wfn.org | United Methodists will mark Sept. 11 in variety of ways

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Aug. 1, 2002 News media contact: Linda Green7(615)742-54707Nashville, Tenn.
10-21-71BP{338)

NOTE: Photographs are available with this report.

A UMNS Report
By Linda Green*

Sept. 11, 2001. Everyone knows the date. Nine eleven. Nine one one. A day
that left an indelible mark on America's psyche. A day of horror, fear,
anger, sorrow. 

As the anniversary of the terrorist attacks approaches, United Methodists
across the country and around the world are planning to commemorate the day
in a variety of ways.

"Sept. 11 memorial services will set the anniversary remembrance in the
context of faith -- the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus," says the
Rev. James McGraw, pastor of John Street United Methodist Church in lower
Manhattan. "This will be a eucharistic remembrance of the lives lost,
sacrifices made and hope still present in our faith in Christ Jesus."

This summer, United Methodist bishops encouraged congregations to set aside
Sunday, Sept. 8, as a day of remembrance, and proclaimed September "United
Methodist Open House Month." The request for the bishops' actions came from
Igniting Ministry staff at United Methodist Communications, which
established Open House Month in 2001 to coincide with the debut of the
denomination's TV advertising effort. A church TV spot called "Amen,"
prepared in remembrance of the tragedy, will air twice on NBC's "The Today
Show" on Sept. 11.

The denomination's Web site, www.umc.org, will unveil a new feature called
"Remembering 9/11" on Aug. 12. The site will honor the lives lost on Sept.
11, and celebrate the volunteers and ministries that reached out to those in
need. It will feature reflections from people directly affected by the
tragedies, and United Methodists will share written and video accounts of
how their personal faith journeys have changed.

Interpreter magazine, the official program journal of the denomination, has
provided a list of United Methodist resources addressing the complexity of
the events of Sept. 11 and their aftermath. At the request of the church's
Council of Bishops, the magazine created the guide to assist United
Methodists in planning services and continuing responses to the tragedy.

Church services

Many congregations will offer their facilities as community gathering places
to remember the terrorist attacks and to pray for wisdom, comfort, healing,
peace and recovery. The United Methodist Board of Discipleship has developed
services of remembrance, prayer resources, and hymns and music for
commemorating Sept. 11. All are available at
www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp.

Near Ground Zero, John Street United Methodist Church will host the New York
Annual Conference's remembrance service on Sept. 11. The church, two blocks
from the former World Trade Center towers, will also be recognized for its
role in the recovery efforts. The building was covered in soot and dust
after the towers fell. In the days and weeks that followed the attacks, the
Rev. James R. McGraw, pastor, offered petitions to God from the altar. Those
petitions have been published in a book, Prayers From Ground Zero.

During the recent New York Annual Conference session, members received
packets of seeds to take home and plant, in keeping with the "Plant It
Forward" theme. The flowers or plants grown from the seeds will be placed on
the altar of a church on Sept. 8 in commemoration.'

In Pennsylvania, a memorial service will be held at the site where United
Airlines Flight 93 crashed. Passengers on the flight had rushed the
hijackers who were in control of the plane - an act that is believed to have
pre-empted a second attack on Washington. Somerset County officials will
conduct the service in honor of the 40 passengers and crewmembers that died.
The service, planned for the anniversary, will be conducted near the crash
site in rural Stonycreek Township. A makeshift memorial there has attracted
visitors from around the world. 

"By formal request of the Flight 93 families, the memorial service program
will be a simple, solemn ceremony," said Susan Hankinson, Somerset County
Flight 93 coordinator.  "People here and across the county believe the first
battle in the war against terrorism was won in the skies over Stonycreek
Township."

During the service, a bell of remembrance will be rung, and similar bells
will be sounded at crash sites in Arlington, Va., and New York City at
10-second intervals in memory of each person who died at those locations.

In Washington, Bishop Felton Edwin May will preach at a special Sept. 11
evening service at Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church. As the
national church of American Methodism, established in 1852 by General
Conference, Metropolitan is inviting all the United Methodist members of
Congress as well as representatives of the Pentagon to participate. The
church will also have an all-day prayer vigil.

The Virginia Annual Conference's Alexandria and Arlington districts, which
have many residents who work at the Pentagon and other military facilities,
will host an all-day event on Sept. 7 called "Seeds of Remembrance: Planting
A Garden of Hope" at Camp Highroad, a church camp in Middleburg, Va. Bible
study and other activities for all ages are planned. Workshops will address
how to deal with fear as well as how to reconcile the Old Testament's
sanction of violence and revenge with Jesus' emphasis on peace and love.
Throughout the day, a garden will be created, featuring a flagpole bought
with pennies collected from children and a statue made from "violent toys"
donated by children. 

St. George's United Methodist Church in Fairfax, Va., will conduct a
"Service of Remembrance and Honor," which will include a mini-concert of
patriotic selections by a local ensemble. The community around the church
will be encouraged to attend. Several members of the church were working at
the Pentagon when the attacks occurred, but none was seriously injured.

Another church, Messiah United Methodist in Springfield, Va., will present
Mozart's "Requiem" to honor those who died, with a concert choir comprising
singers from across northern Virginia. 
And in Roanoke, Cave Spring United Methodist Church will host a "Service of
Peace and Ice Cream." With an emphasis on music, the service will focus on
peace, Christian love and service to others, followed by an ice-cream social
to bring people together in fellowship.

Like many congregations, Shiloh United Methodist Church in Hagerstown, Md.,
will conduct a remembrance service on Sept. 11, using music, words and
images to reflect on the attacks and bring participants closer to God and
one another.

PowerPoint slide presentations will be included in a Sept. 15 memorial
service at First United Methodist Church in Memphis, Mich. Pictures of the
aftermath of the attacks will be shown as the "Battle Hymn of the Republic"
plays in the background. A second showing, with the hymn "Amazing Grace"
softly playing, will feature the rescue workers who died. Patriotic music,
special offerings by members of the congregation and graphics also will be
included.

The Paducah District of the Kentucky Annual Conference is planning a circuit
of prayer on Sept. 14. The district's 65 churches will be asked to open
their sanctuaries that day, and people will be encouraged to pray in a
church that is not their own. A laity rally will be held on Sept. 15.

In Louisiana, the churches of the Lake Charles District are planning a
citywide service of remembrance and healing on Sept. 11 at the local civic
center. Initiated by First United Methodist Church in Lake Charles, the
program will be a community event involving church officials, the mayor's
office, law enforcement, emergency medical services, the fire department,
the military, other churches and the media.

First United Methodist Church in Farmington, N.M., has advertised a
community service of thanksgiving and healing on the evening of Sept. 11.
This service will recognize how God has already brought healing to the
nation and world and single out continued needs for prayer.

A United Methodist in New Mexico raised $1,000 by making origami "peace
doves" and sent the money to assist with relief in New York. For the
anniversary celebration, she is working on her second thousand and will also
send that for relief.

North Scottsdale United Methodist Church in Phoenix has scheduled a
Taize-style service for Sept. 8. Central United Methodist Church in
Spartanburg, S.C., will offer the community a chance to walk a hand-painted
labyrinth during a special Sept. 11 service. In addition to using a special
liturgy on Sept. 8, St. John United Methodist Church in Anchorage, Alaska,
will hold a service of remembrance on Sept. 11.

Participants in a Sept. 11 healing and wholeness service at Martin United
Methodist Church in Bedford, Texas, will celebrate the diversity in the
Christian faith community and how it can help America and the world heal. 

Reynoldsburg United Methodist Church in Columbus, Ohio, will have a service
beginning at 8:30 a.m. From 8:48 a.m., the time the first plane crashed into
one of the World Trade Center towers, to 6:30 p.m., readers will name the
dead. From 6:30 to 8 p.m., the church will hold a memorial service. 
 
In Salinas, Calif., clergy from Sacred Heart Catholic Parish, First United
Methodist, St. Paul's Episcopal, Northminster Presbyterian and First Baptist
churches are planning a community service, and Temple United Methodist
Church in San Francisco will conduct a service that will be "in keeping with
our biblical traditions" to "pray for those who persecute us."

Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis will use the theme "Fear Not" as
it marks the anniversary of the attacks. The tragedy will be a focus during
worship services on Sept. 8, and a noon service of remembrance and evening
candlelight service on Sept. 11. A Bible lecture series, "Understanding the
Crisis in the Middle East," is planned for Sept. 15-17. 

Trinity United Methodist Church in Denver will host a citywide memorial
service. A rabbi, imam and a Catholic archbishop have been invited to
attend. 

Common Cup, a cooperative ministry of six United Methodist churches in
southeast Portland, Ore., will hold a service of memory and hope for the
community on Sept. 11 at Trinity United Methodist Church. An hour before the
7 p.m. service begins, representatives from the Oregon Peace Institute will
host a discussion of peace and justice issues. The preceding Sunday, members
of each church will be asked to label a small box with a prayer expressing a
hope, dream or expectation for the future. These boxes will be brought to
the altar, where they will be used in building a "bridge from disaster to
the future." 

St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Milwaukie, Ore., will recognize people
who serve the community and have done "special deeds" during the year at an
event called "Celebrating Special People." The Sept. 11 event will be open
to the public and will provide a gathering place to rest, remember and share
stories that relate to the community. 

Campus events

United Methodists also will remember the day through ecumenical gatherings
at church-related schools and elsewhere. One such gathering will be held on
an Army base in Germany. Closer to home, the five facilities and corporate
offices of the Methodist Healthcare System will conduct memorial services
for staff. 

Seminaries such as United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, and
Claremont (Calif.) School of Theology are planning services. 

Keene (N.H.) State College will conduct a "Vigil of Remembrance" on Sept.
11, with candles, music and reflections by students and staff. Forums
designed to discuss the national response will be held throughout the month.

The campus ministry program at Monmouth (Ill.) College has planned an
interfaith service for the campus community and the city. The evening
program will include readings from different faiths, and the local United
Methodist minister will participate.

The United Methodist campus minister and the Religious Advisers Association
at Emporia (Kan.) State University have planned an evening candlelight
program for Sept. 11. The focus will be on remembering those lost in the
tragedy and understanding cultural differences.

Southern Methodist University in Dallas is planning a 24-hour vigil
beginning on Sept. 10, which will culminate with a silent candlelight
service and will include an early morning prayer service on Sept. 11 at the
flagpole. The school also will have a daylong series of lectures and
discussions, and a service-career fair in response to President Bush's call
to community service.  

Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark., is planning a candlelight
prayer vigil, and the Wesley Foundation at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill has scheduled a service of remembrance. Huston-Tillotson
College in Austin, Texas, will conduct a student-led memorial service on
Sept. 11 to remember the people who gave their lives for America.

At Young Harris (Ga.) College, a candlelight service at the campus flagpole
will highlight the school's commemoration of Sept. 11. The chapel service
will help the school remember the day in song, words and prayers. Claflin
University in Orangeburg, S.C., will hold a memorial service for the
community, while Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., is planning a service
focusing on the unity that helped the country get through the tragedy.

Emory University in Atlanta is planning a week of events, including a blood
drive, a community art project, various volunteer projects, lectures and
panel discussions. Sept. 11 activities will begin with a prayer vigil. An
evening gathering of student groups and faculty members will feature spoken
reflections, dance and song, followed by a community dinner and vigil.

Ohio Northern University in Ada will hold its first chapel service of the
academic year on Sept. 11. A service and message to help students, staff and
faculty commemorate the day is planned, and those will be broadcast live on
the university's cable system. At Paine College in Augusta, Ga., the
anniversary will coincide with the fall convocation, and prayers and
reflections on the tragedy will be interspersed throughout the event.

At American University in Washington, a morning worship service will be
followed by a campus event to remember the alumni who were killed at the
Pentagon, World Trade Center and on American Airlines Flight 93. A plaque,
bearing the names of the alumni killed, will be dedicated. The school also
will host discussions and show movies dealing with issues related to Sept.
11.

Drew University in Madison, N.J., will hold a daylong program that will
include an interfaith dialogue and discussion about religious pluralism.
Students at Indiana University-Purdue University in Fort Wayne, Ind., will
participate in an interfaith, communitywide remembrance on Sept. 11 that
will originate from the mayor's office.  

Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse (N.Y.) University is hosting a series of events
called "One Year Later" Sept. 10-15 to provide reflective learning
experiences for students. Chapel officials plan to involve all members of
the university community through "satellite" events. 

As Sept. 11 approaches, more services will certainly be planned around the
denomination. United Methodists can check with their local churches, annual
conference offices or church-related schools for events in their areas.
# # #
*Green is a news writer with United Methodist News Service in Nashville,
Tenn.

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
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