You can help us set the table for peace in 2018! By bringing Christians, Muslims, and others to the table, you help create peace in our world by dissolving stereotypes, bridging divides, and turning fear into friendship. Here's how...

Never hosted a peace dinner before? No worries! Follow these 5 practical steps to prepare the table for peace between Christians and Muslims.

“I hate Muslims.” As a simple conversational opener after church, Bob introduced himself, letting us know where he stood on the Muslim/Christian debate. Awkward conversation and strained parting smiles left us each to head home after the service. “How ‘bout that Bob? Think we'll avoid him in the future... wow." But then something happened that we never would have expected... 

The world seems to be going mad. If you go by what the news reports, the situation is pretty bleak. Particularly when it comes to relations between Christians and Muslims. But what we hear on the news is not the whole story.

Last month, in partnership with our church, Fellowship of Christ, Carrie and I and our Peace Catalyst crew hosted a Muslim-Christian Thanksgiving Gathering. More than 30 of our Muslim friends, representing several different area mosques, blessed us with their presence, and we had almost as many Christians from a number of different churches.

The laughter of women, the smell of Mediterranean delicacies, and the array of beauty products filled Maha's home. For two days, her house was transformed to funnel compassion into action.

We recently had the pleasure of putting on a “Quick to Listen” luncheon with friends from three local churches in Ventura County and friends from the Islamic Center in Oxnard. We met at an Indian restaurant in Ventura that is owned by a member of the center, a setting that provided an opportunity for us to meet and to ask questions about each other’s faith.

Most Saturday mornings Susan fixes a great breakfast. Friends arrive around 10. Some are Iranian. Some are Palestinian. Others Turkish and Yemeni. We always have halal food for our Muslim friends. Most weeks they pitch in. We have traditional eggs and pancakes mixed with dolma, samoosas, hummus, and borek. We were going to call it "Brunch and Share," but we are friends, so most just call it breakfast.

The FBI agent was a sharply dressed young woman. I wondered why she was attending the Somali Peace Feast. Another friend who works with local internationals said this FBI agent had been a friend to the international community, helping both the agency and the local police department be more sympathetic with the immigrant populations.