Dear friends,
I’m writing to you today with two asks: to read, use, and share Telos’ new Principles and Practices of Peacemaking and to partner with Telos financially.
We need to raise $227,000 as we end 2020. And thanks to one donor’s generous matching gift, all donations up to $50,000 will be doubled! Can you contribute $10, $100, or $1,000 today to help us meet our goal?
It’s the end of a year we thought would never end. A year of disruption, isolation and loss. And yet in the crucible of 2020, there have been much-needed moments of hope, acts of generosity and works of creativity.
At Telos we used our pause from our normal frenetic travel to Reimagine our work and the role our community could play in bringing healing to seemingly intractable conflicts like the one in Israel/Palestine and those that demand our attention here at home.
We’ve convened virtual conversations about issues like annexation and the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking, launched our new podcast Undaunted with the stories of radical peacemakers like Robi Damelin, and trained new Table Hosts.
In 2021 we not only hope to resume travel to Israel/Palestine and here in the U.S., but we’re also working on season 2 of Undaunted, preparing to convene Telos Tables again, planning for advocacy campaigns, and the debut of Telos University and other needed resources.
We even took time to celebrate some of the successes of the Telos community these past 10+ years as we cast a vision forward in our Reimagine event this summer.
Many good things are happening, and many more are to come. As we emerge from this ugly election season, our recovery as a people is not inevitable, but if we are to reorder our house and renew our commitments to each other, communities like ours will have to lean into this moment.
Each of us in the Telos family has a particular responsibility to live out what we know to be true and work for justice, healing and reconciliation here at home and for our friends in Israel/Palestine.
In 2009 we made a big, unpopular bet: that we could bring together groups from across the political, religious, and ideological spectrum to work together shaping culture and policies that promote mutual flourishing. That politically or theologically conservative Christians needed to be a key part of this movement.
Our work is not finished, but the rest of the world is beginning to see that it is needed. That bringing together groups who seem hopelessly at odds with each other is vital to weave a new culture of mutual flourishing in our neighborhoods, country, and world. 2020 has shown all of us that if there was ever a time to create communities of peacemakers across lines of difference to heal conflict, this is it.
There is so much we can do—so much we must do—together in 2021 and beyond. We set bold new goals to release new resources and programming to equip and exponentially grow this unique community in the coming five years.
But there is no way to meet these without the continued commitment and sacrifices of the time and financial resources of each of you. We all need to participate in our own unique way, and many of us need to stretch and challenge ourselves like never before.
We’re asking each of you for two things:
Read, use, and share our new Principles and Practices of Peacemaking. In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing the good work that so many of you, our partners and alumni, are doing to embody these Principles and Practices in your lives every day. All of us must follow their example and consider how to position ourselves as peacemakers in our communities daily.
Partner with us financially. We need to raise $227,000 by December 31st. Your support will go toward the vision laid out in our five-year plan: building the Pro/Pro/Pro network and reimagining a new and better 2025. While we know this year has created financial hardship for some, many are doing well. For those with capacity to give, we ask you to consider what you can contribute: whether it is a one time gift of $10, $100, or $10,000 or a commitment to give $5, $50, or $500 per month for a year, every dollar will bring us closer to our goal. And if you give today, your donation will be doubled up to $50,000!
Join us as we step up to meet the unique challenge of our day. Let’s reimagine a better way of living as neighbors, a truer way of engaging the world, a more just and sustainable future for all.
