Faith Community Peace Team Project
MPT
Michigan Peace Team partners with area churches to examine the Scriptural basis of nonviolence. The Faith Community Peace Team Project uses preachings, study sessions, nonviolence trainings and speaker series in over thirty Michigan churches so that people of faith can see both the theory and practice of nonviolence in their lives.
About FCPTP
The Faith Community Peace Team Project (FCPTP) was started by Fr. Peter Dougherty, a Catholic priest who has served on international peace teams in Bosnia, Haiti, Chiapas, Mexico, Palestine/Israel and Iraq. Peter is a wonderful preacher on the practice of nonviolence, and has been jailed many times for nonviolent civil disobedience....
Vision
Michigan Peace Team, in an ongoing relationship with the faith community, offers an ongoing adult and youth education/formation program. It provides spiritual growth opportunities for individuals, communication and conflict resolution skills for individuals in the family and workplace, and an opportunity for service in peacemaking to the broader community and world, for those who so desire. MPT teaches the power and methods of alternatives to violence that individuals and groups can employ for themselves and others....
Steps to implement faith community
The church designates a Faith Community Contact Person (CC) Team of two individuals who have an interest in peacemaking, and MPT designates an MPT Support Contact (SC) Person to work with each other to implement in that faith community the steps of the project....
Preaching - Fr. Peter
Fr. Peter Dougherty begins by giving the Lesson at all the services on one weekend on the vision of the Christian call to peacemaking and what will be offered to the people in this project....
Trainings - hands-on nonviolence training
Church members are given the opportunity to make this hands-on nonviolence training on a Saturday in the church. The first will be conducted 4 or 5 weeks after the preaching....
Small-group Faith Sharing Sessions
Church member are given the opportunity to participate in six small-group faith sharing sessions on the spirituality of nonviolence and its application to their lives....
Regular Prayer for MPT and Others
We suggest that one weekend a month, there be a prayer for MPT and its mission, other peacemakers, and victims of violence....
Peacemaking Groups
Some in the church may wish to form peacemaking groups, connected with their church denominational peace and justice network. Hopefully, such groups will be involved in the local community. Some individuals may participate in international peacemaking delegations....
MPT Funding
The faith community is given the opportunity to participate in making the MPT mission a reality by a donation 1) at the time of preaching 2) perhaps again e.g. after a year....
MPT Workshops and Speakers
MPT offers a variety of workshops and speakers for the enrichment of the faith community....
