When many hear the word shalom, it is interpreted as a standard greeting or a somewhat vague and nondescript “peace.”
According to Robert Linthcum (2003), the true meaning of shalom is much deeper and encapsulates the Hebrew understanding of the world as God intended it to be
In other words, it is a vision for wholeness in all relationships: our relationship with God, self, others, and all of creation.
As will be explained further in What we do, ASM strives to see shalom in terms of children developing holistically, churches addressing all forms of poverty while promoting human flourishing, and community members enjoying lives restored to wholeness in all their relationships.