Dear Friends,

The Duke Center for Reconciliation’s third annual Teaching Communities Week, “Creating an Oasis of Peace: Forgiveness, Advocacy & Community,” is fast approaching! From November 14 to 16 come and sit at the feet of two of the church’s wisest African teachers––Ugandan mother and activist Angelina Atyam and Sudanese Bishop Paride Taban––and learn from the innovative ways that they have translated the Gospel into action within their contexts.

You don’t want to miss the opening event: “Creating an Oasis of Peace,” a one-day intensive workshop on Saturday, November 14 (9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) at Duke Divinity School for the church and the community. The workshop is an opportunity for participants to go deeper and to explore the connections between the stories of our East African leaders and the call to live as faithful witnesses within our own communities. It will include stories and reflection from our keynote speakers, small group conversations, interaction with local community leaders who work in the field of advocacy and peacemaking, and worship that incorporates African musical and prayer styles.

Angelina Atyam’s daughter was abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda thirteen years ago—her story is a long journey from bitterness to forgiveness to community restoration. As a co-founder of the Concerned Parents Association, Angelina has dedicated her life to advocating on behalf of abducted children who are forced to become sex slaves, manual laborers and child soldiers, and to extending radical forgiveness to the abductors.

After decades of civil war and the deaths of more than 2 million Sudanese people, Bishop Paride Taban attempted a bold experiment for peace. In 2005, at the age of 70, Bishop Taban founded the Holy Trinity Peace Village, a community that embodies a holistic commitment to forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation among different ethnic groups and faith communities. The Peace Village stands as a living alternative to the violence and division that has troubled Sudan for years.

Other events include:

Sunday, November 15

6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Blacknall Memorial Presbyterian Church, Durham

“Testimonies of Transformation: Sharing stories of peacemaking from Uganda and Sudan”

An evening of story-telling for members of local congregations from 6:30-8:00 p.m. A reception will follow in the fellowship hall from 8:00-9:00 p.m.

Monday, November 16

12:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m., Goodson Chapel, Duke Divinity School

Keynote Lecture – “Daring to Invent the Future: The madness of Angelina Atyam and Bishop Paride Taban” Facilitated by Emmanuel Katongole, for the Duke Divinity School and Duke University community.

Register online for the workshop at www.divinity.duke.edu/reconciliation/tcw by November 11. Fee is $30 ($20 for students) and includes lunch. We hope you can join us in learning from these remarkable witnesses!

Grace and peace,

Duke Center for Reconciliation

919.660.3578

reconciliation@div.duke.edu