Are you feeling called to spiritual activism and faith-based organizing around peace, social justice, and sustainability issues? Do you sometimes feel that you want to get unstuck from denial, despair, or distraction? Would you like to work more effectively with others for positive change? Are you interested in learning more about nonviolent action and grassroots organizing? Do you want to view this work as part of your spiritual journey and practice? If your answers are yes, please consider Pendle Hill’s third annual Radical Faithfulness Program in spiritual activism and faith-based organizing.
Every year, from September to early May, Pendle Hill brings together an interfaith community of learners committed to deepening their capacity for effective nonviolent action and grassroots organizing to heal and repair the world. If you join this nine-month community of learners, you will take part in five four-day on-campus training residencies, engage in extensive online discussion of readings, take part in online webinars with guest faculty between residencies, and implement a self-designed activist project in your own community. This program will allow you to:
- Explore the spiritual call to working with our neighbors for social justice, peace, and sustainability
- Reach greater clarity on where your gifts and passions match the world’s needs
- Gain greater knowledge and skill in effective issue campaigns and community organizing
- Learn to tap the power of diversity, justice, and inclusion in your social change work
- Give and receive mutual support on applied fieldwork projects in your communities
- Deepen your daily spiritual practice and grounding to sustain radical faithfulness for the long haul.
Here are just a few “testimonials” from previous students in the program:
“As a woman from the Deep South and an Episcopal priest, I have spent much of my professional life addressing issues of justice. However, after the non-indictment of those who killed Eric Garner, it was like a light switch went off deep inside of me. I had to act. I have done lots of leadership and mediation training work, but none focused on justice-based organizing groups. I recognized the need for resources to help me know how to keep investing in the work that I so passionately cared about for the long run and connect the dots more intentionally between my faith and my activism. What I have discovered in the Radical Faithfulness program is a community that will be part of my life forever. Pendle Hill feels to me like stepping through the veil into one of this world’s thin places. The faculty is simply outstanding, giving space, calling forth new insights, drawing things out of me I did not know were there. The community of learners is richly diverse. In our last meeting, we crossed over from polite early relationships to deeply demanding, powerfully real engagement. I can’t wait to see what will unfold next. I’ve taken home new learnings that now infuse my preaching, my activist work, and my choices about what to prioritize in my life. Perhaps most importantly, the course has afforded me opportunity to crack open deep and previously unexpressed knowing within myself about myself and my calling in the next chapter of my life. I am most grateful to have had this remarkable opportunity.” —Ruth W.
“Intense? Yes, but also great! It was wonderful to work with other faith-based activists regarding the common elements of our calls and gather wisdom about how to engage in ever more effective activism. The online work made it possible to discuss readings with other students and the on-campus residencies were rich opportunities to build our connections as a learning community and engage in active learning together. The faculty has extensive skill and experience. Worth the time commitment.” —Angela H.
“The Answering the Call to Radical Faithfulness course provided me with a time to reflect and challenge my sense of what my faith has called me to, and offered me the space to discern how I can act in faith to make changes where I am, in my community. As a volunteer in a restorative justice program, I see how assumptions about passively offering such a program does little to make the changes we hoped would happen. I am now bringing these questions to the others in the program to work on ideas to be bolder; and I am working at my Friends Meeting to challenge us to be more proactive on restorative justice issues ourselves. I have yearned for time and structure, allowing study and discernment, for a long time, and am so grateful!” —Joan B.
“Participating in the Radical Faithfulness program has fundamentally shifted the way that I am able to show up as an organizer. I have reconnected to the spiritual center of my work and developed confidence in my ability to be an effective change maker. I was feeling isolated and burned out when I started the program and now I have a community of peers, a plan of action and renewed energy to move forward.” —Judy M.
“What I discovered in this program was liberating, a freeing up of my inner activist through a process of music, art, poetry, games and theatre; nourishment and skill development through book readings, group discussion and analysis; speaking but mostly listening. Today I am energized to walk more authentically in spirit and engage more fully into social justice projects. If you are hearing the call, this well designed and guided program will assist you in answering that call surrounded by a supportive and loving community.” —Pete A.
“The Radical Faithfulness program at Pendle Hill struck a perfect chord in my time-of-life. Re-orienting and preparing for what’s next … I’m coming out of a reflective interval, after a career as business-owner. It seemed magnetically-appropriate to take this step in the company of fellow cause-motivated social change organizers. In my cohort, we got to focus, witness, listen, read, exchange, discuss, practice and absorb the insights and applications of cause-leadership firmly grounded in the spirit of determined peaceful activism has been the highest-and-best use of time imaginable for me. Facilitated with balanced intelligence, zeal and pragmatic humor by experienced field-trainers, academic educators and organizers from multiple demographics, the program would be of enormous benefit to individuals and community leaders pro-actively interested in encouraging a shift toward more sustainable systems.” —N’ann H.
“For me, Radical Faithfulness was an amazing and transformative journey. Through the readings, the personal connections, and the classes, I dramatically increased my awareness of social justice issues, gained a wide variety of skills, techniques, and strategies for socio-political analysis and action, and experienced an ever-deepening connection to Spirit. Each long weekend was challenging in a new way, and helped me push through limits I didn’t even know I had. The readings, the online forum, and the long-term projects, combined with the profound in-person teachings, created a terrific and powerful sense of community and a renewed sense of life purpose. Spirit really seemed to be moving through this course, and I strongly encourage anyone who feels called to join the next round!” —Reeve G.
For more information, go to the Radical Faithfulness Program webpage and contact Steve Chase, the core faculty member of the program, at schase@pendlehill.org, or 610-566-4507, ext 123.
