Dr. Célestin Musekura is a native of Rwanda and a naturalized American citizen. He is the Founder and President of African Leadership And Reconciliation Ministries Incorporated (ALARM, Inc.), a nonprofit, tax exempt 501 C 3 organization founded in 1994 in response to the Rwanda genocide to respond to the crisis by training servant leaders who are involved in tribal reconciliation and prevention of violent conflicts in Rwanda and East Africa. The vision of ALARM is Africa without violent conflicts The mission of ALARM is to develops servant leaders in the African Church and communities who reconcile and transform lives affected by violent conflicts and injustice. The ALARM US office is in Dallas, Texas with national registered offices in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda and a staff of 60 nationals.  

Celestin received a Bachelor of Theology at Kenya Highlands Bible College, a Diploma in Private Investigation from Ashworth College (Atlanta, GA/USA), a Master of Divinity at Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST) in Kenya, a Master of Science in Justice Administration and Leadership at the University of Texas at Dallas (Texas)  and a Ph.D. in Theological Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary (Dallas, Texas).  His published works include his doctoral research on Contemporary Models of Forgiveness and co-authored a book with Dr. L. Gregory Jones, former Dean of Duke University Divinity School on Forgiving as We’ve Been Forgiven: Community Practices for Peace (Intervarsity Press, 2010). Dr. Musekura specializes in Communal Forgiveness, Conflict Prevention and Management, and Restorative Justice.  He is a Credentialed Mediator by the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association. His community services include serving in the Volunteers in Police Services (VIPS) with the Richardson Police Department and in the Richardson Rotary Club. 

Meeting Agenda:

Celestin will share recent trip to Kampala, Uganda where he participated in the annual African Great Lakes Institute (GLI) where he was involved in the training of 107 religious leaders, peacemakers, social justice activists from 13 countries of East and Central Africa, representing 11 different organizations working in conflict prevention and mediation, peace building, tribal reconciliation, and social justice. GLI fosters Christian leadership for reconciliation in a context torn apart by multiple divides and where communities and nations are yearning for healing and reconciliation because of cycles of violent conflict and wars, widespread social injustices, and inequalities. GLI provides space and resources for the equipping, reflection, and renewal of Christian leaders; and helps provide a Christian foundation for transformative peace building and reconciliation that is theological, contextual, and practical.