Overview of the Gathering

On May 12-14, 2008, seventy Christian leaders—younger and older, Catholic and Protestant, male and female, from various ethnic backgrounds—working to overcome challenges to peace and reconciliation across the United States assembled for a one-of-a-kind gathering at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.  Participants journeyed to Durham from diverse contexts of brokenness and included grassroots practitioners, pastors, scholars, and denominational and organizational leaders.  Some spoke of urban
violence and family fragmentation, of navigating prisons and the criminal justice system, of the challenges that accompany community development, and of church divides.  Others are actively engaged in ministry to the disabled, racial reconciliation, or social justice.  Since the gathering, participants have testified that the experience continues
to reverberate in their lives and work. 

Convened by the Duke Divinity School Center for Reconciliation, the aim of the gathering was to provide opportunity for reflection, renewal, community, and deeper conversation for a unique intersection of leaders working at multiple levels of Christian ministry.  A critical goal was to situate the gathering within a theological, contextual and practical framework.  Another key goal was to discern what is needed to nourish and strengthen leaders such as these, as well as the ministry of reconciliation in the United States.  Several representatives from the Center for Reconciliation’s Great Lakes Initiative in East Africa also participated, broadening the scope of the conversation. 

During the two and a half days of worshipping, eating and meeting together, the leaders reflected on the state of reconciliation and the faithfulness of Christian witness in the United States.  They shared their stories of pain and hope and the way in which these stories connect to God’s story.  They participated in deep conversation about America’s “new racial time,” reflected on the practices that foster faithful witness and transformation, and developed new relationships for future learning and collaboration.  Throughout, they wrestled to describe the unique vision of reconciliation that God has offered the world and the church in Jesus Christ and how this Christian vision provides concrete hope in the face of brokenness and violence in a variety of U.S. contexts.

Participants also assessed current initiatives, reflected on needs, dreamed of new possibilities, and proposed concrete ways forward.  More than anything, the call of participants was “We must meet again!”  Even more than the organizers could have imagined, the gathering itself became a profound experience of discovery and encounter.  One dramatic breakthrough conversation on immigration issues spilled over into a lively, impromptu lunch discussion in Duke Gardens and sparked dreams for a national summit.

Throughout the gathering, leaders from across denominational and vocational lines discovered how much they shared in common.  In a moving commissioning service at the end of the gathering, elders who have labored for years in the gospel work of peace and reconciliation prayed blessings over participants, exhorting them to “continue to continue” in their difficult work.  Participants who came as strangers left confirming their companionship in the church’s work of witnessing to God’s shalom.  As participants left, there was a sense that their work together was just beginning.

“The church makes peace by being the church.” — Ivan Kauffman, Bridgefolk (a fellowship of sacramentally-minded Mennonites and peace-minded Catholics)	Ivan Kauffman and Antoine Bennett converse over lunch in Duke Gardens
Who is our primary “we”? Our identity in Christ means we cannot allow our nationality, ethnicity, gender, or the market to trump our baptism.	Curtiss DeYoung and Brenda Salter-McNeil offer reflections about America's "new racial time."
A dramatic encounter and conversation on immigration became one of the most significant moments of the gathering. “This is not a Black/Latino thing. This is a Body of Christ thing,” said Barbara Williams-Skinner. “We need to meet over lunch and work it out.”	Participants meet over lunch to propose a Christian response to Immigration
“You need to open your eyes. The world is gathering around you, people are coming from around the world and gathering in America. In a short time America will be overwhelmed, and it is our task to make this place work for them. Reconciliation is not only to talk, but also to give. Is our gospel empty talk, or is it action?” — Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul	Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul
Especially memorable was a service of commissioning where participants were invited to come forward, kneel, and receive a blessing from one the three “elders.”	Ivan Kauffman, Barbara Williams-Skinner and Ed King pray over participants during a service of commissioning