Faith communities to gather Sept. 15-18 for the James Atwood Institute for Congregational Courage

For people who are alarmed by gun violence, the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship invites you to join clergy, lay leaders, and church members at the James Atwood Institute for Congregational Courage, taking place September 15–18 at Heartland Retreat Center near Kansas City, Missouri. 

Now in its third year, the Atwood Institute is a national gathering to equip faith communities to respond to gun violence with practical, pastoral, and prophetic action. Prior Institutes were held at Ghost Ranch Retreat Center in New Mexico and at the Massanetta Springs Camp and Conference Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

“We are eager to come to the Midwest,” said the Rev. Margery Rossi, the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship’s Minister for Gun Violence Prevention. “There is a moral center in our nation that yearns to prevent the bloodshed that is happening across America. The Atwood Institute will help congregations put that moral calling into action.”

Registration for the 2026 Atwood Institute is now open here, including scholarship information.

In 2025, more than 38,000 Americans died from gun violence, which is the number one cause of death for children and teens.

Named for the Presbyterian prophet of gun violence prevention, the late Rev. James Atwood, the 2026 Institute will feature keynote speaker the Rev. Jer Swigart, a nationally recognized leader in conflict transformation and faith-based peacemaking. Director of the Global Immersion Project, Swigart’s ministry focuses on equipping leaders to navigate division, building relationships across differences, and responding to violence with courage and clarity. He is the author of “The Everyday Peacemaking Workbook” and coauthor of “Mending the Divides: Creative Love in a Conflicted World.” From his roots in evangelical Christianity, Swigart will address the spiritual formation that has led to our nation’s crisis of gun violence — and how we can move in a new direction.

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Each day at the Atwood Institute, participants will engage in hands-on training, workshops, and collaborative learning designed to support real-world action in congregations and communities. The Institute centers both practical skill-building and spiritual grounding, helping participants move from concern to a sustained engagement to save lives.

The Atwood Institute is open to participants from all denominations and backgrounds, with a focus on equipping Christian congregations. Individuals and teams from congregations will:

• Receive hands-on training for initiatives like Guns to Gardens and secure gun storage projects
• Learn effective strategies for teaching, preaching and organizing on gun violence prevention
• Engage in training around trauma, and spiritual care at times of gun violence
• Network with others who are advocating for gun violence prevention across the country.

As a participant in last year’s Atwood Institute, West Virginia Presbyterian Leslie Williams reflected: “I got such a sense that this is church. I took away with me language to use with my congregation and information to make me a more skilled leader. I took away a position in a movement and a sense of community — not just being at the forefront of gun violence prevention by myself, but being surrounded and led by so many others. I will carry this in my heart forever.”   

Reserve your space at the Atwood Institute for Congregational Courage. Space is limited and registration is now open.