Peacebuilding Institute

PEACEBUILDING INSTITUTE
SPEAKERS AND FACILITATORS

James L. Foster
James L. Foster is a former Baptist minister and Mennonite church planter who is currently President of Institutes for Christian Spirituality and Interim Director of Peacebuilding Institute of East Tennessee. He has a Masters Degree in Christology from Eastern Mennonite Seminary and has served for several years on the denominational Board of Directors for the Virginia Mennonite Board of Missions. He has worked as an advocate for the Caribbean poor, particularly those in Haiti, Jamaica, and Guyana. He has for many years served as spiritual director for numerous individuals and has conducted over a hundred prayer workshops and hunger workshops in churches from Florida to New York and from Virginia to North Dakota, including Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopal and Anabaptist churches and schools and has spoken from their pulpits.
Jim, as he prefers to be called, is available to facilitate workshops in prayer, centering prayer, and hunger sensitivity. His approach in each of these areas is both practical and theological. The workshops are generally about 3 hours long and are often scheduled in tandem with preaching engagements on the �Biblical Mandate to Feed the Poor,� a �Biblical Theology of Nonviolence and Forgiveness,� �The Peaceable Kingdom� or a round table discussion with church leadership on �Revisioning the Christian Faith.�
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Paula Larke

Paula, working through Voices in the Treetops using the performing arts, strives to develop integrity of character and foster positive, productive self-discipline. We concentrate on arts programs for children, teens, and adults which promote social and environmental responsibility, wellness, entrepreneurial skills development, social justice, and cultural preservation. We teach the principles of peacebuilding communication, using the power of music, song, and story circles to facilitate constructive dialogue and collaboration between community service agencies, artists, individual community advocates, health professionals and educators.
Paula specialized in working with groups and organizations for Program Design and Development, Conferences, Seminars, Workshops, Community Residencies, and Concerts....

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Rev. Wayne Lavender

Wayne Lavender, the director of Passing the Peace, is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and a recent Ph.D. graduate from George Mason university's School of Public Policy. He is available to preach, lead workshops or speak at public events. He is the author of Counting Ants While the Elephants March By, Theolegal Empire and soon to be published Worldview and Public Policy: From American Exceptionalism to American Empire.
Passing the Peace is an interfaith, international organization that believes all people share the same dream: to live peacefully with our neighbor, to provide for ourselves and our children, and to work towards a brighter tomorrow.

Our Mission: Building a world of peace and justice for all of God�s children.

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