wfn.org | 128 faith communities participate in On Earth Peace IDOPP campaign

[CoBNews <CoBNews@brethren.org>]

Church of the Brethren News Service, News Director Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford , 800-323-8039 ext. 260, cobnews@brethren.org

128 FAITH COMMUNITIES PARTICIPATED IN THE ON EARTH PEACE CAMPAIGN FOR THE I NTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR PEACE

(Oct. 6, 2009)  On Earth Peace, the peace education, action, and witness ag ency of the Church of the Brethren, organized 128 Church of the Brethren co ngregations and other groups in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Nigeria  to participate in the International Day of Prayer for Peace on or around S ept. 21.

Many churches prayed about local economic conditions, immigration issues, o r religious tolerance, while others prayed for relief from local violence i nvolving gangs or guns. Still others prayed for peace in Iraq and Afghanist an.

Some held prayer walks, asking God to help them see their neighborhoods in  new ways. Others planted peace poles, which expressed blessings of peace  in several languages. Still others held concerts and theater presentation s. Everywhere people prayed for God's presence in their lives and in their  communities.

Vigils in at least two cities where local violence was the prayer concern h ave contributed to positive community change. In Rockford, Ill., Samuel Sar piya, the pastor of Rockford Community Church (Church of the Brethren) and  fellow clergy had been engaged in a listening project since April with many  communities within Rockford. They were planning a Sept. 21 vigil around th e theme of better education for youth. All of that changed on Aug. 24, when  two police officers shot and killed an unarmed black man at a church child care center. The clergy found themselves in a tense situation with potentia l for further violence. The focus of their vigil suddenly needed to also ad dress the more immediate issue and its aftermath. The clergy provided praye r leadership for the city of Rockford's observance of the International Day  of Peace, which was a four-hour community gathering about both educational  issues and how to move forward in the immediate crisis.

Through Sarpiya's leadership, a group of civic, business, and religious lea ders in Rockford have recently asked On Earth Peace to come alongside the s ituation. In the coming weeks, On Earth Peace will provide both organizing  support and training in nonviolent community leadership for religious, busi ness, and civic leaders who are addressing the unrest in the city.
In Philadelphia, Pa., an On Earth Peace vigil for the International Day of  Prayer for Peace on Sept. 21 sponsored by a multi-faith action group "Heedi ng God's Call" capped nine months of weekly rallies in front of Colosimo's  Gun Center, where guns purchased through illegal straw buyers were often us ed in criminal activities in the region. On Sept. 22, federal charges were  filed against the business for making false statements to the authorities a nd for not keeping proper records of gun sales. On Sept. 29, the business o wner pleaded guilty and on Sept. 30 the store closed.

The International Day of Prayer for Peace was first proposed in 2004 during  a meeting between World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. D r Samuel Kobia and then-United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan as one  of the initiatives of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence. It is celebrat ed annually on Sept. 21, the UN International Day of Peace.

On Earth Peace is an agency rooted in the Church of the Brethren, dedicated  to developing peace leadership in every generation. The Church of the Bret hren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus  peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in community. The denomi nation is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one o f the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated its 300th anniversary in  2008. It counts some 125,000 members across the United States and Puerto R ico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican  Republic, Haiti, and India.

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>For more information contact:

Mimi Copp

Coordinator for the International Day of Prayer for Peace Campaign
On Earth Peace
215-474-1195

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org