Why Peace and Justice Education is Important in Places of Worship

An Introduction and Curriculum Proposal to Peace and Justice Education in Companion to the Sermon on the Moun

Abstract

For a few years now, I have worked as an Outreach Director for a church located within the community of Five Points Toledo. It is an area that is made of diverse people, incomes, and has really taken a hit since the 2008 economic crisis. The church I work for has occupied the same building for 100 years, and still looks the same. They come every week and participate in the service that has changed very little, then they leave and most of them drive back to the suburbs they came from (myself included). While they want to engage actively with their surrounding community, they have no resources or points of contact. That is the genesis of this piece of work. The purpose of this curriculum is to engage people who want to incorporate issues of justice and peace into their practicing faith that have no way into the conversation, or how to even start helping or learning that come from a religious background that are saying they’re called to do so. This paper is meant to be the starting point of a curriculum that should help those with no formal experience in peace and justice education to move forward in a world where they can bring light and knowledge to places that do not have it.