JustPeace Table

The roundtable links the experience of communion to the work of reconciliation in our world. The walnut pedestal, with its ring of cherry, evokes the well from which we draw the sustaining power to participate in the work of reconciliation. The maple top centers on the bubbling waters of renewal issuing forth in a mosaic of glass tiles. The four walnut mandorlas depict not only a cross but also the compass points embracing our world. The wheat and grapes, made of poplar, cherry and purpleheart inlays, remind us of the nurture and sacrifice necessary to the work of reconciliation. The dove, made from holly, calls on the spirit that enables people to come to the table from all languages, cultures, and nationalities. The feather, made of zebrawood, draws on Native American traditions, where it authorizes the conversation of equal voices in council with one another.

The table was commissioned by Thomas Porter, Director of JustPeace, a movement originating in the United Methodist Church to advance restorative justice principles and practices. It resides in the Wellesley Congregational Village Church, Wellesley, Massachusetts. The table was featured on the cover of Conflict and Communion: Reconciliation and Restorative Justice at Christ’s Table, ed. Thomas Porter (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2006).

In 2012, to celebrate Tom Porter’s retirement from his post as Executive Director of JustPeace, I made the round talking piece, taking the crossed mandorla in walnut and ash, surrounding a blue glass globule. It is about 8 inches in diameter.

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