Statement of Intent for S.P.A.N. Participants
Submitted by the Kansas City Task Force
***Created for SNV but can be applied to ANY Season***
A Season for Nonviolence: A Reverence for Life
Statement of intent of (Heartland) volunteers for the Season
Our intent is to bring A Season for Nonviolence to the (Kansas City) metropolitan area and to set the spiritual tone for everyone who is attracted to it. We are the heart for peace in action.
We remember the stated purpose for the Season: “To create awareness of nonviolent principles and practices as a powerful way to heal, transform and empower our lives and communities. Through an educational and community action campaign, we are honoring those who are using nonviolence to build a community that honors the dignity and worth of every human being. We are demonstrating that every person can move the world in the direction of peace through their daily nonviolent choice and action.”
We focus on fulfilling our agreement to serve the national purpose of the Season before moving on to express our personal calling to the Season through other projects.
We recognize that we are co-creating the Season with God. We express our divine ideas and in action, we honor that “God has no hands but ours.” We consciously invite God to guide our thoughts, actions and behaviors.
We choose excellence [and not perfectionism]. Whatever we agree to undertake on behalf of the Season, we allow ourselves to fully express our divine potential.
We pray in every volunteer meeting and we pray out every meeting. If someone forgets, we gently remind them to take a moment to consciously invite God to the meeting.
We walk our talk. We take a nonviolent stance in terms of how we treat ourselves and how we treat others. When we feel stressed, we invite Peace both within and to those around us.
We speak our “small t truth” in love. We remember that God is the author of our thoughts and feelings, and we share them with those involved and affected. Concerns, challenges and difficulties can be resolved when they are openly acknowledged and held in love.
When an interpersonal wounding occurs (regardless of our good intent) we verbally acknowledge our part in it and help the other person release attachment to the wounding.
We consciously facilitate releasing ourselves and others from old thinking and behaviors that don’t work.
We are respectful of others on the team. When we are unable to keep a commitment, we make every effort to find someone else to stand in for us and communicate the change to the team leader. When we cannot find help, we let the leader whose team will be affected know asap.
We have fun at every possible opportunity!
We are peace in action.