December 18, 2003

The building I have chosen for the Peace Center is a small hotel-I think there are fewer than forty rooms. It has two restaurants, one rather larger and one quite small. There is also a church that is part of the hotel. I will know more details about the property once I arrive in Assisi (after January 15) and will send my findings back to you via email.

The facility will be used for a number of purposes, but its primary function will be to give people an experience of peace while they are in it. It will be beautiful and quiet. It will embody, it will be infused with, the attitude of mind and heart that people seek peace in order to feel, and when they find it they can create it in the world. To accomplish this, each step along the path to creating this center must be taken with that same attitude of mind and heart. We will negotiate the purchase of the property in peace, we will work with the people of the city of Assisi in peace, we will raise the funds in peace, we will do the renovations in peace, and we will communicate with one another and the world in peace. In this way, regardless of outcome, we will have the peace we wish for in each moment.

The Peace Center will not be against anything. It will be for peace. It will not be political or under the influence of any particular religion or practice. It will be a place in which all who seek peace, love peace, wish for peace, or aspire to peace will be welcomed. And, actually, those who have no interest in peace will also be welcomed.

Individuals and groups with a philosophy/teaching/history/practice of peace will be invited to use a part of one of the rooms to display/offer/communicate/represent their particular expression of peace, historically and currently. A board of directors will work with each group to insure that what they contribute will be in keeping with the purpose of the center. Those who visit the center will learn about much that is being done around the world to further peace. We will gather the names of everyone who would like to be represented there. Visitors will have the opportunity to find groups with whom they might wish to partner. People who would otherwise not know how to connect with an individual or a group in another country will have the ability to make that connection.

In one restaurant we will feature vegetarian food from different cultures. (One primary aim is to create this center from an organic, sustainable, environmentally conscious perspective.) The other restaurant will be a place for people to meet, have quiet conversation, have a cup of tea or coffee and will contain the center library. We will also have a lovely garden setting for fair weather.

The church will become a place for solitude and quiet reflection, except when someone is using it for a particular approach to furthering their aim of peace: prayer, meditation, chanting, and so forth. That particular room will be available to any group or individual wishing to offer a service, that is in keeping with the mission and vision of the center, to the community and visitors. This is based on the approach of one of my personal heroes, William Penn. He realized that immigrants of various faiths wanted and needed a place to gather for worship but lacked the funds to build. So he built a church they could reserve for their own services, and in this way many groups were able to share one facility.

In the beginning, the hotel rooms will remain available for guests to rent. We will take rooms for peace groups as they are needed. It is doubtful the facility will be able to generate the income required to pay its own way. Visitors will be encouraged to donate and we will build an endowment to insure operating expenses will always be paid.

In a world in which it is easy to find evidence of hatred, violence, war, and cruelty, one can feel alone in a desire for an alternative kind of life on this planet. We have the opportunity to gather evidence of the tremendous need and desire for peace that exists in our troubled world.

This is what I've seen thus far. As we go along, as the conversation continues, new ideas and possibilities will evolve.

In loving kindness and peace,

Cheri

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