By Tim Sullivan 

As we turn the page on 2025, I often hear people say, ‘Thank God.’ Indeed, it was truly a violent year. There is much peace building still needed in our world and in our country. 2026 is starting out with state-sponsored violence in Minneapolis that we could not have imagined. It's hard for me to believe that the people who elected our current administration condone this type of violence.  

In response, the people of Minneapolis, Minnesota and elsewhere are demonstrating a type of non-violent resistance that is certainly inspiring me to do more. At this moment in time, I believe we are all called to some form of non-violent resistance. There are many forms of non-violent action. While we might all like to be in the streets in Minneapolis, it's just not possible for all of us to join them. I suspect that most Servas members are doing non-violent peace building in their own communities. I believe being an active member of Servas is a form of non-violent peace building. It's clear our work is still needed, important, and we need to grow our efforts. Despair is not the answer. We must continue to engage with peace building and as our new board member Jeff says, “Find joy in the beauty of our world”. 

I am grateful to all the USServas volunteers who support our mission. I'm especially thankful for the new team of board members elected this past October. While I'm just getting to know them, my first impression is that this is a talented group of folks that care about peace building. In our recent retreat, we outlined some priorities for 2026. Our objectives include a foundational emphasis on communication and relationship development in our efforts to build peace.  

There's a line in Rumi's poem 'The Road Home' that rings true to me. It says: "The essence of every human being can see, and what that essence-eye takes in, the being becomes." People become what they experience and what they take in. Travel and actual conversations with others make this happen. Isn’t this what Servas does? Through our hospitality, we help transform hearts by offering the experience of others. 

A Ken Untener prayer that Archbishop Oscar Romero often used, has been an inspiration to me when I felt my work wasn’t accomplishing enough. Romero was assassinated by the USA supported El Salvador government in 1980. This prayer makes it clear we are not expected to do it all, and we cannot know how our SERVAS hospitality might change some person’s life. Here is an edited version of the prayer: 

"Prophets of a Future Not Our Own," 

This is what we are about: We plant seeds that one day will grow. 

We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. 

We lay foundations that will need further development.  

We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities. 

We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. 

This enables us to do something, and to do it well. 

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way.  

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders. 

Your involvement with Servas may plant seeds beyond your wildest imagination! Help us expand the foundation we lay. Invite your neighbors and friends to join us in our non-violent peace building. And if you're looking for new ways to be more active in peace building, join our volunteer team. We may not be in the streets of Minneapolis, but we are planting seeds of future peace! 

Thank you for being a peace worker for USSERVAS. 

Tim