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Civility Project to co-host local election candidate forums on May 7

All the candidates for local Newberg/Dundee area office in the upcoming May elections will have a chance to make their case to voters at a Candidates Forum on May 7, starting at 5:30 PM at the Chehalem Cultural Center, 415 East Sheridan Street in Newberg.

All four candidates for the Newberg School Board, including both David Russ and Andy Beyerly who are running from Zone 1 (Dundee) in the only contested school board race this year, will be invited to answer questions in the school board forum, which starts at 5:30. All five candidates for three seats on the Chehalem Parks and Recreation Board will be invited to answer questions starting at 7:00.

The public is invited to both forum sessions, which will be held in the new LaJoie Theater at the Cultural Center.

The forums are co-sponsored by four non-partisan groups: the Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Newberg City Club, the Newberg/Dundee United as Neighbors, and the George Fox University Civility Project.

For more information contact any of the co-sponsoring groups. You can contact the Civility Project at civility@georgefox.edu.

First Friendly Walk set for May 10.

Co-sponsored by United as Neighbors and the Civility Project

A new event, dubbed "The Friendly Walk", will debut May 10 in Newberg, starting at 10:00 AM.

Participants will gather in the plaza on the south side of the Chehalem Cultural Center (adjacent to Sheridan Street). They will be formed into small groups of people, at least some of whom don't know each other, given a map for a suggested route, and set off on about an hour's walk, group by group. They will have information on key historical and cultural sites in the downtown Newberg/George Fox campus area, and will cooperate to complete items on a list of things to do, talk about, and find along the way,

Upon their return to the Cultural Center, groups will receive prizes, including a special prize if they can show photos or other evidence of each item on the scavenger hunt list.

The event is one of the results from a community brainstorming session held January 11, also co-sponsored by United as Neighbors and the Civility Project. The goal is to build a stronger network of friendly, cooperative, and fun relationships in the community that reach across ideological or other boundaries.

If you'd like to be on a mailing list to keep up with developments, or if you want more information, contact the organizers through civility@georgefox.edu.

McMinns reflected on empathy, humility, and gratitude as pathways to civility on April 10

When Mark and Lisa McMinn, set out to write a book together, they hoped to pool their shared faith and their different academic disciplines (Mark is PhD's in psychology, Lisa a PhD in sociology) to help people thrive in our frenetic world.

They acheived that goal in An Invitation to Slow, published in 2024. But they also achieved something else, which they had not planned for: they offered new insights about civility in our public and political lives.

On Thursday April 10, shared about the connection between their work and robust civility, in a public conversation with George Fox University Civility Project director Ron Mock.

The McMinns organize their book around eight virtues, all offered as alternatives to soul-sapping vices -- and all of which could have ramifications for civility. On April 10 the conversation focussed on three of the virtues: Empathy, Humility, and Gratitude, which the McMinns see as transforming anger, judgmentalism, and envy.

If you would rather help heal our political culture than tear it apart (there are such would-be healers in almost every part of our political spectrum), or

If you are convinced that groups (including communities, states, and nations) make better decisions when they can disagree while building (rather than eroding) trust, or

If you are just curious about how people who disagree with you think, and

If you live in or near the Newberg/Dundee area...

Then you should consider coming to the next Newberg/ Dundee Community Conversation on Wednesday evening, April 2 at 7:00 PM.

Following the model we used on February 26, we will start the evening listening to a conversation between two people who disagree greatly about politics, but who trust one another and can listen well to each other. On February 26 our featured conversation was between Newberg mayor Bill Rosacker and Newberg Martin Luther King Day organizer Rick Muthiah, on the theme "Trump So Far." On April 2, the feature conversation will be between Paul Blattner, Jr. and Jere Witherspoon, who differ in their political views about as much as Bill and Rick do.

After Paul and Jere have listened well to each other on a couple of different topics, the rest of the evening will be devoted to conversations among those attending the session, gathered in small groups around tables. Participants can choose a topic from a list of suggestions, or agree together on topics of their own choice, the only requirement being that at least two people at the table have to disagree about the topic.

With help from a moderator at the table, the two people who disagree will take turns listening to each other explain their views and how they came to those views

No one will be forced to share their views -- you can come to watch and listen. But if you share your views on a topic, you will be asked to listen to the other point of view until you can summarize it to their satisfaction. The moderator can help you do this if you find it difficult.

This experience was popular with the 62 people who came on February 26. We will ask you for feedback on April 2, so we can improve this format in future Community Conversations

For more information, contact us at civility@georgefox.edu.

At Newberg's most recent Martin Luther King Day celebration, Newberg Mayor Bill Rosacker and MLK Day coordinator Rick Muthiah got into a conversation about President Donald Trump's inauguration, happening on the same day. They discovered they had some distinct differences in their expectations for Trump's second term. These difference touched important values each man holds. But the conversation was pleasant and constructive, giving both men hope that relationships can survive what was already shaping up to be an eventful and stressful era.

Bill and Rick have agreed to kick off the next Newberg/Dundee Community Conversation on February 26 on the GFU campus. They'll continue their MLK Day conversation to start the event. Then attenders, sitting in small groups at tables where they have been randomly assigned, will have their own versions of the conversation. They will be invited to respond to any of the following prompts the group agrees on:

What do you appreciate about, and/or what are you apprehensive about, how President Trump has started his second term?
What do you think about President Trump's approach to:
- Immigration
- Gaza, Hamas, and Israel
- Federal spending: efficiency, waste, fraud, supporting good programs
- Cabinet nominations
- Elon Musk's role in the government

Each table will have a moderator who does not offer his or her own views. Instead, the moderator will make sure everyone gets a chance to speak, and help ensure people are hearing each other, trying to reach the following goals:

Being able to summarize each other's views to each other's satisfaction, especially where those views differ.
Making human connections across differences of opinion.
Getting on "the same side of the table" where people who disagree work together to find ways forward that benefit everyone.

For more information, email civility@georgefox.edu.

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Reclaiming Our Friendly Community

event sparks new ideas for building ties across local political differences

A strong turnout for the Reclaim Our Friendly Community event generated a rich trove of ideas for strengthening robust civility the Newberg/Dundee community.

Co-hosted by the Civility Project and United as Neighbors, the January 11 event focused on brainstorming new ideas for helping people build strong relationships with people with whom the disagree on political, religious, or other differences. .

Of the 35 who attended, fewer than 1/3 had previously been active volunteers in organizing and hosting events for the Civility Project or United as Neighbors.

The conversation was great, and the results very promising.

After reviewing initiatives already underway — Civility Pledge, Community Conversations, co-hosting candidate forums, candidate get togethers (to get to know each other better), and a booth at the last three Newberg Old Fashioned Festivals — attenders brainstormed more ideas. This produced of a list of 18 potential projects.

The group then focused on nine of the most promising concepts:

Cultural Interaction / Multilingual Language Learning Practice
Create opportunities for people to practice languages they are learning by conversing, playing, studying, and watching videos together.
Kids Events/ Civility Lesson Plans or Games
Supporting cross-cultural and cross-ideological games cooperative learning experiences in schools to help build understanding and encourage students to see their differences as gifts.
Moderated meetings to discuss important public or neighborhood issues.
Prepare a team of people trained to serve as moderators for community discussions of controversial public issues. Patterned in part after a similar initiative by Citzens4Community in Sisters, Oregon, this would give members of the public a chance to express their own views, and listen carefully to others’ views, in a more flexible and successful setting than the stilted format of formal public hearings.
5 K Walk for All Ages
This is a specific example of a much larger range of possible fun activities designed to draw people from across our political divisions to just enjoy being with each other. The advantages of a walk (rather than a run) include broader range of potential participation, and the ability to carry on conversations while walking.
Formal forensic-style debates, which would demonstrate the value of learning both sides of a question well enough to advocate for either side, and would help voters be better able to assess of arguments they hear from candidate.
Hosts/moderators for individual difficult conversations between individuals: inspired by a federal judge in Alabama who ordered two bickering lawyers to go out to dinner together: we could prepre local people prepared to serve as host to help individuals in our community who need to sit down and talk through their disagreements.
Civility Observers: have a team who would take turns observing in person local governing bodies (county commissions, city councils, school and park boards, etc). These CO’s would note instances when members of these bodies did especially well at expressing and listening to their differences of opinion. The observers could then thank these officials publicly for their stewardship of their disagreements.
Echo Chambers escapes: Encourage people to escape from their echo chambers by reading/listening to/having conversations with people who disagree with them.

United as Neighbors volunteers will consider next steps to follow up on these ideas at a meeting January 24 at 6:30 PM at the Newberg Drop-In Center. Anyone interested in wokring on one or more of these ideas is welcome to join the conversation.

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United As Neighbors website link

January 29, 2025, 7:00 - 8:45 PM: Community Conversations Skill-Building Evening (Canyon Commons, GFU)

With Civility Project support, United as Neighbors is re-starting the Community Conversations project with a first meeting for 2025 happening on Wednesday evening January 29. This session will be a skill-building session, especially designed to equip people to be a table moderator at Community Conversations so they can help other participants have more fruitful conversations when listening to each other’s views on controversial topics.

Anyone can come, and should expect to find the session helpful in potentially difficult conversations in all kinds of settings. People who would like to serve as table conversation moderators in future Community Conversations are especially invited to come.

This session will be led by the Civility Project’s Ron Mock and Community Conversations volunteers Jere Witherspoon and Paul Blattner. The skills we’ll practice will also come in handy for a number of other initiatives that might flow from the January 11 event.

For more about the Reclaiming Our Friendly Community event, check out this link.

For more about other recent events, check out our Archives page.

Here is an archived copy of the video promoting a United as Neighbors brainstorming event for projects to build community in the Newberg/Dundee area.

Dear friends of United as Neighbors, Community Conversations, and the George Fox Civility Project:

Please mark your calendars now:

January 11, 2025, 10:00 AM to noon

GFU Roberts Center Room 117

501 Villa Road, Newberg

You are invited to attend an important event that may mark a turning point for Newberg and Dundee. We’re calling it “Reclaim our Friendly Community.”

Here is a summary of what we expect will happen.

You will hear about the work already going on in Newberg and Dundee, by United as Neighbors, the Community Conversations team, the George Fox Civility Project, and a few others.
You will hear about specific projects we are already doing, other projects that we are thinking about starting, and brainstorms people have that might get off the ground if they can attract enough support.
You will get a chance to share any civility-building brainstorms you may already have, or that may come to you at the Reclaim our Friendly Community event.
You will have a chance to connect with other people interested in work you would also enjoy helping with. This includes United as Neighbors and the Community Conversation group, and new projects taking off on January 11.
Even if you do not expect to give time to community-building projects, you can come just to keep up with what we are doing. Warning: you might be surprised by a sense of calling toward something you hear about!

We have sent this notice to several groups -- anyone who has shown an interest in one of the sponsors (UasN, Community Conversations, or the George Fox Civility Project). So don’t ignore it. Mark January 11 at 10:00 - Noon on your calendar now.

When you come, at worst you’ll learn about important work going on around you in your community — well worth a couple of hours of your time. At best you’ll find a new project where you can have fun working with great people you otherwise would not have gotten to know, making an important and irreplaceable difference in your community.

(Note: you can learn more about United as Neighbors and the Reclaim Our Friendly Community event by clicking on the buttons below.)

Recent Events and Activities

Civility Project co-hosted two local candidate forums in October 2024

The GF Civility Project co-hosted two local candidate forums this fall: one

October 15 on the George Fox campus featuring races for Newberg City Council and the state legislature.
October 14 in Dundee for Dundee City Council races.

About twenty-five citizens attended the Dundee forum, with all 5 candidates for the three open council seats, and the unopposed candidate for mayor.

Attendance at the Newberg Forum was approximately 50 at each session, and approximately 65 overall. All three candidates for state representative from district 25 appeared at the Newberg forum, while only the incumbent for the state senate seat was able to make it. All six of the candidates for 3 open seats on the Newberg City Council attended the second half of the Forum.

In each forum, candidates took turns making opening statements. Then they answered 6 questions, and ended with closing statements.

These forums bult on a successful forum for candidates for Yamhill County offices co-hosted by the Civility Project on May 2. That forum drew 160 people to Hoover 105 on the GF campus

The forums this fall were co-hosted by the Civility Project, the Newberg City Club, the Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Newberg/Dundee United as Neighbors group.

The Newberg Forum was live streamed, including to several venues at neighboring Friendsview Manor, where a several dozen more people watched. A video recording of the Newberg Forum is also available on line at this link.

Candidates were each given a copy of the United as Neighbors Civility Pledge and were asked to explain how they would work to bridge community divisions.

Chapter describing Civility Project view of civility published

A relatively brief description of the Civility Project's multitiered vision of civility has been published as "Robust Civility and Stewardship of the Political Culture", Chapter 17 in Quakers and the Future of Peacemaking.

Civility Project Diretor Ron Mock wrote the chapter for an anthology co-edited by George Fox professor Paul Anderson, Quaker theologian Christy Randazzo, and the late Lonnie Valentine, who was a professor of peace and justice at Earlham School of Religion.

Grounded in the realization that humans are designed to disagree, and that God chooses not to meet human needs by divine fiat, Ron builds the case for robust civility on the premise that our disagreements are precious, God-given resources for meeting human needs. Civility starts with kindness toward others, including those who disagree. But there is much more to it, including being careful stewards of our disagreements, and of our ability to work together to learn from them.

The Civility Project vision includes the following goals:

› Help people recognize

disagreements, and the

political cultures we use

to resolve them, as crucial

parts of God's loving

providence.

› Promote a vision for

stewardship of political

culture: nurturing civility

while effectively opposing

injustice.

› Offer resources to support

those working to build

civility and heal political

Civility Project supports on-campus civility promotion at George Fox.

Civility Project director Ron Mock has joined group of George Fox Student Life and Spiritual Life staff planning activities and events for GF students in preparation for November's general election.

Led by Student Activities Director Kara Holcombe, the group has been exploring ways to help students be better prepared to engage in serious political dialog without contributing to bitter, unproductive polarization.

The group is considering hosting conversations, trainings, speakers, and other events, perhaps starting with RA's and other student leaders before the academic year begins. The hope is to use the election season as a learning opportunity, to help students become more skillful at disagreeing constructively, listening well, and taking advantage of disagreement as an opportunity for all to grow in understanding God's will for us.

Thursday, September 26, 2024: Civility Project Ron Mock spoke in chapel at George Fox on the theme "Disagreement is a Gift," arguing that God designed humans to disagree as a key part of God's providential love for humanity. Since it's a providential divine gift, like any other resource, we are called to be good stewards of our disagreements by practicing robust civility toward those who disagree with us.

Thursday, September 19, 2024: Civilty Project brings Dr. Daniel Bennett to campus. Dr. Bennett urged people to find ways to build relationships across political lines as a form of living out the command to love our neighbors, and as a way to counteract the growing political polarization in America.

Bennet, author of the recently published book Uneasy Citizenship: Embracing the Tension in Faith and Politics, visited the George Fox University campus at the invitation of the Civility Project. He spoke to two classes, met with students at lunch, and gave a public talk in the evening on "Citizenship, Civility, and the Tension in Faith and Politics."

July 25 - 28, 2024: Civility Project co-sponsors booth at Newberg's Old Fashioned Festival:

Working with the Newberg/Dundee United as Neighbors group, the Civility Project co-hosted and organized a booth at the Newberg Old Fashioned Festival. This gave festival goers access to a range of civility-building activities: speedy conversations; critiques of the United as Neighbors Civility Pledge; opportunity to send written suggestions to local government officials while following Civility Pledge guidelines; chances to check out several local organizations which draw people from across political lines to work and/or play together. Over the four days of the festival, Civility Project and United as Neighbors volunteers interacted with over 100 visitors.

Summer 2024: Civility Project explores arranging community conversation for a church and its neighbors regarding services to people experiencing houselessness. This was in cooperation with the United as Neighbors group. The project was set aside when other events overtook the situation, but may be revived if opportunity arises.

Spring 2024: Civility Project consults with Oregon coastal community

Civility Project director Ron Mock traveled to a community on the Oregon coast May 10 to consult with them about how they might go about setting up a local civility-promoting effort.

Residents of the coastal community heard about the Project and its work to start and support the United as Neighbors group in Newberg and Dundee. Facing divisive conflict own in their hometown, they reached out to Ron to see if he would meet with them and help them visualize what it might look like to do similar work in their community.

On May 10, Ron listened to nine residents describe the divisions they see in their community, and the shared with them about experiences he knows about in Newberg/Dundee and other Oregon towns. He helped them begin brainstorming ideas for their community.

A tentative plan emerged. Among the possibilities:

training in listening and communicating in tough conversations led by a local trained mediator.
Ron helping a group with people from different political points of view work together to plan events and activities to build stronger relationships and possibly address community needs.
linking the coastal group with others in the region doing similar work.

Spring & Summer 2024: Work with George Fox staff p planning civility-promoting activities for fall semester: Met several times with GFU student life/spiritual life staff committee planning special events to prepare students to improve their ability to interact with robust civility when discussing political disagreements during the fall election season. This included attending a training for student leaders in August, and giving observations and feedback to training leaders.

May 2, 2024: County Elected Officials Candidates Forum.:

Working with the United as Neighbors group and the Newberg City Club, the Civility Project co-sponsored a forum for candidates for Yamhill County offices at George Fox University on the evening of May 2, 2024. Unopposed candidates for County District Attorney and County Sheriff opened with presentations about the issues they foresaw for their offices and their priorities. The second hour of the forum was devoted to a questions-and-answer session for two candidates for the one open County Commissioner seat. Candidates Bubba King and Lindsey Berschauer answered questions about county issues, their anticipated role as Commissioner, and how they intended to respond to disagreement with constituents, county staff, and other Commissioners. The event drew more than 150 in attendance, plus others who watched the streamed and recorded versions of the video.

May 2, 2024: County elected officials informal get-together:

Just before the Forum on May 2, the four candidates who participate each came early to the GFU campus for an informal get-together at George Fox. This was hosted by United as Neighbors, with the Civility Project making the venue available.

March 18, 2024: Truth, Reconciliation and Post-Apartheid South Africa:

Former GFU Associate Professor of Politics Dr. Gina Johnson returned to campus to mark the 30th anniversary of the end of South African Apartheid with an update on how that nation has done at achieving justice, and the effects of the Truth-and-Reconciliation Commission. Treating that process as a civility-building project, Dr. Johnson outlined some of the successes and shortcomings of the South African experience.

February 29, Friendsview Retirement Center, Newberg, OR: CIvility Project director Ron Mock spoke about "Disagreement as a Gift" to a group of about 40 at Friendsview Retirement Center

January 23, 2024: Mediation as Civility -- Neighbor to Neighbor Comes to Yamhill County:

The Civility Project hosted Heather Wright and Jared Rogers, two of the leaders of the Neighbor2Neighbor community mediation program based in Salem, Oregon. They described the agreement reached between N2N and Yamhill County Mediators to transfer management of community mediation efforts in Yamhill County to the more robust N2N office. Yamhill County became the fourth county served by N2N, joining Marion, Polk, and Benton counties.

November 13, 2023: The Oregon Bridge Podcast: Civil Conversation Across Partisan Lines (Hoover 105, 7:15 - 8:45). Democratic state legislator Ben Bowman and Republican political activist Reagan Knopp came to George Fox to talk about how they work together to run a remarkable Oregon politics podcast. Even though they differ distinctly in their own political views, and with the wide range of political views of their guests, they maintain positive relations with each other, and with their guests, allowing them to explore ideas and options, strategies and tactics without a lot of partisan discord or distortion. Mixed in among the stories they can tell about remarkable conversations, we learned how do they keep their relationship positive, explored how much effect they have on Oregon's political culture, and considered ways we can work to improve our state's political culture.

November 12, 2023 (11:00 AM) Ron Mock talk at Reedwood Friends Church's Forum Class. Topic: Might Curiosity Kill the Catastrophe? Civility and Stewardship of our Political Lives

October 26, 2023: United as Neighbors steering committee meeting, Newberg Drop-in Center. UasN volunteers gathered to create and consider ideas for how to help people in the Newberg/Dundee area prepare so the 2024 election season can help us strengthen (rather than despoil) our political culture.

October 20, 21, 2023: Interfaith Dialog workshop led by Interfaith America's Tina Grace: Camp Tilikum.

Students from George Fox University and Pacific University gathered for a retreat at Camp Tilikum to participate in a training experience offered by the Interfaith America organization. Students learned communication and listening skills, and practiced them in conversation about their different views on faith and life.

The GF Civility Project agreed to participate in this project as another way of exploring what robust civility looks like across differences in faith. The workshop had about 9 hours of content, which will be followed ton November 8 by another joint GF/PU session at which students will be asked to reflect on what the workship meant to them, and how they might apply the skills they learn in future conversations with those with whom the disagree.

Pacific students in the workshop include several who are concurrently taking a class in civic engagement. George Fox students include some who have taken (or are currently taking) a course in conflict resolution.

October 5: “Embracing Difference as a Gift” workshop, Oregon Main Street Conference, Independence, Oregon, 1:45m - 3:15.

Civility Project director Ron Mock joined Polly Peterson, a former colleague both at George Fox and on the Newberg School Board, to describe how the Civility Project helped create United as Neighbors, a local group nurturing a healthier political culture in the Newberg/Dundee area.

Session attenders learned about several United as Neighbors and Civility Project initiatives, including:

Community Conversations: monthly cross-partisan meetings where participants listen to each other's views on key issues in an atmosphere of respect and curiosity.
Speedy Conversations, a 5-minute chance to glimpse the potential for frank AND civil conversation by trying to listen until you can state your opponents' view to their satisfaction.
The Civility Pledge, an invitation to candidates and citizens to conduct campaigns and conversations in ways that build relationships and trust rather then destroying them.
A candidates get-together for all 10 candidates running for 5 seats on the local school board last spring .
Candidate conversations hosted by United as Neighbors last summer among some of the candidates who competed against each other for school board seats.
Candidate forums co-hosted by the Civility Project and two civic groups.
Two community forums on homelessness organized as spin-offs from the Community Conversations initiative, and
The potential for more of these kinds of events through United as Neighbors and the Civility Project.

Workshop participants got a chance to experience a Speedy Conversation, and were introduced the the three-tier model of civility developed by the Civility Project.

Connections made at the Oregon Main Street conference may open new doors for the Civility Project to encourage United as Neighbors-like groups in other communities in Oregon.

September 27: Advocating for Religious Freedom in a Polarized America.

The Civility Project recruited two focus groups representing evangelical Christians with right-of-center political views to help with a national research project exploring the potential for interfaith cooperation on issues of common concern. Twenty-three volunteers gathered September 27 in two focus groups to talk about their views on religious freedom and the possibility of interfaith cooperation between American Muslims and evangelical Christians.

About half of the group were students or employees at George Fox University. The other half was drawn broadly from the local community. The group ranged from 19 to 86 years old.

The lead researchers on this project are Asma Uddin, a religious liberty lawyer and professor at the Catholic University of America, and Andrew R. Lewis, a political science professor at the University of Cincinnati. Uddin, an observant Muslim, is the author of The Politics of Vulnerability: How to Heal Muslim-Christian Relations in a Post-Christian America. She has practiced law on religious freedom cases, and now teaches at the Catholic University law school in Washington, D.C. She is also a Religious Freedom Fellow at the Aspen Institute, which is funding the research project. Lewis, an evangelical Christian, is the author of The Right Turn in Conservative Christian Politics: How Abortion Transformed the Culture Wars. He also serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief for the journal Politics and Religion.

The research project's goal is to develop a handbook containing information on the potential for interfaith cooperation on public issues. The handbook will also suggest strategies and activities local groups can use to build dynamic, productive relationships among people who disagree, using their disagreements as sources of ideas for resolving problems and nurturing the communities where they live. Current goals include publishing the handbook as early as next year. The Civility Project will let you know when the handbook becomes available.

September 16: The Civility Project teamed up again with the United as Neighbors to host an informational booth at the first annual Denise Bacon Memorial 5K Run/Walk For Peace at the Newberg Cultural Center.

Summer 2023

July 27-30: Newberg Old Fashioned Festival: The Civility Project helped the United as Neighbors community civility group host a booth at the Newberg Old Fashioned Festival highlighting several civility-promoting efforts in the community, including the Civility Pledge, Speedy Conversations, Candidates Fairs, etc. The Civility Project arranged for Cyndi Vehrencamp to do two sessions of her "listening booth" process, and United as Neighbors hosted two conversations among recent school board candidate (in each case matching the winner and the loser for a specific seat).
Spring 2023
April 25: Oregon Mayors Association convention, Seaside, OR. I will lead a three-hour workshop for Oregon Mayors on how they can help their communities can take an active civility approach to difficult divisive issues.
April 15: 1:00 - 3:00, Hoover 105 on the GF Campus: Candidates Fair for Newberg School Board election. All the candidates running for one of the five open seats on the Newberg School Board will be invited to participate in a candidates forum, co-sponsored by the Civility Project, the Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Newberg City Club.
April 10: 7:00 - 8:30, Hoover 105 on the GF Campus: Different Approaches to Building Healthy Communities. Cindy Cosenzo (Hillsboro, OR) and Josie Newport (Sisters, OR) will talk about the very different approaches they are involved in to help their communities resist and overcome polarization. More information to come!

February 18, 2023: Workshop: Strategies for Disagreeing Civilly, Saturday, February 18, 9:00 AM - 12 noon, Lake Grove Presbyterian Church, 4040 Sunset Drive, Lake Oswego, OR. 97035.

See the recap of this event at the top of the next column.

November 29: Tuesday, November 29, 7:00 - 8:30, "What active civility looks like: The Newberg/Dundee Area Civility Pledge." (Hoover 105)

Civility Project Director Ron Mock will moderate a conversation among volunteers for the local United as Neighbors group about the Civility Pledge they helped draft. They will discuss various election campaign scenarios, true and hypothetical, in light of the Pledge. What do civility and incivility look like in the midst of political campaigns? Does the Pledge do a good job of helping identify behaviors and language that degrade our political culture? Those in attendance will have a chance to contribute to the discussion. The event will be video recorded.

October 8, 2022, Candidates Fair,

George Fox University Campus, Hoover 105. All candidates for Mayor and Newberg City Council, Yamhill County Commissioner, and two local state representative seats gave brief statements and answered questions in a series of forums starting at 10:00 AM and running to about 2:00. Co-hosted by the Civility Project, the Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Newberg City Club. Video of the forum is available.

February 18, 2023: Workshop: Strategies for Disagreeing Civilly, Saturday, February 18, 9:00 AM - 12 noon, Lake Grove Presbyterian Church, 4040 Sunset Drive, Lake Oswego, OR. 97035.

On the 18th 9 will be leading a workshop on skills and practices for being good stewards of disagreement at Lake Grove Presbyterian. Organized by a long-time colleague on the GF faculty, Dr. Jeannine Graham, this event is designed to help those who want to begin to heal division in any polity — family, congregation, business, club, or community. We’ll explore the three-tiered model of active civility, how to listen to learn and build trust, and how to find common ground and build from there toward creative, constructive, justice-building outcomes.

t’s only three hours, so we will only have time to sample the possibilities, but I hope it will be enough to show that despair and withdrawal are not our only options. I will have suggestions for how people can take next steps in active civility.

The workshop is open to anyone — not just Presbyterians! If you are interested in attending, please register by Monday, February 13th at http://bit.ly/disagreeing civilly.

November 29: Tuesday, November 29, 7:00 - 8:30, "What active civility looks like: The Newberg/Dundee Area Civility Pledge." (Hoover 105) Civility Project Director Ron Mock will moderate a conversation among volunteers for the local United as Neighbors group about the Civility Pledge they helped draft. They will discuss various election campaign scenarios, true and hypothetical, in light of the Pledge. What do civility and incivility look like in the midst of political campaigns? Does the Pledge do a good job of helping identify behaviors and language that degrade our political culture? Those in attendance will have a chance to contribute to the discussion. The event will be video recorded.

November 30: United as Neighbors Community Conversation, 7:00-8:30, at Red Hills Church (115 W 3rd Street , Newberg). Part of the United as Neighbors' various local civility-building efforts, this will be the third monthly community conversation exploring the possibility of productive conversations across political divides. Those interested in attending can RSVP to danbusch89@gmail.com.
October 27: Dr. Curtis Chang, "When Politics Strains Relationships." Dr. Chang, a nationally-known professor, pastor, and speaker, spoke at George Fox University. He offered insights from several disciplines to explain why we are so prone to split our communities into hostile camps over political issues, and what it will take to build bridges across the resulting divides. Dr. Chang's visit was organized by the University's honors program. Video of the event is available here.
October 8, 2022, Candidates Fair, George Fox University Campus, Hoover 105. All candidates for Mayor and Newberg City Council, Yamhill County Commissioner, and two local state representative seats gave brief statements and answered questions in a series of forums starting at 10:00 AM and running to about 2:00. Co-hosted by the Civility Project, the Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Newberg City Club. Video of the forum is available here.
July 28 - 31: Civility Booth at Newberg's Old Fashioned Festival, Memorial Park.People enjoying Newberg's annual Old Fashioned Festival could stop by a booth to see what's going on in a half-dozen local civility-related efforts. Under the banner "United as Neighbors", visitors found information from various projects, free stuff to help them carry the pro-civility message, and opportunities to join the work.

The Russo-Ukrainian War: What Does Civility Have to Do With It?

Johan Maurer and Stu Willcuts, who each have extensive experience in Russia and Ukraine, will explore the role civility played -- or might have played -- in the run-up to, the conduct of, and the future aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Maurer lived in Russia for ten years, and has visited many times, teaching English and working with Friends meetings there. Willcuts has worked on humanitarian development and relief projects all over the globe, and specifically in Ukraine since Russia's not-so-covert intervention in the Donbas region.

The Civility Project-sponsored event will feature conversation between these two men about what opportunities were missed, and maybe some that were seized, because of the ebbs and flows -- and ebbs -- of robust civility. Who might have done better? And how? And to what effect?

You can attend in person in Hoover 105 at George Fox, or via Zoom, by using this link. The session will be recorded.

If you plan to attend -- or even if you don't -- I recommend you read a very recent reflection by Johan Maurer: The Beautiful Russia of the Future.

MLK scholar Scott Finnie discusses ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ March 15

How does Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s hopeful, reconciling and redemptive leadership – as exhibited in his acclaimed Letter from Birmingham Jail, written in 1963 – reverberate today?

On Tuesday, March 15, George Fox University' Center for Peace Learning host a free special public presentation, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” by Dr. Scott Finnie. For more about this, go to All the Latest About Civility Projects

Mayors and community leaders from three Oregon cities discuss local civility projects March 9

Canby, Silverton and Newberg will be represented on the Local Civility Projects panel

Troubled by political polarization in their communities, leaders from three Oregon cities will share about their efforts to build local political civility in a panel discussion at George Fox University on March 9, 2022.

Silverton mayor Kyle Palmer, Newberg mayor Rick Rogers, Canby community leader Ray Keen, and Newberg Downtown Coalition executive director Polly Peterson will discuss the threats to their communities' well-being that come from bitter political divisions, and how they are working to heal those divisions and move political discourse into a more productive mode.

George Fox Civility Project director Ron Mock will moderate the conversation.

According to Mock, a broad range of political opinions is crucial to a democracy. "We need the entire range of political views to be heard if we want to do the best job of solving problems, meeting needs, doing justice, and respecting every person's rights.

"But if trust breaks down, our differences become barriers rather than assets," according to Mock. "Instead of listening to every viewpoint in a spirit of cooperation, we sink into mutual distrust and animosity. At best we see with only one eye and work with only one hand. At worst we get nothing done because we spend our energy on anger, fear, and hardball politics."

All three of the communities who will be represented in the panel discussion have experienced polarization that reflects historically high levels of division in our national politics. And each of the panel members has been involved in efforts to heal their local divisions, taking different approaches in each community.

"We wanted to get together to share notes and generate ideas for how to make real progress toward frank, healthy, productive political conversation in our towns," Mock said.

"But then we thought, why not do this in public? People from our towns can hear the discussion and maybe help us improve our ideas, or hear about ways to help. And we are not the only communities in Oregon affected by this trend toward alienation. Perhaps people from other localities can join the conversation."

There will be time for questions from the audience, including questions submitted via Zoom from those attending remotely.

The session will run from 7:00 to 8:30 PM, in room 105 of the Hoover Academic Building on the George Fox University campus. Masks will be required to attend in person, in keeping with University policy and state regulations. Those who prefer to attend remotely can connect via this Zoom link. If you have any questions you can contact the Project at civility@georgefox.edu.

November 10, 11:00 AM PST: Nonviolence International update on Jonathan Kuttab's One-State vision for Israel and Palestine. Via Zoom only.
November 15, 7:00 - 8:30 PM: Richard Etulain, "Mark Hatfield: Oregon Statesman.” Hoover 105, George Fox University.

Biographer to Speak on "Mark Hatfield: Oregon Statesman"

In our day of rampant political incivility, Richard Etulain will remind us that it doesn't need to be this way in his talk "Mark Hatfield: Oregon Statesman" at George Fox University on Monday evening, November 15.

Etulain is Professor Emeritus of History and former director of the Center for the American West at the University of New Mexico. He has written a biography of the late U.S. Senator Hatfield, covering his years in the Senate, as well as his prior career in Oregon state politics. Hatfield was elected Governor of Oregon in 1958 and 1962, after serving as Secretary of State and a state legislator.

Hatfield was a Christian whose faith blossomed during his political career, and marked not only the policies he advocated but also the way he conducted himself during political campaigns and controversies.

"Even though he was a Republican for his entire career, Hatfield was open to working across the aisle to get things done," said Civility Project Director Ron Mock. "I'm interested in learning whether he was as fair and generous to his political opponents as I remember him being. If so, he may be a worthy role model for many of our current political leaders."

The event will run from 7:00 - 8:30 in Hoover 105. Those who attend in person will be required to wear masks. It will also be available via Zoom by registering (for free) at this link.. If you have questions contact Ron Mock at civility@georgefix.edu.

Jonathan Kuttab Update on the One-State Solution for Israel and Palestine

On Wednesday November 10 at 11 AM PST, Jonathan Kuttab and Nonviolence International will host a Zoom session to update interested people on progress toward Jonathan's vision of a one-state solution for Israel and Palestine. You can join the event by following this link.

Kuttab gave two featured talks as part of the Civility Project last spring semester. In the first talk on February 4, 2021, Kuttab spoke on "Civility, Justice, and Human Rights: A Vision of Israel/Palestine as One State," outlining his vision for a single democratic nation where Israelis and Palestinians could live in peace, under a constitution featuring strong rights protecting each community's right to live and practice their respective faiths.

Kuttab came to campus in person for a second talk on March 31 on "Civility, Justice, and a Bill of Rights: Building a Successful Political Culture in the Holy Land." In that talk, Kuttab sketched how the current violent politics among Israelis and Palestinians could be transformed into nonviolence, both in the process of negotiating a new one-state constitution, and in the future after the constitution comes into effect.

This one-state vision is not the consensus prescription for the conflict in the Holy Land. The mainstream view is that there should be two states, one for Israelis and the other for Palestinians. Kuttab is skeptical such a solution is possible anymore, given the permanent settlements Israel has founded in the West Bank that would leave any Palestinian state with impractical borders and very little contiguous territory. He's also skeptical that ongoing alienation and separation can ever foster peace.

The Zoom session hosted by Nonviolence International on Wednesday will give us a chance to catch up with developments in Kuttab's project.

George Fox posts podcast with David French discussing the forces pulling America apart.

David French spoke with GF professor Abigail Favale, describing the daily aspects of current American life that are driving a chasmic wedge into our body politic. Going into details and drawing on data at a level deeper than he could in his keynote address, French gives a nuanced, textured -- and moving -- picture of our national crisis.

You can watch and/or listen to the hour-long podcast here.

French calls on Christians to heal America's politics through justice, kindness, and humility

Prominent national political commentator David French blitzed through George Fox University Monday, November 1, streaming inspiration in a 14- hour marathon sprint.

French's comments ranged widely, always pointing toward a rethinking of how Christians conduct their political lives, as candidates or voters.

"What does the Lord require of us?" French repeatedly asked, invoking Micah 6:8. "To act justly, love mercy -- sometimes translated as 'kindness', and walk humbly with your God." None of these three -- justice, kindness, or humility -- is optional for a follower of Jesus, according to French.

French carried this message, and much more, throughout the day. By the time he addressed the evening crowd of over 200 in Bauman Auditorium, plus about 115 on Zoom, he had already gotten up early to listen to oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on the new Texas abortion law; recorded from a borrowed GF faculty office his "Advisory Opinions" podcast for The Dispatch; met with students in two classes; had lunch with pre-law students; and recorded another podcast for George Fox Digital.

RECENT EVENTS

November 1, 7:00 - 8:30 PM: David French, "Jesus Loves Your Political Enemies, and America Needs You to Love Them Too.” Bauman Auditorium, George Fox University.

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If you are a student interested in law, contact Ron Mock at civility@georgefox.edu to sign up for the free lunch with David French November 1.

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CIVILITY PROJECT EXTENDED

George Fox University President Robin Baker and Civility Project director Ron Mock have agreed to extend the Project through the 2021-22 school year.

The extension will allow the Project to operate at least through the primary season of the 2022 elections, creating an opportunity to test tools for holding political candidates accountable for the civility with which they conduct their campaigns. It gives new impetus to efforts this spring to assemble an advisory group of politicians and political activists to guide the accountability effort.

The agreement renews the Project's initial mission and goals. It adds to the Project's mission a provision for extending concepts and practices about civility into local and interpersonal settings.

Project goals for next year include extending and upgrading the Project's on-line presence, hosting five on-campus events, creating and publishing materials, and building connections with other civility-promoting organizations, along with the politician accountability effort.

A special feature of the Project this year is its link each semester to a regular course being taught to GF students. This fall that course is PSCI 190 American Government. The course is covers its normal material, with a special emphasis on healthy political culture, and the role of civility in overcoming partisan polarization.

You can read the updated version of our mission and goals by clicking on the link below.

EVENTS FROM 2020-21 Academic Year

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October 19, 2020: The Project hosted a debate between two GFU professors about whom to vote for in the presidential election, to explore how such matters might be approached civilly.
October 5, 2020: Project Director Ron Mock proposed a conception of civility rooted in a conviction that politics and disagreement are keys to discovering and tapping into God's loving providence. Participants then rated two excerpts from debates (the first presidential debate between Trump and Biden, and a hypothetical presidential debate between two fictional characters). The event closed with a good Q&A session.

Watch the October 2020 events

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