FAITH & CONFLICT

& the ARTS

•  9:00-10:00 am:  Worship - Derek Thompson
• 10:00-10:30 am:  Introduction to Reconciliation - Jonny Clark
• 10:30-11:10 am:  Truth, Mercy, Justice, Peace - Ramy Taleb
• 11:10-11:30 am:   Story from Nagorno-Karabakh
• 11:30-11:45 am:  Break
• 11:45-12:30 pm:  Healing Our Wounds - Mthoko Shange
• 12:30- 1:00 pm:  Storytelling - Jenn Clark
•  1:00- 2:00 pm:  Lunch and fellowship
•  2:00- 4:30 pm:  Site Visits
•  4:30- 5:30 pm:  Dinner (OYO*)
•  6:00- 7:00 pm:  Worship - Yoders
•  7:00- 8:15 pm: The Universal Themes of Conflict - Jonny Clark
•  8:15- 8:30 pm:  Break
•  8:30-10:00 pm:  Apartheid, Alienation, Redemption in South Africa - Mthoko Shange

•  9:00-10:00 am:  Worship - Derek Thompson
• 10:00-10:30 am: Art as a Tool for Reconciliation - Kristin Potler
• 10:30-11:00 am: Storytelling - Jenn Clark
• 10:00-11:30 am: Architecture for Reconciliation - Kristen Hoover
• 11:30-11:45 am:  Break
• 11:45-12:30 pm:  From Exclusion to Embrace: Reconciliation as a Lifestyle - Mthoko Shange
• 12:30- 1:00 pm:  Cycle of Reconciliation - Jonny Clark
•  1:00- 2:00 pm:  Lunch and fellowship
•  2:00- 4:30 pm:  Site visits
•  4:30- 5:30 pm:  Dinner (OYO*)
•  6:00- 7:00 pm:  Worship - Nala Bailey
•  7:00- 8:15 pm:  Tribalism and Lebanon - Ramy Taleb
•  8:15- 8:30 pm:  Break
•  8:30-10:00 pm:  Be the Bridge - Tasha Morrison

•  9:00-10:00 am:  Worship - Derek Thompson & Holy Host
• 10:00-10:45 am:  Artist panel - Holy Host
• 10:45-11:30 am:  Journey of Forgiveness Workshop 
• 11:30-11:45 am:  Break
• 11:45- 1:00 pm:  Journey of Forgiveness Workshop
•  1:00- 2:00 pm: Lunch & Fellowship
•  2:00- 3:00 pm: Worship - SISU
•  3:00- 4:00 pm: Conclusion - Jonny Clark

7:00- 9:00 pm: Central Presbyterian has offered to host a screening of Walking While Black: L.O.V.E. is the Answer for free at their church, for all of our conference attendees. We invite you to join us! Please register HERE.

Jonny Clark is the leader of Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in Ireland. He has spent the last 20 years working in countries with a history of conflict. For 8 years, Jonny and his wife Jenn lived in one of Belfast's most notorious areas - the epicenter of Northern Ireland's 30 year conflict - known as The Troubles. During that time, they began to offer scholarships to young people from areas of conflict to come to Belfast to grow in their Christian faith and be inspired to be a witness for peace and reconciliation in their countries.

It is common for Jonny and Jenn to have Palestinians and Israelis, Lebanese, Syrians, Serbians and Croatians, South Africans, Rwandans and Burundians eating at their table and sharing life with them. Today, they run a large residential centre right on the Irish border in Rostrevor, Ireland. Each year, Jonny facilitates Faith and Conflict gatherings in a number of different places of conflict. In the past, he has facilitated similar gatherings in Bosnia, Lebanon, South Africa, Burundi, and Northern Ireland.

Ramy Taleb is the founder of the ministry, Foundation for Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Lebanon (FFRL) a YWAM base in the South of Lebanon, equipping youth and young people with mechanisms for nonviolent conflict resolution through the lens of forgiveness. FFRL seeks to break down dehumanizing perceptions resulting from sectarian division and establish a path towards social reconciliation in Lebanon.

Ramy’s journey into the field of peace-building began when he was granted a scholarship to spend time with Youth with a Mission Belfast. Inspired by being born into and living through the Lebanese civil war, in Belfast he worked in community based peace-building projects in Northern Ireland. Upon arriving in Northern Ireland he soon learned that he would be living and sharing life alongside a Palestinian. Having been brought up in the midst of the sectarian strife of Lebanon, this was a transformative time of breaking down Ramy’s perception of the ‘estranged other’.

While in Northern Ireland, Ramy began to perceive his newfound Palestinian friend through a restored identity, realizing that it was their common humanity, with equal respect and dignity that bound them together.

Ramy developed specific knowledge and experience in the role of forgiveness as a path to peace through his work with the International Forgiveness Institute in Northern Ireland. Following this, he gained further experience working as peace-building coordinator for Caritas Lebanon in South Africa as well as his homeland of Lebanon. He later stepped out to pursue his own vision for what would become the Foundation for Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Lebanon. He currently lives in the south of Lebanon with his wife Roula and their two children. Together, they began running Forgiveness Journey programs from their home and in a local school for Syrian refugees before establishing more programs for Lebanese, Palestinian and Iraqi groups. A key element of their work is the long-term commitment of building bridges between different communities by restoring relationships through regular intergroup engagement. At the heart of what they do is a community and family based approach, recognizing that it is forgiveness that constantly repairs the torn fabric of humanity, of which relationships are at the center.

Mthoko Shange grew up in the township of Hammarsdale, a half an hour drive outside of Durban, South Africa. Through a LifeSkills program, Mthoko became a Christian and his life has radically changed. He spent time in Northern Ireland with YWAM Belfast, receiving Reconciliation and Discipleship training. He has also travelled internationally learning how to bring development and empowerment to communities in a holistic way.

Mthoko is part of an initiative called City Story - a group of Christians focused on expanding spiritual, compassionate, and transformative relationships for the betterment of Durban. He is on staff at Harvest Church Umhlanga.

Mthoko has a big heart for people and works within several different communities within Durban. He and his family feel particularly called to the area of reconciliation, daily acting as a bridge between cultures. What really gets them excited is seeing reconciliation occur between God and man and the power it has to change their nation.

Latasha Morrison is founder of Be the Bridge, whose mission is to inspire the church to have a distinctive and transformative response to racial division. The Church to be present and intentional towards racial reconciliation; Equip bridge builders towards towards fostering and developing vision, skills and heart for racial unity; Build partnerships with existing organizations who have heart for diversity, racial justice, restoration and reconciliation.

She's an abolitionist, bridge-builder, engager and a leading voice in the fight against human trafficking. Having worked with youth and served as a Children’s & the Next Gen Director, she's developed an untamed passion for social justice issues across the globe. One day she hopes to have a compelling voice in Leadership Development. She has been called a “Leader Launcher” by those she's led and served.

She loves being a Bridge-Builder and is still trying to figure LIFE out, but is committed to learning. She's committed to Running towards all God has for her! Her desire is that she becomes nothing less than all God has created her to BECOME.

Kristin Potler is part of a pioneering team that is establishing YWAM Baltimore. Kristin is an artist, storyteller, mom to five and wife to one, amazing man. She is also an entrepreneur having founded and owned Jahva House, a coffee shop, an online boutique, LoveFeast Shop and currently Ripristino Remodeling, a full rehab contracting company with her husband. She's a pioneer, risk taker, lover of travel and finds herself at home in the margins of society. Hospitality is her passion, believing that creating beautiful space is intrinsic to the nature of God.

She is passionate about equipping Christian artists to fully walk in their God design, as prophets, makers of beauty and border-walkers. Artists have been created in such a way that they have the ability to be flexible, adaptable and translators from one tribe to the next. Their place in the body of Christ should not be diminished or, out of fear, kept controlled in understandable boxes. Their voices, songs, paintings and dances need to carry the passion and fire that inspires them to truly reflect their Creator. We need them to take their place at the front of the army, ushering us forth with unrestrained worship.

When artists create in broken spaces, they have the ability to see the beauty in-spite of the hurt and they are able to create that which transcends human understanding and connect others with the Hope that restores. It's that gift that helps bring reconciliation and healing.

Holy Host Ministries is a group that specializes in God's Art. They are fired up disciples of Jesus Christ fulfilling the Father's will on earth through and with the Holy Spirit. The group consists of Leviticus, rapper, songwriter, producer, director, and drummer. Leviticus' wife Deja Lynn, singer, rapper, songwriter, photographer, and guitarist. Justin, aka JustAsWritten, is a pianist, songwriter, spoken word artist, rapper, and producer. Lu is a rapper & songwriter. Rachel, aka Love Conscious, is a singer, poet, and guitarist.

Our mission:
We are children of God that are set apart from the world to make war with the kingdom of darkness and unify and establish the Kingdom of God with love through the Holy Spirit. Our mission is to change the atmosphere with the Lord's music and bring souls to Jesus Christ.

Our Scripture:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Colossians 3:16-17 KJV

Kristen is a Jesus-loving, architecture-obsessing, connector, implementer, creator who asks questions and sparks conversations.

She currently lives in Baltimore City where she attends Morgan State University’s School of Architecture + Planning. Before she decided to pursue a career in architecture, Kristen spent the last few years on staff at local churches (in Baltimore and Shanghai, China), managing restaurants (in her hometown of Hereford, Maryland), and working with local community and non-profit organizations (in Baltimore City).

On campus, she uses her diverse professional background to connect students with the architecture profession through firm visits, resume & portfolio editing, and challenging the students around to think outside of the box.

In conjunction with the normal architecture curriculum, Kristen has embarked on an independent study to explore how thoughtful design can facilitate and prompt racial reconciliation within Baltimore City.

She is passionate about people, loves a good story, and believes that bringing Jesus into hospitality and design will change the world.

Jenn, originally from Baltimore, has been living and working in Northern Ireland since 2002. Jenn and her husband Jonny pioneered the work of YWAM in the inner city of Belfast in one of the most deprived and conflicted neighborhoods. During that time she was part of leading 4-8 week outreaches in places such as Rwanda, Burundi, South Africa, Israel and the Palestinian territories. Since 2010 Jonny and Jenn have been running a centre of reconciliation on the Irish border in an area where CS Lewis’s Narnia series is based. Jenn is a mother of 3 boys and is actively involved in organizing a host of local events that build community in their area. She is a gifted story teller, bible teacher and brings energy, passion and a warm heart to whatever she does.