Working with Spiritual Centers and Churches

On Saturday April 26, 2008, Southern California State Coordinators John McNeil and Christine Elliot delivered a presentation on “Starting a Department of Peace and Nonviolence Group at Your Spiritual Center/Church” as part of the Texas Regional Conference in Dallas.

John and Christine held their first Department of Peace and Nonviolence (DOPN) meeting in San Diego in August 2004 at their Unity church, now called The Unity Center. With the courageous and duly diligent support of their minister, Wendy Craig-Purcell, that meeting attracted 70 attendees and provided a strong beginning for the California-wide campaign we see today.

Said Christine, “It just makes sense to explore the opportunity for churches to open their doors to the DOPN movement. They share our values of peace, compassion and making our world a better place. It turns out that the perceived obstacles can, in fact, be overcome.”

The presentation included the five reasons The Unity Center, its minister and Board took the bold step of endorsing and sponsoring the DOPN:

1. Legal – They acquired a legal opinion which satisfied 501(c)3 nonprofit concerns.

2. Inspirational – The DOPN represented a way to fulfill the second half of The Unity Center’s mission statement, “…Transforming Our World With Love.”

3. Practical -  Said Rev.Wendy, “… the right people with the right consciousness, skill and commitment to take it on.” 

4. Philosophical – They recognized the important distinction between “separation of church and state” on the one hand versus “spiritually motivated participatory democracy” on the other.

5. Spiritual – They observed that the guiding principles of the DOPN movement are “spiritual” principles in practice: non-judgment, compassion, peace and inclusivity.

In the handout given to the attendees, John and Christine listed 13 suggestions for getting started, individually or at a spiritual center, and Christine included her offer to mentor anyone who wanted to explore further. If you'd like more information, you can This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .