TOGETHER, DISCOVERING
A MORE SHALOMIC WAY
The world is too beautifully diverse, and life is far too short to live siloed. Partnering with others isn’t just wise, its fun, imagination expanding, and is a practical way of living into mutuality… it may even be a reflection of being created in the image of God imagined as Triune. Listed below are a number of organizations engaged in profoundly Shalomic work. To varying degrees Dwight has or is, investing some of his energies supporting these causes toward a more just, rooted, sustainable, and anti-racist future.
It’s pretty safe to say that most people have organizations and groups they gravitate toward. One of the beautiful ways human beings grow in appreciation and understanding of one another is by meeting each other’s friends. Here are some of Dwight’s:
“We become like the people we hangout with.”
Dr. Dwight J. Friesen
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Significant Shalomic Allies
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PARISH COLLECTIVE
Parish Collective – a global movement of Christians reimagining what it means to be the church in, with, and for the neighborhood. Parish Collective is a growing network of parish groups, churches, missional communities, faith-based organizations, and individuals who are practicing faithful presence within the complex ecosystem of relations that is their place.
THE SEATTLE SCHOOL
The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology – come study with Dwight! The Seattle School is an interdisciplinary graduate school and seminary offering immersive, holistic graduate degree programs in counseling psychology, theology and culture. The school’s mission is to train people to be competent in the study of text, soul, and culture in order to serve God and neighbor through transforming relationships.
FAITH FOR CITIES
Faith for Cities – is an international multi-faith collaboration actively harnessing insights, traditions, narratives, practices, and actions of our world’s religions and spiritual traditions in service of a the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in the face of an unparalleled era of urbanization.
URBAN SHALOM SOCIETY
Urban Shalom Society – as part of UN-Habitat’s World Urban Campaign’s faith-based initiative, Faith and the Path Towards a Better Quality of City Life, UN Habitat together with the World Evangelical Alliance, the Urban Shalom Society and a number of local partners are running a series of faith-based Urban Thinkers Campuses, aimed at encouraging faith communities to work together on the creation of cities and urban environments where all can flourish.
UN-HABITAT
UN-Habitat – the United Nations continues to facilitate wide array of diverse conversational and collaborative spaces around the world to foster collective wisdom and mobilize local action through “urban thinkers campuses” toward the new urban agenda, the common good through SDG Cites and The Cities We Need. Dwight highly recommends downloading and engaging, “The City We Need Now” toolkit.
ELOHEH
Eloheh: Indigenous Center for Earth Justice – is the life work of Randy & Edith Woodley. The center holds summits, camps, ceremony, conferences and teachings for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples alike. The message is centered on restoring harmony (shalom) by increasing a spiritual consciousness of Creator’s concerns over earth justice.
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION
The Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) – is a network of Christians committed to seeing people and communities holistically restored. They sense that God desires to restore all not only to healthy relationships with the Divine but also with our own true selves, our families and our communities. Not just spiritually, but emotionally, physically, economically and socially. Not by offering mercy alone, but by undergirding mercy with justice.
TABLE TURNING
Table Turning (Holy Week) – Valley & Mountain Fellowship in Seattle has been leading the way in a Holy Week practice of gathering as collective witness to God’s shalom. Following Jesus’ example after his Palm Sunday entry in the city of Jerusalem, he entered the temple and prophetically took a stand for God’s shalom by standing against injustice… Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers in the temple. More and more communities of those seeking to live in the Way of Jesus are doing the same within their contexts.
MICAH GLOBAL
Micah Global – is a global community of followers in the Way of Jesus (aid / NGO organizations, mission organizations, academic / training institutes, local congregations, networks, alliances, denominational secretariats and individuals) drawn together because of their passion and commitment for integral mission. Underpinning all that they do is the inspiring verse from Micah 6:8, “What is good and what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
CONGRESS FOR NEW URBANISM
Congress for New Urbanism (CNU) – even though Dwight has only limited direct connection with CNU, this is a group he follows and is profoundly grateful for their creative work on behalf of the holistic health our places, all the residents, and our bioregions. The quest for more just and equitable human settlements in harmony with all of creation is central to CNU’s work. There is an active CNU Members Christian Caucus which seeks to extend the concepts and practices of New Urbanism to the Christian community.
FAITH TRUST INSTITUTE
Faith Trust Institute – is a national, multi-faith, multicultural training and education organization with global reach working to end sexual and domestic violence. It offers a wide range of services and resources, including training, consulting and educational materials. They provide communities and advocates with the tools and knowledge they need to address the religious and cultural issues related to abuse. They work with many communities, including Asian and Pacific Islander, Buddhist, Jewish, Latino/a, Muslim, Black, Anglo, Indigenous, Protestant and Roman Catholic.
LA RESISTENCIA
La Resistencia – is a grassroots undocumented led movement that works to end the detention of immigrants and stop all deportations. They support those facing detention & deportation inside the NWDC to end all detentions & deportations. As a movement they reject the paradigm that classifies immigrants as either “hardworking” or “criminal”, “worthy” or “unworthy,” rejecting such divisions. They organize, march, protest, and act against an immigration system that profits off of the separation of families and the exploitation of undocumented communities.
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Collaborating