About Communities of Shalom

Seeking to build community, weave unity, and transform the world one community at a time.

Shalom is a Hebrew word for which there is no direct English translation. It means peace, welfare, completeness, to be secure, to prosper, to be whole. It is a word that describes the way we want to be living, a more full way of living. We read in the book of Jeremiah, "Seek the shalom of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for it is in its shalom that you will find your shalom." Shalom ministry is about recognizing that we must step outside of ourselves and work for the common good in order to find our own shalom. And so it was the word chosen to describe this community building initiative.

Communities of Shalom is a grassroots, faith-inspired, community development network. Communities of Shalom began in the Spring of 1992 out of the United Methodist church after the uprising in Los Angeles following the not-guilty verdict for the police charged with brutally beating Rodney King. The Church, working with LA communities, wanted to help rebuild and reweave the community in LA, bringing people together. Today, there are Shalom communities all over the USA and in places like Malawi and Haiti.

What do Communities of Shalom do in the world?

• Combat extreme poverty in Appalachia
• Work to reduce high murder rate in Baltimore
• Provide legal services for undocumented people in Dallas
• Build affordable housing in Richmond
• Coordinate community services on native reservations in the Dakotas
• Engage in addiction and recovery ministries in Little Rock
• Create green ShalomZones in Scranton and Santa Cruz
• Raise hope through mobile health clinics in Houston and Ghana
• Organize micro enterprises in Zimbabwe and Malawi
• Reduce gang violence in Newark

These communities are diverse but they all are focused on wholeness, on recognizing that God is calling us to live a different way, a more connected way, a more healthy way. In York, there are three Shalom communities: one in the West, in the East, and Friendship Shalom Community, and there is a community in Delta/Cardiff/Whiteford as well. This budding ministry really has the power to transform York City and the Delta area. For more information, visit their pages (above) or email the York Shalom Coordinator Judy Bupp.

For more information on Communities of Shalom nationally and internationally, visit their website.