Shalom House is in the midst of rule writing. At the urging of theShalom House Guidance Team, we are crafting a Shalom HouseCommunity Rule. The purpose of the Rule is to articulate our common practices of mutual living. Since Shalom House is relativelynew and forming, it’s not uncommon to find ourselves asking, “Sowhat do I do with myself today?” The Rule will help us create arhythm for our lives and for the community.Living by a community rule is as ancient of a practice ascommunity-living itself. We were reminded recently at a Circle of Hope conference on intentional communities that Christians havebeen living together in community since the very beginning. This isnot a new idea and there is a lot to be gained from studying the livesof communities throughout the ages.So, we first had to wrap our heads around the idea of just what arule is exactly. Over the last few months, we’ve studied older andmore recent community rules. Through our journey we learned aboutthe Northumbria Community in England, the Benedictines, theCarmelites, the Poor Sisters of St. Claire, and New Monasticism.We found Rules that contain everything from what kind of livestock to keep, to the type of work people would do; from whattimes of the day to pray, to hosting visitors and what to wear, all withthe intention of constructing a life with God. Some things we couldn’trelate to, others seemed rather outlandish, and yet other thingsresonated with us. Some elements of our forming rule are a dailyprayer time, a common fund, and a rhythm of work, action,contemplation, rest and recreation.We’ve had our hands (and feet and hearts and souls) in manyother things over the last few months. We’ve created a map for 2009 that will guide us. We’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on howthings went in 2008 and discerning where God is leading us in 2009. A couple of the things we’ll work on this year are: to educate & trainourselves in peacemaking, to organize workshops and trainings ontopics like peace theologies and conflict resolution for our churchcommunity and to make real connections with peacemakers aroundthe world by sending at least one community member on a learningdelegation.January was a busy month. Philadelphia, Shalom House and theShalom House guidance team were all hosts to “Heeding God’s Call: A Gathering on Peace.” Over 300 people from across the U.S.came to Philadelphia “to renew and integrate efforts to seek peaceamidst our nation's violent responses to international terrorism andthe violence in our institutions and communities.”Drawing on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the PeaceGathering included nonviolent action that addressed the gunviolence that plagues the city of Philadelphia. It was woventhroughout the days of the Gathering with the closing day solelydedicated to praying, learning and marching throughout Philadelphiain response to this violence. Some of us from Shalom House andthe guidanceteam, spentthe day withhundreds of others. Itended with amarch to alocal gunshop that isnotorious for many of itsgun salesending up inthe illegalmarket. A rally was held in front of the gun shop calling on theowner to sign a code of conduct that would help stem the flow of guns to the illegal gun market. (The Code of Conduct was createdby Mayor's Against Illegal Guns Coalition and Wal-Mart, the biggestgun retailer in the U.S.)Earlier in the week, 12 people from the Gathering, includingShalomer Mimi Copp, went in good faith to this gun shop to ask theowner to sign the code after a delegation of religious leaders wereunsuccessful in 2 previous talks with the owner. The owner refusedand the 12 people were arrested while waiting for the owner to signthe code. Mimi and the 11 others will go to trial on May 26

th.

As theyare on trial, so too will be the issue of gun violence. Also in January, Brian hosted a viewing and discussion about

War Dance,

a documentary set in war ravaged northern Uganda thattells the story of three internally-displaced children & their primaryschool’s invitation to compete in the national music and dancefestival. Adam has been deeply involved in the planting of a newCircle of Hope congregation in Camden, NJ and Tandi has beenpractically working out the idea of “peaceful eating,” among other things. (See p. 2 for more about this.)Kristan decided that she needed to move on from Shalom Houseand so we said goodbye to her at the end of January. We wish her well and are grateful for her contributions to the community. Onething she gave life to is the Shalom House Monthly Discussion time.It has been a wonderful time each month when people gather in our living room and talk. In January we discussed the topic of “keepingthe peace vs. making the peace” and in Feb. we shared our answersto the question “How do you feel about what is happening in Israeland Gaza?” Lastly, in the coming days, we will welcome EmilyKephart as a new community member. You’ll get to meet this greataddition to our community in the next newsletter.Peace be with you,Mimi, Adam, Tandi and Brian

Peaceful Ventures

Issue 5, Spring 2009

A newsletter from Shalom House -- a community of proactive Christian peacemakers started by Circle of Hope

Rally in front of the gun shop, Photo Credit: Michael Washington,Father Paul Washington Community Committee.

Reflection on Peacemaking:

Confronting the Fear of Failure

by Tandi Book

For the last few months I’ve been reflecting on how my fear of failure prevents me from pursuing my passions. As a part of Shalom House, I’m facing these fears on what seems like a regular basis. It’s hard, deeply rewarding work.Two areas that I’ve struggled with a lot are food and soap-making – things I’m both passionate and knowledgeableabout. What if I try to start a little soap-making business and no one buys my soap? Do I even have the ability and skill topull it off? These were the sorts of questions that plagued me in the fall when I was trying to decide whether or not to makesoap to sell at Art Shop, a holiday sale where artists sell their handiwork. I finally decided to deal with my fears and just gofor it. My desire to challenge myself in something profoundly satisfying won out. I ended up making close to 250 bars of soap, all of which sold. Yay! My effort was rewarded. While I was overjoyed by the success of this endeavor, I tried to remindmyself that even if my soap hadn’t sold I wouldn’t have been a failure. I’m not sure I really believe this, but I’m trying to.I am now in a similar phase with relation to food. My fellow Shalomers and close friends know that food is something I’m totally passionate about.Not only do I enjoy the obvious (eating it), but I love how it connects me to God, the earth, my creativity, and local farmers. I feel connected to myCreator and the earth when I see beauty in imperfect vegetables and feel more rooted knowing where my food comes from. Food engages mycreativity as well. I get a lot of joy from crafting a menu based on what needs to be used up in the fridge and what’s in season. Forming relationshipswith farmers is something else that is extremely rewarding – I know that my food is fresh, sustainably grown, and has a positive impact on the life of the person I’m buying it from.In short, food is a tangible area in which I can live out my peacemaking values and literally sustain life. To be totally honest, one of the reasons I’mso committed to ‘peaceful eating’ is that it is one of the easiest ways for me to try to make peace. My power as a consumer is huge and I am certainthat the way I eat makes a difference. I may not see the fruits of my labor when it comes to other forms of peacemaking, but food is an area in whichmy efforts yield tangible results, empowering and encouraging me to continue on the journey.My commitment to food forces me to slow down and spend time on the simple things in life. Cooking from scratch and eating locally reduces wasteand helps me enjoy the bounty of each season at nature’s pace, not my own. I strive to resist the human tendency to want what I want when I want it,finding freedom in the boundaries imposed by the seasons. The environment suffers less when we purchase food closer to home – less fossil fuelsare burned since it travels less miles and family farms usually employ more sustainable agricultural practices (there’s less monoculture, farmers aremore accountable to their customers, and there’s a greater interest in preserving farmland for future generations.) Environment aside, the world wouldbe a more peaceful place if we relied less heavily on oil. For me, these are the peacemaking values that I exercise in eating seasonally.My background as an Anabaptist missionary kid provided ample opportunities to learn how to economize and cook from scratch. Could myknowledge be useful to households or communities that are trying to reduce their grocery bills while living out the values outlined in the previousparagraph? As I did with soap-making, I’ve decided I’m going for it! The first step has been starting to work on a resource booklet that outlines a lot of what I know about food. The focus will be on making things from scratch, spending less, and eating seasonally. The booklet would basically documenthow I’ve helped set up the Shalom House kitchen. It will include recipes, tips on economizing, and basic info on how to cook dry beans, blanchvegetables for freezing, grow sprouts, do home canning, etc. I then hope to have a few workshops in which I can help teach/learn from others aboutthe topics I’ve written.There are many beautiful things about Shalom House. For me, one of the most striking is that it provides a supportive framework in which I (andothers) can explore my passions and fears. Had I not been a part of this peacemaking house, I probably would not have taken my interests to a higher level. Yes, I’m bound to fail in some of my pursuits, but these failures will help build character and hopefully my successes with bless others. In thissense, I try to remind myself, a failure is also a triumph.

(Concentrated) Powdered Laundry Detergent

This is the recipe I use to make Shalom House’s laundry soap. Homemade laundry soap is easy to make, effective, low-cost, & environmentally-friendly.

2 Cups 8 Cups2/3 bar Fels Naptha or

bar of Zote 2/3 bars Fels Naptha or 1 bar of Zote

(this should make about 1 cup grated laundry soap

)

(this should make about 4 cups grated laundry soap)

cup borax 2 cups borax

cup washing soda 2 cups washing soda1. Grate soap (it’s preferable to do this in the food processor, but by hand is fine too)2. Combine grated soap with borax and washing soda. Optional: The laundry soap will dissolve more easily in the washing machine if youcombine the grated soap and other ingredients in a food processor and process until it’s a fine powder; process it in 2 batches for the 8 cuprecipe.3. You’re done! Since this detergent is very concentrated, you won’t have to make it often. Use 1 tablespoon per regular load and up to 2tablespoons for a large load. This is a low-suds detergent, so you can use it for a front-loading machine.

Helpful tips:

Borax and washing soda are relatively easy to find; look for them in the laundry aisle in your grocery store. While there, check if Fels Naptha or Zote are sold there also (they should be in the laundry aisle but there’s a chance they’d be with the body soaps). If you can’tfind bar laundry soap at your grocery store, try a Latino supermarket. You can also purchase Fels Naptha online, but it may end up costing abit more with shipping (it will still be a lot less than store-bough detergent though). It may take a little persistence to locate the bar soap, butit’s worth it!

We are grateful for answered prayers.

Emily Kephart has joined thecommunity. We’re excited to have her in the House.

Please pray for:

Adam, Brian and Mimi as they near the end of their 2 year terms and thecommunity discerns what is next.New community members to join thecommunity.Kristan Menzel as she transitions outof Shalom House and into other endeavors.

Shalom House SeeksNext Community Members

Would you like to join us?Know someone who might?

Think about it. A two-year commitment dedicated to deepening &applying your calling in Philadelphia and learning about andconnecting to God's worldwide community of peacebuilders, justmight be where God is leading you.

How to discern this possibility:

*Pray*Learn more about us. Give us a call or send us an email.*Fill out an application in April.*Meet with the Shalom House Guidance Team and Housemembers in May.*If extended an invitation by the Guidance Team, move inthis Summer.

We hope you will take some time to consider joining this community of proactive peacemakers or to let others know about this opportunity. Thanks!

How you can help

Be a prayer partner.

We are contributing to theformation of God’s network of peacemakers around the globe.

Be a local partner.

Sign up at our website --www.shalomhouse.us--to be on the Circle of Peacemakers Listserve andparticipate in our dialogue andactions.

Find further partners.

We have a new cohort of housemembers who join each year.We are looking for those Godhas prepared for our community.

Be a contributing partner.

We need to raise money for expenses beyond our mutualsharing.

If you would like to share with us inthis way, make a check out to CircleVenture and add “Shalom House” inthe memo line. Please use theenclosed envelope at your convenience. Thank you for your financial support. An Excerpt from

A New Beginning: An Epistle from the Gathering

Heeding God’s Call: A Gathering on Peace, January 13-17, 2009; Philadelphia, PA

www.peacegathering2009.org

“Not everyone wants God's way of peace. The cost is high. Jesus demonstrates the loss of security, transformation, suffering, and dying which bring God's Peace by way of the cross. Let us ponderwhat must die - in our lives, in our churches, in our culture - in order to fully heed God's call.Awaken with us to this new opportunity to act as the united Body of Christ, along with friends of peace everywhere, in a world desperately in need of justice and peace. Let us be bold. Resistdisillusionment. The Holy Spirit must rise up in you and me to setall people free. Our task is to practice hope and to act as instruments of God's peace. Peace will come when people demand it and live it out.”