Our Mission is to...

• Train committed Christians in local congregations in the art of civil discourse to then serve in facilitating community-wide discussions on issues that often divide us but are critical to the future of this country we love
• Promote more dialogue instead of debate, more understanding instead of just focusing on winning arguments
• Foster appropriate communication tools, courageous responsible conversations, and contagious civility
• Support the right of all citizens to responsibly take a political stand to promote their cause, issue or candidate while affirming the right of others to do the same without being attacked
• Work to define and spread a workable definition of the “common good” that can be supported by most Christians and non-Christians alike
• To move beyond the cultural preoccupation with “Me, Myself and I” to cultivate a commitment to the commons that goes beyond one’s own rights to extend those same rights to others

Are you ready to join us in our two-year commitment to impact the civility of citizens in Ventura County one person, one community at a time? Together we can develop solutions, communication skills, and dialogue ground rules that can spread. Contact us to receive information about how you can involve your church, become aware of coming events and take advantage of opportunities to make a difference.

"As citizens, we have to be more thoughtful and more educated and more informed. I turn on the TV and I see these grown people screaming at each other, and I think, well, if we don't get our civility back we're in trouble." –Emmylou Harris

“I've been thinking about civility lately…wondering if we could start a movement to create places of dialogue and not ‘win at all costs’ debates on important issues that impact our communities. Instead of mini-civil wars about things we disagree, we would have courageous civil discussions that would help us move forward in a positive direction. As Christians, our foundation for dialogue ought to be love and respect, seeking not so much to be understood as to understand.” –Tom Stephen

"We did not hesitate to call our movement an army. But it was a special army, with no supplies but its sincerity, no uniform but its determination, no arsenal except its faith, no currency but its conscience." –Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)

“Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone's face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.” –Henri Nouwen

"Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love." –Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.(1958)