wfn.org | Take A Stand for Peace and Justice on Sept. 24

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N E W S   R E L E A S E
For Immediate Release: September 7, 2005
 
Statement by Moderator-elect of Metropolitan Community Churches:
"Take A  Stand for Peace and Justice on Sept. 24

A Message To  U.S. Congregations 
>From The Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson
MCC  Moderator-elect
 
Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called Children of God... If  
someone hits you on the right cheek, offer the other as well.... Love your  
enemies and pray for those who persecute you, in this way you will be 
Children of 
God in heaven...  (Gospel of Matthew,  Chapter 5)

Dear Faithful Friend: 

Those of us who  have studied these words of Jesus over the years have come 
to realize that his  words call us not to passive resignation but to stand 
boldly for what we most  fervently believe in: the value,  dignity and worth
of 
all life.  

As we in Metropolitan Community Churches prepare to launch a new  ten-year 
initiative that will focus on human rights around the globe, it is 
imperative 
that we, as people and communities of faith in the United States,  take our 
place with the more than 150 other faith-based organizations that  have
already 
signed on to the "United for Peace and Justice March on  Washington" on 
September 24th in Washington, D.C. 

Many  have died already. The figures we see daily -- the names and faces of 
young men  and women printed in our newspapers -- do not include the many
Iraqi 
civilians  and soldiers who have also perished. And we now know beyond a 
shadow of a doubt  that no weapons of mass destruction existed in Iraq and we
know 
with certainty	that the Iraqi people were not responsible for the attacks of

September 11,  2001, in the United States. 

The call to march for peace, to bring  all troops home, to end military 
occupation and to redirect our nation's  resources, both human and material,
toward 
things such as 
housing and health  care and education, is not about political allegiance or 
party 
affiliation  and does not take away from our deepest respect for those who 
have made  
choices of conviction that led to great sacrifice. The call to march  for 
peace is about 
honoring our firm conviction that we are all the beloved Children of God. It 
is that simple. 

We are a  divergent people of many political persuasions and alliances. We 
hold many views  on our nation's policies and how best to express our love
for 
the land we call  the United States and the principles it seeks to stand on.

And I  want to affirm that, as throughout MCC's history, neither the 
Moderator nor  the Elders nor any other MCC leader has the right to tell you
how to 
believe,  vote, or exercise your personal convictions.

But, I am  personally persuaded that now is the time to lift our voices for 
peace, and that  we can do so by taking a stand, along with many other faith 
communities, on  September 24.	Both Rev. Elder Perry and I have already
added 
our personal  endorsements to the "United for Peace and Justice March on  
Washington."

The one thing we all hold in common is our  belief in the Gospel and its 
imperative that we reverence all life as if coming  into the very presence of

Christ (Matthew 25). 

We can have a  foreign policy based on justice and compassion for all.

We can honor the  right to life and equal dignity for all.

We can honor our dead by telling  the truth about what happened on September 
11th four years ago and working to  end the violence that took so many lives 
then and that continues to claim  so many now. 

Together, we can make a difference in our world. I  invite you to prayerfully

consider participating in the upcoming March on  Washington.

On September 24, I will be in Australia for the  international events that 
are part of my journey to the Moderator's  Installation. I am pleased that
Rev. 
Pat Bumgardner, senior pastor of MCC New  York, will be my personal 
representative at the "United for Peace  and Justice March on Washington" and
will 
represent us at the Interfaith	Service that will be part of the DC
mobilization 
the following day, on Sunday,  September 25. 

Please let me know if you and members of your  community of faith will be 
part of this massive march for peace on September  24th by writing to me at 
_info@MCCchurch.org_ (mailto:info@MCCchurch.org) . You will also find 
information 
on buses and seat bookings through United for Peace and  Justice at _  
www.unitedforpeace.org/ride_ (http://www.unitedforpeace.org/ride) . The site
is 
organized by state. You may  purchase single seats, order blocks of 10 or
reserve 
an entire bus to leave from  a designated location.

Finally, while I am writing these words to  residents of the United States, 
we stand in solidarity on behalf of  peace with people of goodwill from
around 
the globe, and ask for the  prayers of our brothers and sisters everywhere
the 
U.S. government for  justice and compassion. 

Twenty-six years ago, Metropolitan  Community Churches was part of the 
first-ever March on Washington for lesbian,  gay, bisexual and transgender
rights. 
On September 24th, we have a historic  opportunity to expand our commitment
to 
justice on behalf of all God's	children.

Grace and peace, 

The Rev. Nancy	Wilson
Moderator-elect
Metropolitan Community Churches  (http://www.mccchurch.org/)
www.MCCchurch.org

(END) 

For Additional Information, Contact:
Jim Birkitt,  Director of Communications
Metropolitan Community Churches
8704 Santa  Monica Boulevard, 2nd Floor
West Hollywood, CA  90069
Tel.  310-360-8640, Ext. 226
E-Mail: info@MCCchurch.org