Defining a Gospel of Peace
Seminar

January 14-19, 2024

In our world today, we are being confronted with violence, war, genocide, poverty, injustice and xenophobia both in person and on our screens. At the same time, we also are experiencing God and a church that loves Him and genuinely aims to serve his purposes. More often than not, these two realities seem to miss each other.

Sometimes it seems that the framework of our faith has had little to say about the darkness many face every day. Here lies a chasm between having such a capable group of faithful people and a world in need of tangible hope today. Many of us feel that the answers we hold are no longer good enough. We feel there is more to the story, but often don't know where to look and how to find it. There is an opportunity here to build a bridge between this chasm.

What does God have to say regarding the calamities happening in our world?
What does the Gospel have to do with injustice?
Does the Jesus I believe in give hope to those stuck in poverty?

The Seminar

This week aims to provide you with teachings, resources, and experiences to formulate a fresh theological framework for understanding why Jesus is called the Prince of Peace and what that means for us in our world today.

Some of the topics covered over the week look like:

  • Connection and Networking

  • Biblical Foundations of Peacemaking

  • Finding Peace within Ourselves

  • Contextualizing the Gospel of Peace

  • Practical Application and Vision Workshop

The seminar starts with an optional welcome dinner on Sunday evening at 6:30pm and ends after lunch on Friday.

Why Northern Ireland?

From our centre, located in the beautiful border town of Rostrevor, Northern Ireland, we will look at these questions and themes within the context of the troubled past and hopeful future of this land.

Beyond learning objective theory, we will be examining the role Christian peacebuilding could have in addressing real world challenges through the lens and context of Northern Ireland in hopes that you walk away with the tools you need to envision a brighter future for your contexts.

Facilitator: Scott Sotomayor

Scott is originally from the United States of America but has spent the last 10 years living and working with YWAM An Cuan, including taking on his role as base director in 2021. He is married to Yasmine and with her has a son named Mateo.

Over the last decade Scott has led discipleship training schools, worked with refugee communities, led worship times, and taught in various programs around the world. He is passionate about deepening our understanding of Jesus’ teachings and furthering Christ’s ministry of reconciliation in all areas of life and society.

Costs

£150/per person

Includes meals, accommodation, and seminar costs from Sunday evening to Friday after lunch.

If you’d like to join without accommodation or food, please let us know during registration or reach out to us via email.

Additional nights can be arranged depending on availability.

If you have any questions about this seminar, please reach out to us at registrar@ywmancuan.org

FAQs

  • Our YWAM base in Rostrevor has many guest rooms that we use for hospitality purposes. They are private rooms with dormitory style shared bathrooms and showers. All bedding will be provided.

  • Yes, our accommodations can house families no problem. We can also offer separate pricing based on your situation by reaching out to us at registrar@ywamancuan.org. However, we cannot offer any childcare during the seminar.

  • Closer to the date of the seminar, we will be sending out a more detailed itinerary for your time here. Please look out for that in your email inbox.

  • We recommend flying into Dublin airport as there is an easy airport bus from the airport to Newry Buscentre. From Newry you are able to either take a local bus or taxi to An Cuan about a 20-minute drive away.