Common Ground: One Peace-Filled Invitation

by Diann Rockwood

God's promises to me have been clear and enduring: "If you will put your trust in me, without reservation, I will hear your cries. You will overcome the forces of darkness and be victor with me. You shall have a place in Zion if you continue to be faithful. Know your life is to serve me with love and compassion. Many will come to you because of your great faith in me and will know you as their friend. You shall have a part in their salvation. Know this joy is for this life and all eternity" (from my patriarchal blessing in 1975).

I have been part of the church since I was two years old, baptized at age eight, graduated from Graceland, married at twenty-two, called to the priesthood at thirty-one, mother of two by age thirty-three, schoolteacher for seven years, and committed servant of the Lord for more than thirty years. Sounds like the perfect life, doesn't it? However, I eventually found myself divorced, displaced, jobless, broken, and engulfed by my perceived inadequacies.

In the midst of this imperfection, a misdialed telephone call put me in touch with the Women's Resource Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After talking with the secretary at the center for a while she said, "You need to come down here right away. We would like to help you, Diann!" A call by "mistake" became a lifeline and the beginning of an unimaginable, joyful, interfaith community dream!

Two wonderful volunteers at the center filled me with affirmations about my gifts and talents then sent me to the Grand Rapids Organization for Women (GROW), which trains women to launch their dreams in the community. After making connections at GROW, I shared my ideas with the director of the YWCA. The dream began to take shape: God was calling me to be a peace advocate for youth and adults. The connections I made with other peace-seeking individuals that day became working relationships, and the dream was given a name-Circle of Peace.

Circle of Peace is an organization dedicated to helping families, classrooms, and groups learn to live more peacefully. The concept is associated with Families Against Violence Advocacy Network. Circle of Peace is a working group of the Institute for Global Education, which supports the nonviolent resolution of conflicts and the pursuit of justice to achieve true, lasting peace.

Circle of Peace had begun in Grand Rapids two years before, but was inactive. Since making community connections and establishing leadership for Circle of Peace under myself, my husband Jim Rockwood, and Judi Buchman, the program is thriving in Grand Rapids. Circle of Peace has been presented in schools and congregations, at retreats and club meetings, and has even been adopted as part of our city’s five-year strategic plan.

Circle of Peace has also been supported in our community through requesting, receiving, and utilizing a Tangible Love grant from the World Church Oblation Fund. The experience of working with the Tangible Love Committee has been outstanding. We continue to be grounded in this relationship to pursue peace and justice together, as the Tangible Love Committee and Circle of Peace invite people to put their dreams of peace into action.

How do we answer God’s call to be peace in action? For me, it is understanding that listening-to God, individuals, and the community-is the way to finding common ground. Working partnerships immerse us in interfaith opportunities through events, clubs, schools, churches, local government, neighborhood associations, homeless shelters, recovery centers, and countless others.

What brings us all together? Peace has to live inside an individual’s heart, mind, and body in order to be an invitation to others. My dream of peace and justice continues to unfold as I take a stand with youth and adults, day by day.

Circle of Peace promotes the “Pledge of Nonviolence,” which includes commitments to respecting self, others, and nature, communication, listening, forgiveness, creativity, and courage. We celebrate efforts to live out this pledge through activities such as the annual Community Peace Festival. I have found twenty-eight youths and more than thirty adults at Living Rock Ministries congregation who have willingly supported our Festival for the past three years. Area college students have also become involved in facilitating the event.

The Festival features activities, performances, and cooperative games that teach elements of the pledge in a hands-on way. The Languages of Peace table (modeled after a Children’s Peace Pavilion exhibit) is extremely popular. The entire Festival is free, including a lunch provided by a sponsor.

The Circle of Peace program is easy to duplicate and can be done in any setting. The powerful, life-changing activities dovetail nicely with the Power & Light curriculum, Young Peacemakers Clubs, etc. Time-specific, detailed agendas are available, making the program easy to implement while remaining open to the creativity of the teacher. Working models and workshop plans are available to train others to use Circle of Peace in their settings.

In April we began a training program for substitute teachers. We are also training teachers and staff at a multicultural charter school one time per month and will eventually train students to be mentors. The focus is on using agreements instead of rules, setting manageable goals, and developing skills for nonviolent living.

Please contact me if you would like more information about Circle of Peace and how you can use this with your family, congregation, and community: Diann Rockwood, Circle of Peace Coordinator, 107 Ann Street NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505; e-mail: peaceonthemove@home.com.