Blessed are the Peacemakers

The Online Forum on Youth Ministry

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Saturday, October 5, 2024
12-5 p.m. ET

Overview

Young people are growing up in a culture in desperate need of peacemakers.

Some  young people are hearing a prophetic call and are eager to be equipped for the peacemaking work ahead. Some are in the direct path of violence and need courageous leaders to make peace urgently. Some  are being saturated by ideas that may contort Jesus’ words into the shape of violence itself.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

With these words, Jesus declared to all who gathered to hear his Sermon on the Mount that peacemakers bear the family resemblance that marks them as God’s own. They are not passive witnesses who are content with a mere absence of conflict. They are actively making peace like they’ve learned from their Divine Parent, engaging in the kind of work that honors the dignity and flourishing of God’s whole creation.

The Online Forum on Youth Ministry is a one-day gathering where Christian leaders, parents, teachers, coaches, volunteers, and youth workers will explore Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:9. Join us for a day of worship, workshops, lectures, and discussions about peacemaking in our world!

Leadership

Dr. Montague Williams

Lecturer

Dr. Elizabeth Corrie

Workshop Leader

Angellica Sweat

Workshop Leader

Dr. Stephanie Mota Thurston

Workshop Leader

Schedule

Saturday, October 5; 12-5pm ET (Please be sure to calculate your time zone!)

12:00-12:30 p.m.Welcome & Worship
12:30-1:30 p.m.Lecture & Discussion, Part 1
1:30-1:45 p.m.Break
1:45-2:30 p.m.Choice of Workshop #1
2:30-3:15 p.m.Choice of Workshop #2
3:15-3:30 p.m.Break
3:30-4:30 p.m.Lecture & Discussion, Part 2
4:30-5:00 p.m.Closing & Blessing

Please note that the online event platform will automatically record all sessions. All participants will have access to every workshop and lecture for the 60 days following the event. You are still encouraged to register if you cannot attend synchronously, as you will still have full access to the recorded material.

Cost & Registration

Individual Registration: $79 per person

Group Registration: $40 per person for groups of 3 or more participants.

Registration closes on Tuesday, October 1.

A Note on Accessibility: The IYM strives to create an inclusive space that is hospitable to people of all health needs, neurotypes, and physical and mental abilities. While this is always our goal, we are aware of limitations in our infrastructure and personnel that may contribute to us being unable to meet this goal. If you have any concerns or would like to speak with someone regarding accessibility or needs, please contact us via phone or email so that we can discuss how to best welcome you to the Online Forum.

FAQs

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The IYM strives to make our events and resources as accessible and affordable as possible, but we are keenly aware that some participants may still need financial assistance. We regret that we do not yet have a scholarship fund available for participants in the Online Forum. However, if you are a degree graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary or if you are a CPE or Field Education Supervisor through PTS, you are eligible to receive a 15% discount on standard rate continuing education program fees. For the 2024 Online Forum, this applies to the individual registration of $79 only. Contact iym@ptsem.edu for details

We understand that life is unpredictable, and sometimes participants must cancel their plans to participate in an event. Therefore, our policy states that you can cancel your event registration up to one week (seven calendar days) prior to the Online Forum start date, and your fee will be refunded, minus a required $15 processing fee. Due to expenses already incurred after this date, we cannot offer any refunds for cancellations made within one week (six or fewer calendar days) of an event start date.

The Online Forum is a self-funded event, which means that the income from participant fees is allocated to cover event expenses, rather than a grant or PTS’s general operating fund. Currently, 35% of the income from participant fees is allocated toward the speaking fees and expenses incurred for our external leaders. An additional 25% of the income funds our promotional efforts. Another 20% of the income funds operational costs, including the online event platform and PTS staff. The final 20% generates revenue, which ultimately allows the IYM to continue offering resources, programs, and events for our audience.

Absolutely! We welcome people from all over the world to participate in the event. Those who want to join synchronously are welcome to do so by calculating time differences and attending from anywhere. Those who want to participate but are unable to do so synchronously can still register and enjoy access after the event to all content, including lectures and workshops.

The IYM uses Airmeet, an online platform that allows us to host an immersive event experience with lectures, workshops, 1-1 networking opportunities, automatic session recordings and replays, and exhibit booths. We take full advantage of the platform’s features to create a dynamic learning experience for our participants. In the week before the Online Forum, we will provide a helpful event guide, which will include a brief orientation to the platform and some notes for troubleshooting technical difficulties.

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Dr. Montague Williams

Montague (he/him) serves as Professor of Church, Culture, and Society at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California. He is an ordained minister and has served in congregational, nonprofit, and educational ministry over the past 20 years. Prior to his appointment at Point Loma, Montague served as the College Chaplain and Chair of the Division of Religion and Philosophy at Eastern Nazarene College in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the recipient of the 2016 ENC Teaching Excellence Award, and he brings a passion for helping students discern and embrace God’s call on their lives. His groundbreaking book, Church in Color: Youth Ministry, Race, and the Theology of Martin Luther King Jr., offers a compelling vision of how leaders can faithfully serve young people in a racialized society.

Dr. Elizabeth Corrie

Elizabeth (she/her) serves as Professor in the Practice of Youth Education and Peacebuilding at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Her teaching draws on commitments to both peace with justice and the education of young people, particularly the development of teaching and ministry that empower people for global citizenship. She has been a member of Candler’s faculty since 2007 and also serves as the Director of the Religious Education program. Having focused her doctoral work in 19th Century philosophy and theology, Elizabeth became increasingly interested in practical theology as her work with youth and in peace and justice activism deepened. Her research interests include transformative pedagogy, theories of nonviolence, and conflict transformation. Her current research focuses on creating a new approach to youth ministry that teaches young people how to overcome disempowerment and transform violence in their communities, and her book, Youth Ministry as Peace Education: Overcoming Silence, Transforming Violence, is a culmination of that work. An active lay member of the United Methodist Church, Elizabeth is a director of the General Board of Global Ministries of the UMC and a member of the Social Justice League of Neighborhood Church UMC.

Angellica Sweat

Angellica (she/her) is the Program Coordinator for the Institute for Youth Ministry, where she develops innovative theological programs and curates relevant resources for congregational youth leaders. With over a decade of experience in youth leadership and vocational ministry, Angellica is passionate about fostering caring communities of transformational ministry where young people can flourish. A sought-after A.M.E. Zion preacher and womanist scholar, Angellica’s research explores the connection between ministry and trauma recovery.

Dr. Stephanie Mota Thurston

Stephanie (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Religion Department at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her research and teaching interests include social ethics, religion and politics in the U.S., political theory, and political theology. She is especially interested in moral and political questions concerning school segregation, policing and prisons, and migration and borders. She is on the Advisory Committee for the Education Justice Project, a college-in-prison program at the University of Illinois, and she is currently working on a book project titled Complicity and Moral Responsibility: Case Studies in School Segregation.