News

The Art of Peacemaking

November 22, 2022

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” – Matthew 5:9 Back in the 1960s, the psychologist Abraham Maslow famously wrote, “If the only tool you […]

Churches: Plums and Pills

May 2, 2023

Where are all the staff? So many businesses seem to be a shell of themselves. Staff are around and working hard, but there is a general sense that there are […]

The 20-Year Evolution of Clergy Clinic

March 30, 2023

One of the signature programs offered by Lombard Mennonite Peace Center is Clergy Clinic in Family Emotional Process. This has been offered for several decades with nearly two thousand clergy […]

Promoting Peacemaking – wherever and whenever we can

The Lombard Mennonite Peace Center focuses on training people across the country in biblical education regarding the principles of peace; conflict resolution training; and community building techniques. We also welcome opportunities […]

The Fierce Art of Peacemaking: Part 2

January 17, 2023

In my last post, I referenced a poem by Joy Harjo in which she likens conflict resolution to the performing and literary arts. Lest you think Harjo—or I, for that […]

Recognizing the Prophetic Voice Through Community

January 9, 2023

The New Year is often a time of turning pages in life, between reflecting on past chapters and finding meaning to guide writing the next. As Christians, we seek guidance […]

The Art of Asking Questions

December 27, 2022

I recently attended a remote one-hour workshop on Facilitated Dialogue led by Rachel Viscomi from the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program. One piece of guidance she shared was that […]

The Fierce Art of Peacemaking: Part 1

December 21, 2022

A few years ago, my daughter gave me a book of poetry called Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings. The book was written by Joy Harjo, who at that time was […]

Using Structured Process as a Support in Times of Change

December 7, 2022

Last week Tammy Martens wrote about the use of family diagrams as a tool for analyzing family emotional systems, “for observing the family as it adapts to life”. There is […]

The Family Diagram as a Tool

November 29, 2022

I started attending Clergy Clinic in Family Emotional Process in 2012 led by staff at the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center. As a participant, I learned about Murray Bowen’s Family […]

The Wait is Over! Announcing the Peacemaker's Pilgrimage to the Holy Lands 2024

After five years, the pilgrimage through the Holy Lands led by Rev. Richard Blackburn will be open again! This pilgrimage will include:

Jerusalem: Mount of Olives, the Old City, Via Dolorosa, Yad Vashem, Sabeel:
Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, and much more…
Bethlehem: Church of the Nativity, Shepherds’ Field, Community Peacemaker Teams in
Hebron, Diyar Consortium, the ministries founded by Rev. Mitri Raheb, Wi’am, the Palestinian
Conflict Resolution Center.
Galilee: Nazareth, Cana, Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves, Church of the Beatitudes,
Church of the Primacy of Peter, Capernaum, Mount Tabor, and other sites, including the Sea of Galilee.

To find out more, view this flyer and the trip website. You can book your trip via the flyer or the website. Reach out to Rev. Richard Blackburn to make your interest known and to be one of the first people to sign up!

Introducing: A New Contracted Training Workshop, Pastoral Transitions

When a church goes through a transition of leadership, often times anxiety is felt
among staff and the whole of the congregation. An anxious church is limited in
promoting the work of the Gospel. If you and your church find yourself in the midst
of a pastoral transition, consider hiring the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center for
this two-hour workshop to help you navigate this transition well. Click here to find out more!

LMPC Events Calendar for 2023

We have a number of events from which to choose, both single-day and multi-day, both in-person and online. Make plans now to attend traditional favorites like Conflict Transformation Skills, Healthy Congregations, Mediation Skills Training Institute, Clergy Clinic in Family Emotional Process , and/or Advanced Clergy Clinic. We are also pleased to introduce Restorative Conversations, a new one-day workshop led by Dr. Devon Miller, Associate Director of LMPC. Multiple sessions of each workshop are available. Please consult this preliminary LMPC 2023 Calendar for events and dates.