Developing Uncommon Friendships: A Five-Week eCourse in Everyday Peacemaking

Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God. - Matthew 5:9

The Global Immersion Project: Everyday Peacemakers

The Global Immersion Project began with a simple question: "What would the world look like if the Church took seriously our call to be peacemakers?". In pursuit of the answer, founders Jer Swigert and Jon Huckins immersed themselves into conflicts around the globe. They discovered that peacemaking is not just a good idea, it’s the mission of God and the vocation of God’s people.

The Global Immersion Project seeks to train Christians in holistic peacemaking through workshops, webinars, immersion trips to Israel/Palestine & San Diego/Tijuana, and through "Developing Uncommon Friendships", a five-week eCourse.

Developing Uncommon Friendships: A Five-week eCourse

Whether you’re new to peacemaking or you’re looking for a tool to share with your community/church/family, this eCourse is designed to make the practice of Everyday Peacemaking as accessible as possible. In an increasingly divisive world, filled with polarizing rhetoric and fear, we have learned to “other” those who are not like “me.” When we fall into this trap, we distance ourselves from the very heart and call of Jesus to be Everyday Peacemakers.

In this eCourse, Jon Huckins and Jer Swigart challenge limited perspectives of neighbor-love and offer a practical guide for developing uncommon friendships. Throughout this five-week course you will learn to develop collaborative relationships that lead to tangible restoration.

I'm currently working through the five-week eCourse and have been encouraged and challenged by the call to get closer to those that I call the "other". I am learning about practical ways to get to know my neighbours, to listen to those who are not like me, and reflecting on the peace teachings found throughout scripture and in the life and teachings of Jesus. I would highly recommend this eCourse to churches, small groups, and individuals interested in making peacemaking a part of their mission field. I would also recommend Huckins and Swigart's book Mending the Divides: Creative Love in a Conflicted World.