Practicing Peace
Building hope. Learning courage. Acting together.
In uncertain times, communities often discover their strength by gathering together. Singing Resistance, Living Resistance and Voices for Peace invite people across Winnipeg to explore how courage, faith, and nonviolence can shape our response to a divided world. Rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite peace tradition and the teachings and model of Jesus, these events bring people together to sing, learn, and practice ways of seeking justice and peace without violence.
Living Resistance
Hands-on training in the principles and practices of disciplined nonviolent action.
Mondays, March 23 and 30 | 7:00–8:00 PM
Lecture Hall (Room S170)
600 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg
Singing Resistance
"Singing bold resistance to injustice, hate, and force."
Monday, April 6 | 7:00–8:00 PM
Marpeck Commons
2299 Grant Ave., Winnipeg
Voices for Peace
An opportunity to join a rapid-response community choir
In keeping with the spirit of Singing Resistance and Living Resistance, here is an opportunity to sing at community events, peaceful demonstrations, or public gatherings where songs of courage, lament, and solidarity can help strengthen the moment.
Why CMU is hosting these events
CMU was founded within the Anabaptist-Mennonite peace tradition, a tradition that takes seriously Jesus' call to love enemies, seek justice, and refuse violence as a tool of political power.
For centuries, Christians in this tradition have asked a demanding question: How do followers of Jesus respond when the world becomes unjust or unstable?
The answer has often been costly. Early Anabaptists in the 16th century rejected the use of violence even during times of severe persecution. Many were imprisoned or executed because they believed that following Jesus meant rejecting the sword.
Their conviction was rooted in the teachings of Jesus, who called his followers to be peacemakers, to love their enemies, and to overcome evil with good.
Organizing gatherings like Singing Resistance, Living Resistance, and Voices for Peace is one way CMU continues to live out these commitments today.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."
Matthew 5:9
The way of Jesus in public life
At CMU, faith and learning are not separated from the realities of the world around us. The Christian tradition has always wrestled with how followers of Jesus should live faithfully in times of conflict and political tension. In the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition, the starting point is the life and teachings of Jesus himself.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls his followers to a way of life that is both demanding and hopeful. He blesses the peacemakers. He calls his followers to love their enemies. He urges them to overcome evil not with retaliation but with goodness and truth. For Anabaptists, these teachings are not abstract ideals. They are a practical guide for how Christians ought to live in the public world. At CMU, faith has never been only a private matter.
From the earliest days of the church, followers of Jesus have understood that loving God and loving neighbour inevitably shapes how we live in the wider world. Faith calls people not only to personal conviction but also to responsibility for the wellbeing of their communities. When public life becomes marked by fear, injustice, or deep division, Christians are invited to respond in ways that reflect the character of Christ. For those in the Anabaptist tradition, that response has long meant pursuing justice, speaking truth, and seeking the good of neighbours while refusing the path of violence. In this way, faith does not withdraw from public life, but engages it with humility, courage, discipline, and a commitment to peace.
These convictions continue to shape Mennonite and Anabaptist communities today and remain central to the CMU mission as a university committed to faith, learning, and service.
What is nonviolent resistance?
Non-violent resistance is the intentional and disciplined practice of confronting injustice without harming people, while still taking active and strategic steps to challenge unjust systems. It rests on the conviction that the methods we use must reflect the world we hope to create.
Rather than relying on force or coercion, nonviolent movements draw on the power of truth, solidarity, and moral courage. They seek to expose injustice, mobilize communities, and create space for change while preserving the dignity of all involved.
Nonviolent resistance can take many forms, including:
- Peaceful protest and public witness
- Community organizing and advocacy
- Civil disobedience in response to unjust systems and policies
- Acts of solidarity with vulnerable communities
- Creative public expression that challenges injustice
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Other forms of disruption that expose injustice and mobilize communities toward change
Its guiding commitment is the protection of human dignity and the refusal to injure or dehumanize others, even while firmly resisting oppression.
This understanding also challenges the common assumption that any disruptive action, including vandalism or damage to property, should automatically be called “violent.” From a non-violent resistance framework, violence is understood primarily as harm directed toward people. While some acts of resistance may disrupt systems or challenge laws, the central ethical line is the refusal to harm persons.
Some critics argue that this distinction can be used to justify property destruction. However, the tradition of non-violent resistance insists that the central moral boundary remains the refusal to harm persons, and that any action must be weighed carefully against its impact on human dignity, community trust, and the pursuit of justice. The aim is not retaliation or revenge, but courageous, coordinated action that confronts injustice while remaining grounded in deep care for all human life and the possibility of transformation.
Research into social movements around the world has shown that disciplined nonviolent movements are often more successful and nore effective than violent uprisings in achieving lasting political change, while leaving societies less divided and less traumatized.
For Christians, the commitment to nonviolence is not only strategic—it is theological. Jesus taught his followers to love their enemies, refuse retaliation, and overcome evil with good. Nonviolent resistance is therefore not passive. It is a disciplined and active way of following Jesus by pursuing justice that seeks transformation rather than destruction.
Why singing?
Throughout history, communities facing oppression and uncertainty have turned to song.
Singing together does more than express emotion. It builds courage, strengthens solidarity, and reminds people that they are not alone. Songs have long helped sustain communities through persecution, social upheaval, and long struggles for justice.
In the Christian tradition, singing has always been central to community life. The Psalms themselves are songs of lament, hope, protest, and praise. Early Christians sang together as a way of proclaiming their faith even when they had little social or political power.
More recently, singing played an important role in movements for justice around the world. During the civil rights movement in the United States, freedom songs helped sustain activists facing violence and imprisonment. Singing together transformed fear into courage and strengthened the bonds of community.
Singing Resistance and Voices for Peace draw on this long tradition. By gathering to sing songs of hope, lament, and courage, participants practice a simple but powerful act of solidarity.
A non-partisan invitation
Singing Resistance, Living Resistance, and Voices for Peace are not partisan initiatives. They do not promote nor are they connected to any political perspective, party, candidate, or campaign.
Instead, they grow out of a deeper conviction: that people of faith have a responsibility to seek peace, justice, and the well-being of their neighbours. Christians have practiced nonviolent witness under many kinds of governments and political systems. The commitment to peacemaking is not tied to any particular political moment; it is rooted in a long tradition of discipleship.
Participants do not need to share the same political views. What brings people together is a common desire to explore how communities can respond to conflict and injustice without resorting to violence or hatred.
In a time when public life often feels polarized, CMU hopes these gatherings can model something different: thoughtful engagement, mutual respect, and a commitment to the work of peace.
All Practicing Peace initiatives are free and open to the public.
For more information, please contact:
Sandra Koop Harder, VP External
skoopharder
431.337.5339
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