July 9, 2010
The summer intensive at Face to Face / Faith to Faith is beginning to end. After surviving intense dialogue, complex cross-conflict analysis, and a heat wave, the participants are beginning to realize that the unique learning community and special relationships they have created will come to an end on Sunday.

Yesterday and today, participants engaged deeply on what the story of Noah can teach us. First by faith-alike groups, and then later by interfaith groups, they studied how the story is portrayed in Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions and what the story teaches about humanity, God, and how we should act today. Two challenging questions they raised: was the flood a divine act of genocide? Why was Noah chosen, and should we model his behavior?

Of course, in addition to intense relational learning, the participants also have fun together. Nearby you'll see a snapshot from the first Face to Face World Cup, in honor of the event taking place simultaneously in South Africa. Cross-region, cross-faith teams were assembled - and in this photo you can see a penalty kick about to happen.

The other photo is from last night's visit by the Ebony Choir from Riverside Church. It's unclear who had louder voices and singing - the choir or the participants. It mostly felt like a rock concert, except that the participants were actually able to jump on stage and dance without security pulling them off.

We're grateful for those who were able to visit yesterday - some new and old Auburn staff and F2F Executive Committee members. Please pass along your stories to others.

Justus

July 6, 2010
Last week the dialogue was hot; this week the weather followed suit. A trip to the lake will replace today's planned soccer match in honor of the World Cup. 

In the last three days, participants at Face to Face / Faith to Faith have:

* Made camp-wide presentations to educate their peers about their religious traditions. See nearby photo of the Muslim students from 4 countries showing others how they pray;

* Engaged in a major simulation game about the dynamics of power and privilege;

* Built a large garden in partnership with a local farm as a service project. Food from the garden will help feed needy families in the area;

* Been trained in non-violent communication skills. See nearby photo of participants engaged in this learning under the large tree outside the boathouse, which was too hot for a session this morning.

Justus

July 2, 2010
Things are heating up the Face to Face / Faith to Faith intensive. Participants started to face the stereotypes that exist on many hot-button topics, like terrorism, the conflicts in their regions, and gender issues. In the 'Paper Bags" exercise, they write down some of the first thoughts that come to mind when seeing a word - you can see the results for the word 'terrorist' in the nearby photo. Immediately afterwards, participants engage in dialogue about what the wrote and read.

The next day, they moved from words to the complex topic of history. Gathered by regions, participants are charged with creating a historical timeline for their area. Choosing which dates to include, and deciding how to refer to events that have multiple names, forces participants to deal with the multiple narratives that exist in their homegroups. Example: are they paramilitary, army, terrorists, guerilla forces, freedom fighters or resistance? See the nearby photo for a section from the Northern Ireland home group's timeline.

Later this afternoon, 'faith alike' groups will begin teaching each other about their traditions. Muslims, Christians, Jews, and the 'Believe it or not' group for those who don't identify with the other 3 categories - each group with members from different countries - will make presentations to the full camp.

Justus
 

July 1, 1010
The Face to Face / Faith to Faith summer intensive is off to an incredible start. 70 participants from the four regions are here - 58 first-years and 12 leaders-in-training.

In the photo you can see the full camp creating shared goals for the program as part of our new Action Evaluation initiative. Sharon was there yesterday so you can get some details from her. One of the goals they came up with in the final minutes of the session was "to educate our peers about our own experiences and the skills we have learned with F2F in order to promote peace around the world."

Manar has assembled an incredibly talented and experienced staff, and they are working really hard. As always, there are hiccups - like the Palestinian boy who couldn't come at the last minute because the US denied his visa. But the program is working its magic again in this 10th year. We'll send occasional updates over the next 10 days to keep you informed.

Justus