SHALOM-MAKING

Shalom, the well-being of all God’s creation, is at the very heart of the Gospel, the good news Jesus offers the world. Through Jesus’ redemptive and restorative life, death and resurrection, we find peace with God and peace in God’s community, peace among neighbors and nations, peace that heals our wounding of creation, peace that mends exploitive economies, peace that renews families and the heart of every human. The world as-it-is is not the world-as-it-should-be. And, because of God’s promises – and because of God’s action in Jesus Christ – the world will one day be brought back to wholeness. Shalom.

God’s shalom is not merely a distant vision, but it is breaking in even now, wherever the Kingdom of God takes hold. We seek to join God’s shalom in a myriad of ways. Most of these ways, you’d have to discover by having actual conversations with people in our community. Some are working for shalom in Charlottesville or county schools. Some are making God’s world more beautiful with painting, melodies, lyrics, stories, photos and craft. Some are managing employees with dignity. Some are creating jobs for others. Some are stretching their mind and gathering wisdom to teach others to live justly and wisely. Some work for justice in a life of prayer. Some are healers in the hospital, and some take broken things (houses and electrical wiring, for instance) and put them back together again. Some are raising children to be honest and merciful. Some pursue friendship with the broken.

However, for all of us, shalom is not first something we do; but it is something done to us. God gives us well-being, hope and justice. And then we just pass it along.

To participate in shalom is, in large measure, to do what Jesus told us to do: to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Together, as a community, we have committed to give away 20% of our community’s funds each year, with a substantial portion given to needs in the Charlottesville area. As a church, we pray that generosity will shape the whole of our life.

“If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else we must see our neighbors. With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say like artists, we must see not just their faces but the life behind and within their faces. Here it is love that is the frame we see them in.”
— Frederick Buechner

Our 2024 Shalom Partners

more on our 2024 Shalom Partners…

  • Transformation Freedom - Transformation Freedom Initiative (TFI) Empowers Against Exploitation by raising awareness and prevention of human trafficking in Central Virginia and parts of the Shenandoah Valley.

  • Mission 2535 - In the mountainous northern region of ‘El Cibao’ Mission 2535 have been making a difference by planting new & thriving churches through implementing innovative solutions that address what we have identified as the 4 Pillars of sustainable communities; Clean Water, Food, Healthcare & Job Training.

  • International Justice Mission - International Justice Mission is an international, non-governmental 501 organization focused on human rights, law and law enforcement. Founded in 1997 by lawyer Gary Haugen of the United States, it is based in Washington, D.C

  • Hope's Promise - Various churches work with Hope's Promise on behalf of bringing hope to children in the Kuza Project of Kenya—Kuza means light. They're a faith-based organization who send teams of individuals to some of the most impoverished areas to work with neglected children and help them understand they matter.

  • BGAV - The Baptist General Association of Virginia, founded in 1823, is an umbrella organization of Baptist churches in Virginia. The BGAV has numerous international and local aid programs and ministries.

  • Mathare Worship Center - Mathare Worship Center is a Kenyan Church who works in close partnership with Hope's Promise.

  • Onesemus Ministries - Onesemus seeks to rehabilitate street children and reintegrate them with their families. Further, their goal is to prevent children on the verge of "streetism" from becoming full time street children. OCDA want to strengthen families by creating income generating activities that will afford them the ability to take care for their families independently.

  • Abundant Life - Abundant Life demonstrates God’s love through holistic community development in the Prospect neighborhood.

  • International Neighbors - Empowering refugee and SIV neighbors to survive and thrive. We equip aspiring Americans with the network and skills needed to thrive in the Charlottesville.

  • IMPACT - IMPACT’s mission is to empower the faith community of greater Charlottesville to create significant social change through unified direct action on an array of community issues including transportation, housing, dental and mental health care, education, and interpretive services. These are all large-scale changes to the community that actually change the lives of individuals on a micro-level.

  • New City Arts - New City Arts envisions the Charlottesville area as a place where a thriving group of local artists unsettles and transforms our community to work toward a more just, beautiful future.

  • PACEM - PACEM is a grassroots organization that coordinates space and volunteers to shelter for individuals in our community who are experiencing homeless. More than 80 faith congregations and community groups and 3,000 volunteers in the Charlottesville area come together each winter to address the need for shelter by opening their doors, serving evening meals, giving financially, and providing companionship. PACEM believes that a welcoming, safe place to shelter is the first step to addressing the crisis of homelessness.

  • The Haven - The Haven is a multi-resource day shelter and housing resource center in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia.

  • Grace Inside Women's Correctional Ministry - GraceInside’s Chaplains are dedicated to meeting the spiritual needs of all residents of Virginia’s state prisons. Our Chaplains provide one-on-one pastoral care, conduct worship services and work with the Department of Corrections staff in offering rehabilitative programs. Chaplains are also responsible for scheduling all religious programs conducted by volunteers representing many faith traditions.

  • Good News Prison Ministry - To place Christian chaplains in jails and prisons to minister to the spiritual needs of inmates and staff.

  • New City Counseling - At New City Counseling, their mission is to bring hope in the struggle—whether it's the internal struggle of depression and self-doubt that rages inside many of us, or the relational struggles that often divide marriages and families, or even larger structural issues that make living with the necessities of life difficult.

  • Habitat for Humanity Partnership - Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build and rebuild homes and communities while catalyzing new pathways to safe, decent, affordable housing.

  • Arrabon - Arrabon is a spiritual formation ministry that equips the American Church to actively and creatively pursue racial healing in their communities by offering a discipleship process that results in a new action.

  • Theological Horizons - Theological Horizon's mission is to support Christians and seekers in academia moves from lecture halls into rich conversations about integrating the practices of theology into everyday life.

  • Love Inc - The mission of Love INC is to transform lives and communities, In the Name of Christ. This is accomplished by mobilizing people in churches to help people in need. One of the presenters at an annual fundraising banquet put it this way, “Love INC is the collective conscience of the Christian Community.” We give churches opportunities for Christian service, that’s opportunities not an obligation!