Conflict is no surprise to Jesus. His famous words “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matt 5:9) presuppose that there will be conflict, for how else can they be peacemakers! But what marks out followers of Jesus as children of God is not necessarily the absence of conflict but rather their unique response when it surfaces.

On Saturday, the 19th September PeaceWise will be holding training workshops at Parkes Baptist Church designed to help you to grow personally in your ability to respond well to conflict and challenging relationships.

PeaceWise is a Christian non-profit ministry organisation who have developed world-leading training that equips people with an understanding of what biblical peacemaking looks like and will give you the tools to handle conflict and challenging relationships better!

Program for the day: (Food Provided at Event)

9:00 Welcome and introduction 
 
10:50 Morning tea 
 
11:10 Get the log out of your own eye 

12:15 Lunch 
 
12:55 Gently restore 
 
1:55 Stretch break 
 
2:00 Go and be reconciled 
 
3:00 Stretch break 
 
3:05 Introducing building a culture of peace 
 
4.00 Close 
 

What to Bring As we prepare for our time together, please remember to bring along:

• Your Bible: To help us ground these peacemaking principles in God’s Word.

• A notepad and pen: To capture the insights and practical tools you want to remember.

• A water bottle: To stay hydrated throughout the day.

• A prayerful heart: Most importantly, we invite you to come with an open heart and a willingness to learn. Let’s pray that God will use this training to gently challenge us, equip us with grace, and give us a fresh perspective on our relationships.

Childcare & Teen Participation

To help us create a focused environment where everyone can fully engage with the material and thoughtfully reflect, please note that no kids' program or childminding will be available during this event. We kindly ask that you make alternate arrangements for young children so you can fully immerse yourself in the day.

However, we believe that learning to navigate conflict in a healthy way is incredibly valuable for young people! Teenagers are warmly welcomed to attend and participate in the training alongside us. If your teen is joining, please register them under a standard adult registration and ensure they are accompanied by a parent or guardian throughout the event.

A Note Regarding the Cost of Registration

Engaging PeaceWise to facilitate this day is a significant and intentional investment in the health of our church family. Because our church leadership believes so strongly in equipping us with these biblical peacemaking principles, we have decided to fully absorb the per-head cost of this event using our church budget.

To help us be faithful stewards of this Kingdom resource, we gently ask that you only register if you are able to fully commit to participating on the day. We are so excited for you to join us, and your commitment to attending honours the investment we are making together to build a culture of peace!

For our friends at Forbes Baptist Church and Yeoval District Baptist Church: Please connect directly with your deacons or elders for guidance on how registration costs and payments has been arranged for your congregation before completing this form.