.
The first minister said that women were better at putting themselves in others’ shoes and more likely than men to reach out to the other side in negotiations." Read article here.
2. We are honored to call Madees Khoury a dear friend and colleague for peace. Her work in the West Bank is a stunning example of the creative potential of non-violent direct action in the face of violent conflict. Meet the only female beer brewer in the Middle East.
Everyday Peacemaking Practices: SEE - Our perceptions about people and cultures are often shaped by a single story, resulting in a narrow lens that hinders us from truly seeing.
SEE - "In 2003, the Palestinian village of Budrus mounted a 10-month-long nonviolent protest to stop a barrier being built across their olive groves. Did you hear about it? Didn't think so. Brazilian filmmaker Julia Bacha asks why we only pay attention to violence in the Israel-Palestine conflict — and not to the nonviolent leaders who may one day bring peace." Listen to the TED Talk from Julia Bacha here.

Meet our Israel/Palestine Learning Lab Curator, Catherine Schrock:Catherine Schrock is an Applied Theater Practitioner, which brings together her roles as a humanitarian, educator, performer and writer. She has a Master’s in Educational Theater from New York University and a BA in Sociology and International Development. As a facilitator, she works independently and with local and international organizations, such as La Jolla Playhouse Theater, The Globe Theater,Performance of a Lifetime and The Global Immersion Project. Her work emphasizes performance-based teaching and learning methods in professional, educational and community contexts. She offers original creative programming custom-designed to meet the needs of the community she is servicing with topics such as community building, peace-building, communication, theater and storytelling, and conflict resolution.
Catherine spent six years developing and directing Invisible Children’s Teacher Exchange program, which brought educators from northern Uganda and North America into a collaborative teaching relationship. She also started Arts for Life, a girl’s empowerment through arts program in Kibera, Kenya. As an artist she works independently and collaboratively to create original work for publication and performance around themes of reconciliation, connection and humanizing storytelling.
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