Dear friends,

In Upala, 5 hours north of San José, we listened to the group's descriptions of their communities: "There are very few jobs." "Young girls are having babies." "There is no security in our neighborhoods." "We have a lot of drugs and alcohol." "The men go away to find work and the women are left alone with the children."

World Vision had invited representatives of 11 churches in the area to begin a new project: together, they would explore how to build a culture of peace in their communities. To help them in this effort, World Vision purchased our Bible studies, I Want Peace in my Church and my Neighborhood, for each group. Elisel and I traveled up to Upala to train the leaders how to use the materials.

I quickly realized that these folks had vision. I taught a sample lesson to show them how the lessons are structured, using the theme "Punishment or Restoration." I began the lesson reading to them a particularly violent crime story from the newspaper and asking them to react. I expected them to say things like: "That makes me mad. Throw him in jail. I hope he stays there for many years." "That's the problem with our justice system; it's a rotating door; he'll be back on the street shortly." "We need more police and more harsh laws." That's what I hear in San José. But this group showed why they had been chosen for this program. They said, "That makes me sad and worried." "At my church we are talking about how to build relationships and alternatives for our young people." "We need a holistic response to this problem." They were clear that the church needed to be actively involved in transforming these negative situations from their roots.

World Vision asked each church to sign a contract, committing them to follow through on the use of this material, to attend the training sessions and to give quarterly reports of the changes taking place in their communities as a result of their study and efforts. I came away energized, because they understood that we write this material not just to fill a gap in Sunday School materials, but to help churches transform their communities.

These materials were published with the help of contributions from American Baptist churches and individuals throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. September and October are the months in which International Ministries takes the World Mission Offering, which supplies a significant percentage of the mission budget. I encourage you to think and pray about how you can generously support this ministry and many others through a gift to this offering. You may send your contribution to this vital ministry to International Ministries, PO Box 851, Valley forge, PA 19482-0851 and indicate WMO – Ruth Mooney Support on the memo line.

In Christ,

Ruth Mooney