The Songwriting Cohort focuses on justice-centered songwriting, exploring the historical role of songwriters in shaping social consciousness and teaching fellows to craft songs that inspire societal change.

SONGWRITING

JOIN WAITLIST FOR THE 2027-2028 PAX FELLOWSHIP

The PAX Fellowship

In-Person Retreat
The Fellowship includes an in-person retreat August 28-30 in Scottsdale, AZ. Canadian Fellows: August 29 in GTA.

15 Virtual Sessions
Contemplation, instruction, and connection for two hours twice monthly at 4PM PST; September 2026 to April 2027.

2 Spiritual Direction Sessions
Attend one-on-one contemplative sessions for mental health and spiritual life from a spiritual director of Color.

PAX Showcase
Contribute within your cohort to the culminating showcase for the PAX community in April 2027.

Monthly Keynotes
Learn from leading voices on contemplative activism and cultural identity.

Group Facilitation
Learn from expert facilitators in your area of focus to further your craft and call.

The Songwriting Cohort focuses on justice-centered songwriting, exploring the historical role of songwriters in shaping social consciousness and teaching fellows to craft songs that inspire societal change.

  • It is designed for aspiring songwriters who want to grow, experiment, and develop their creative and technical songwriting skills.

  • Learning centers on writing songs that challenge injustice, engage the social conscience, and blend artistic expression with activism.

  • Sessions run biweekly from September to May, covering topics like context and calling, influential artists, songwriting structure, praise and protest, developing verses and choruses, and completing and presenting original songs.

  • Fellows participate in collaborative groups and online spaces, are expected to engage and follow community etiquette, and complete a culminating project.

Jalen Seawright

Songwriting
Cohort Facilitator

HEAR FROM JALEN

Jalen is a Pastor, Community Activist and Justice Advocate. He and his wife reside in the Metro-Detroit area and have three beautiful daughters. He is an experienced musician influenced by the sounds of Motown and Detroit Gospel. Jalen has spent most of his life serving churches in Michigan’s urban core and continues to serve as a worship leader, music director, and preacher in the Metro-Detroit region. In recent years, Jalen has traveled throughout the country teaching and training churches and organizations how to leverage art to serve the mission of Justice in their communities. Jalen is currently a songwriter and contributor within the Common Hymnal ecosystem. Common Hymnal is a virtual hymnbook stocked with forward-facing content from the spiritual underground, channeling an eclectic art movement in which praise and protest live side by side.

  • Early Admission is open February 16 to February 27, 2026. Early admission is only offered to those on our waitlist. 

    Open enrollment is open from March 2, 2026 to June 15, 2026, or when enrollment has reached capacity. There are a limited number of spots available in each cohort for a total of 100 fellows.

  • PAX Fellowship In-Person Connection + Contemplative Retreat 

    Aug 28-30, 2026


    Virtual sessions will take place on Tuesdays, 4pm-6pm PST / 7pm-9pm EST. 

    Session 1: Sept 8, 2026

    Session 2: Sept 22, 2026

    Session 3: Oct 6, 2026

    Session 4: Oct 20, 2026

    Session 5: Nov 3, 2026

    Session 6: Nov 17, 2026

    Session 7: Jan 5, 2027

    Session 8: Jan 19, 2027

    Session 9: Feb 2, 2027

    Session 10: Feb 16, 2027

    Session 11: Mar 2, 2027

    Session 12: Mar 16, 2027

    Session 13: Mar 30, 2027 Keynote & Survey

    Session 14: April 13, 2027 Showcase

    Session 15: April 27, 2027 Goodbye Session

  • The PAX Fellowship Connection + Contemplation Retreat kicks off the PAX Fellowship and is an integral part of the experience as a PAX Fellow.

    Start Date: Friday, August 28 at 4:30pm

    End Date: Sunday, August 30 at 1:00pm

    Location: Franciscan Renewal Center
    5802 E. Lincoln Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85253
    Just 20 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

    Canadian Date: Saturday, August 29
    Time & Location: TBD in GTA

    Lodging, meals, and materials are included in the cost of tuition. Fellows are responsible for their own travel arrangements to the retreat.

    Additional details will be included upon admittance to the PAX Fellowship. Should you have any questions about the Retreat and the impact it has on your cohort, please reach out to our Fellowship Director, Rachel, at fellowship@madeforpax.org.

  • Tuition per fellow is $2,000. While this figure reflects the true cost of architecting the fellowship, we believe that the opportunity for mentorship and instruction belongs to all Christians of color and are committed to reducing financial barriers to participation. That’s why we’re offering tiered tuition with scholarships ranging from $1000 - $1300, affording you the agency to choose tuition that best aligns with your current financial circumstance.

    These tuition tiers are made possible by the generosity of donors and foundations. 

    • Alumni: $700 - two payments of $350 (scholarship amount of $1300)

    • Tier 1:$800 - two payments of $400 (scholarship amount of $1200)

      If your financial picture is such that paying more would not be feasible, please select this tuition tier and know that we welcome you with open arms.

    • Tier 2: $900 - two payments of $450 (scholarship amount of $1100)

      Suggested dues for the PAX Fellowship

    • Tier 3: $1000 - two payments of $500 (scholarship amount of $1000)

      If your season allows you to comfortably pay this amount, you'll help offset the lower tier for those for whom tuition represents a greater barrier to access.

    • Tier 4: $800 - three payments at $200, $300, and $300 (scholarship amount of $1200)

      If your financial picture is such that paying more would not be feasible and you’d like a three part-payment plan, please select this tuition tier and know that we welcome you with open arms.

    The first tuition payment is due within 3 days of acceptance into the Fellowship and is non-refundable. A Stripe payment link will be included with your acceptance letter. For all additional payments, your payment method on file will be automatically charged 25 business days after the first payment has been submitted, and is non-refundable. For Tier 4, your third payment will be charged 25 days after your second payment and is non-refundable.


    Beyond our tiered tuition, if finances prohibit your participation, then we encourage you to consider asking your family, church, mentor, or employer to support your continued education by sponsoring your enrollment in the fellowship. Link to a Sponsorship Letter Template will be included with your acceptance letter. 

    Financial Aid

    If tuition continues to be a barrier beyond the scholarship tiers and the sponsorship letter, you may answer the financial aid question in the application to be considered for additional aid toward Tier 1 or Tier 4 tuition. Financial aid requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and awarded as funds are available. You will be notified via email on the status of your financial aid request.

  • Hospitality and Belonging

    PAX draws from Franciscan spirituality rooted in radical hospitality for all God’s image bearers. We honor each person’s God-given uniqueness, background, story, and identity, believing they can encounter the Divine through the created world, others, and experiences. We strive to uplift voices from diverse perspectives through embodied faith expressed under the tent of belonging. We welcome, accept, and affirm every individual’s worth as a reflection of God’s love made plain in creation. Our Franciscan way embraces the primacy of Christ and the richness of Christian faith expressed through incarnational presence. In our effort to pursue justice, peace, and care for all creation, we reject supremacy that harms image bearers or God’s beloved world.

    Wonder and Wisdom

    We understand that with diversity comes disagreement and tension. Therefore we value thoughtful dialogue and embrace tension, as these are key components of contemplative Christianity. We challenge PAX Fellows to wonder with the topics presented in the PAX Fellowship, and encourage thoughtful prayer and reflection. Our aim is to support Fellows in a deeper relationship with the Divine and others. Fellows are expected to interact constructively with those holding different denominational and theological perspectives. We recognize the difference between healthy disagreement and harmful behavior, therefore we do not allow bullying, harassment, hatred, or violence.


    Contemplation and Action

    We are contemplative activists. Our practice holds silence and stillness as sacred tools for transformation; personally and collectively. We draw from Black and Brown Christian faith traditions that have long practiced deep reflection, communal prayer, and creative resistance first practiced by the Desert Mothers and Fathers of North Africa and later embodied by the Civil Rights Movement. Contemplation for us is not withdrawal from the world, but a way of grounding our action in love, justice, and presence. Rather than emptying our minds, we fill our mind and heart with the knowledge and presence of Christ in our contemplative practice.

  • View syllabus for the Songwriting Cohort here.

  • The PAX Fellowship is for you if you…

    • identify as a Christian of color, are between the ages of 25-45, and practice a non-syncretic* expression of Christianity

    • can commit to attending the in-person PAX Fellowship Retreat in August 2026 in Scottsdale, AZ 

    • are able to attend and engage in 15 sessions taking place September 2026 to April 2027

    • desire to be with Christians of different theological and denominational backgrounds with the shared values of justice, peace, and contemplation

    • maintain your sense of self in spaces with people of differing perspectives

    • engage in civil discourse and disagreement respectfully

    • wish to learn practical ways of Christian contemplation and apply these principles into your everyday life

    • seek opportunities to deepen your relationship with God

    • are committed to upholding the PAX values statement for the entirety of your engagement with our community and programming

    *We define non-syncretic expression of Christianity as an expression of Christianity that does not blend, incorporate, or combine elements of other religions or belief systems, and is exclusively Christian in nature.

  • Each cohort will vary in size, but each cohort will have a minimum of 5 people and a maximum of 15 people. Last year, the Songwriting Cohort had 15 Fellows.

  • The PAX Fellowship kicks off with an in-person retreat in Scottsdale, AZ.

    The PAX Fellowship Connection + Contemplation Retreat is the time to meet in-person with your Cohort and Facilitator, engaging in fellowship, instruction, worship, and community. You will also be able to connect + grow with other PAX Fellows and leaders in PAX community.

    Lodging and meals are included in the PAX Fellowship tuition.

    More details included upon admission to the PAX Fellowship.

  • Please reach out at fellowship@madeforpax.org and the PAX Team will get back to you as quick as we can!

FELLOWSHIP FAQ

Here are the most frequently asked questions about The PAX Fellowship.

TESTIMONIALS

“PAX has given me space to breathe and actually take time to imagine and dream. Not only have I grown in my creative skills but I’ve experienced a deep sense of community and family who truly got me, where I could come just as I was and bring the fullness of myself into our space and know that I would be welcomed and loved. It has changed my imagination for what belonging can be and look like in future spaces and how I want to build that room for others.”

Rebecca Catoe
University Chaplain
PAX Alumni | 2023-2024 Fellow

“PAX is so foundational in my true unashamed journey partnering my creativity and my walk with Christ. My creativity hasn’t been at a greater high.”

Mallory Ferguson
Photographer and Creative
PAX Alumni | 2023-2024 Fellow

“PAX provides a space to learn, grow, and be in community with like-minded Christians of color. There is no other space like it! We share our vision, desolations, and Gospel-inspired dreams for the world based on our unique lived experiences, and we do so in an environment that wants to see the divine work assigned to each of our souls come to fruition and nurture the process. PAX is that soil.”

Jessica Sun
Activist and Organizer
PAX Alumni | 2024-2025 Fellow

“I was encouraged to have a space of likeminded believers of color to dream with, process with, and learn with. ​​I have more newfound hope in the ways the body of Christ can be equipped to impact the world in intentional ways.”

Raechel Chen
Church Administrator
PAX Alumni | 2024-2025 Fellow