May 18 - June 22, 2026
Mondays, 3:00-4:30pm Central Europe & Central Africa Time
God's reign is characterized by shalom, a holistic just peace in which all relationships are restored and made right. So if God's mission is to establish the holistic shalom of God's kingdom, then our Christian vocation and calling is to follow Jesus into the sacred, healing work of peacebuilding.
Join this 6-week online small group to introduce peace-oriented theology, conflict transformation, and peacebuilding skills. As peacebuilders, we recognize that conflict unveils ruptured relationships, both interpersonally and between groups, so conflict can become an opportunity to work toward deeper connection, justice, and God's shalom.
This online small group is for anyone curious about how their faith and peacebuilding fit together, who wants to begin learning about how to live as a peacebuilder, or hopes to lead such conversations in their community. This small group is intended as a launching pad to help you grasp the scope and beauty of God’s shalom vision as we learn to follow Jesus on his peacebuilding mission and to provide resources and support for you and your friends on the peacebuilding journey.
We welcome everyone to the group regardless of financial means. However, if you’re able, we encourage you to give a donation to Peace Catalyst to help cover the time and effort it takes to put on this event. Your donation will also help us offer more free events in the future and bring peacebuilding tools and trainings to under-resourced communities. Depending on your ability, we suggest a donation of $20, $50, or $75 for this 6-week group. You’ll have the opportunity to donate after you register.
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Meet & Greet - Hear the personal stories of those in your cohort
God’s Vision & Mission - Shalom & Peacebuilding
The Church’s Peacebuilding Vocation & Call
Introduction to Conflict Transformation
Discipleship: Christian Formation for Peacebuilding
Peacebuilding Postures & Skills
You can expect a highly interactive experience, with a lot of discussion accompanying new content. We request that you intend to be present for the majority of the sessions in order to facilitate your own learning and the learning of the other participants.
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FORMAT
The entire event will happen online via Zoom. Each week, participants will receive preliminary resources (readings and videos) to look at before our meeting. The goal for these small groups is to provide a diverse set of introductory materials and some guided reflection questions so that participants might reuse the content to lead exploratory conversations and small groups about peacebuilding in their own communities.
DATES & TIMES
May 18, 25, June 1, 8, 15, and 22
3:00 - 4:30pm Central Europe & Central Africa Time
(9:00 - 10:30am USA Eastern Time)
MEET YOUR FACILITATORS
Bryan Carey
Bryan is a peacebuilding consultant, conflict transformation trainer, and Director of International Peacebuilding at Peace Catalyst International. He hosts workshops, conducts training, and teaches about peace-oriented theology, peacebuilding practices, and how Christian groups can get involved in community peacebuilding. He regularly organizes learning experiences for international and regional Balkan participants that cultivate understanding and empathy for the narratives of other groups, ultimately with the aim to deepen relational connections that allow for collaborative work.
Since 2006 Bryan has been drawn to cross-cultural relationships and has enjoyed inviting friends and acquaintances to interact with and learn from the experiences of those who are different from them. He has worked in various capacities alongside pastors in Peru and Zambia, Muslim refugees and members of the homeless community in the United States, and Bosnian Muslim, Catholic and Orthodox peacebuilders in the Balkans. In his graduate level work at Candler School of Theology at Emory University, he studied justice, peacebuilding, and conflict transformation, examining the ambiguity of religious faith and how Christians and people of faith might contribute to a just peace.
Mercy Aiken
Mercy is a cross cultural advocate, bridge-builder, storyteller, author, activist, and pilgrimage leader with years of experience living in the Middle East, particularly Palestine and Israel. She is passionate about the flourishing of eastern Christians, Muslims and Jews. Her peacebuildIng is centered in (but not limited to) the Holy Land. She organizes and leads unique pilgrimages to the Holy Land designed to build empathy, understanding, and a more embodied expression of our faith, especially as it comes to peacebuilding. Mercy is convinced that the more we can learn about each other, the more we will be led with curiosity and empathy rather than fear and suspicion.
In her capacity with Peace Catalyst International, Mercy engages with Christians and others to help them learn more about the challenges that Christians and others face in the Holy Land and across the Middle East, and to encourage them to become active peacebuilders in their communities and with regard to Palestine/Israel.
Have more questions? Contact us!
Bryan Carey: bryan.carey@peacecatalyst.org