Shalom Finances
It’s a strange fact that for many people discussing subjects as intimate as their sex lives is preferable to discussing their financial affairs, even with close friends. Money can often be a cause of divisiveness, suspicion and hostility, even among those who recognise that all things come from, and belong to God.
The book of Acts records of the early church that ‘All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.’ This is the radical shalom we have as our prime example of how to be community. While we’re not asking anyone to sell their possessions, we do hope to develop an equitable way to cover the costs of Peace School for all participants.
To do this we lay out how much it costs to run Peace School, then (with some suggestions for guidance) we ask how much you are willing and able to contribute. We hope that those who are able to pay more will do so to cover the costs of those who need to pay less.
While we ask that once you have identified your payment level that you commit to paying that amount in full (either in a one off payment or by deposit and instalments), we will take time during the gathered time of the programme to discuss this more fully (either towards the end of the summer school or during the November weekend).
Talking about, and being honest and open about our finances is so counter-cultural that for many people it can be very challenging. We appreciate this, and will not ask anyone to share details that they feel uncomfortable disclosing. If you would rather not participate in these discussions you can choose to pay a flat rate of £800 (average cost, based on predicted costs split between 12 participants), however we hope that as we seek to go deeper into living shalom lifestyles, as a community we will be challenged to explore this area of our lives together..
