In a season marked and marred by political polarization, outrage, and fear, we’re coming together to explore and celebrate the politics of peace. How might the Kingdom of God illuminate a way forward at the height of a contentious election cycle? How might we boldly engage in the front-lines work of peacemaking and truth-telling in a time when division and half-truths seem so pervasive? We’ll re-imagine fresh answers to these questions and others as we rally together in a spirit of hope and renewal.
Guided by the voices of scholars, pastors, practitioners, and artists, this evening will feature messages, music, prayer, and space for interaction. Attendance is free, however, space is limited and registration is required. To opt-in and learn more about our presenters, see below.
Melissa Florer-Bixler
Melissa is the pastor of Raleigh Mennonite Church, and a graduate of Duke University and Princeton Theological Seminary. Melissa's writing regularly appears in Christian Century, where she is a Voices columnist. She is the author of Fire By Night: Finding God in the Pages of the Old Testament and How to Have an Enemy: Righteous Anger and the Work of Peace. As co-chair of the Wake County Community Remembrance Project, she helps to establish memorials for victims of race-based lynching. Melissa organizes around efforts to shift resources from policing and prison to community wellness.
Andy Squyres
Andy Squyres is a singer-songwriter who has spent the last few decades carving songs out of the foothills of his North Carolina home. Heavily influenced by the poetics of Leonard Cohen, Squyres leans into the lyrical tradition of artists like Bob Dylan, having a passion for words that are equally worshipful and honest.
His live show is ache on display, a joyful protest, a musical affirmation of ordinary life, at once humorous and tragic, sorrow-filled and triumphant, weaving together songs and tales of both heartbreak and relentless hope.
In 2021 and 2022 he released books called Poet Priest Vol.1 and Poet Priest Vol.2, compilations of essays about being content while finding meaning in a small and local life.
Winn Collier
Winn serves as an Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Christian Imagination at Western Seminary and is the Director of the Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination. He loves the church, beauty, and all the things that make up being human in God’s verdant, sacred world. Winn was the founding pastor of All Souls in Charlottesville, Virginia, and is an Episcopal priest. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, where he focused on Religion and literature, exploring the sacramental vision of Wendell Berry’s fiction. He’s authored five books including A Burning in My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson.
Schedule:
Doors open at 6:15p. Please enter through the main door on Wayne Street.
Event will begin at 7p and will conclude around 9p or so.
Melissa, Andy, and Winn will be available after the event for questions.
Registration
For questions about this event, email: canvascommunityinfo@gmail.com