wfn.org | American Baptists Hold Prayer Walk for Violence Victims

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@wfn.org>]

AMERICAN BAPTIST NEWS SERVICE
Office of Communication
American Baptist Churches USA
P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851
Phone: (610)768-2077 / Fax: (610)768-2320
Web: www.abc-usa.org
Richard W. Schramm, Director
  E-mail: richard.schramm@abc-usa.org

GENERAL BOARD/BIENNIAL MEETING UPDATE: June 25, 1999

NEWS FROM THE GENERAL BOARD/PROGRAM BOARDS
Des Moines, Ia. / June 18-21, 1999

PRAYER WALK FOR VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE INVOLVES AMERICAN
BAPTISTS
  DES MOINES, IA.--American Baptists, gathered here for
their Biennial Meeting, joined in a procession June 24 to a
"prayer fence" set up to honor the memory of recent victims
of violence and to draw attention to challenge of dealing
with increasing violence within society.
  The fence was designed as a location where American
Baptists as well as city residents can pray and leave
memorials to victims of violence in their lives, in the
nation and around the world.  American Baptists especially
are remembering those killed and injured in the Littleton,
Colo., school shootings and in similar tragedies across the
country.
  The event began at the Des Moines Marriott Hotel and
concluded at the fence, located at Veterans Memorial
Auditorium.  It opened with a prayer and a statement by Dr.
Aidsand F. Wright-Riggins III, executive director of
American Baptist National Ministries.  Also speaking was the
Rev. Hector Cortez, National Ministries' associate executive
director for Biblical Justice, who, while noting that on
average 13 children in the U.S. die each day due to gun-
related violence, said, 'We are in need of helping our
children walk out of the valley of the shadow of death."
  In his statement Wright-Riggins said:
  "We are here today because as Christians and as
American Baptists we believe there is a better way for our
world.
  "We are here, moved by the agony and grief of those
whose lives and relationships have been desolated by acts of
random violence or, even, by acts of intentional
destruction.
  "We are here to counter the expressions of hate, fear,
and despair that seem to surround us.
  "We are here to grieve and to confess shootings in our
schools, hate crimes in our communities and
churches, ethnic cleansing in our world and the lack of love
in our own hearts.
  "And we are here in response to the call of our
American Baptist family, expressed in the General Board's
Policy Statement on Violence, to confront 'the existing
reality of violence in our world... prophetically and
pastorally.'
  "But most importantly, we are here because Jesus
Christ has called us to 'recognize those things that make
for peace,' replacing the tears of regret and loss with the
tears of hope and joy (Luke 19:41).
  "We're on a prayer walk. It begins here and stops at
the Praying Hands Memorial a few blocks away.  But our
journey does not end there.  We'll leave our prayers and our
hopes at a prayer fence. And we'll take our commitments with
us, disciplined by the God of Grace who says, 'Do not be
overcome by evil but overcome evil with good' (Romans
12:21).
  "We walk together and invite all of you to join us.
Too many have walked through the valley over which death and
violence casts its shadow, the shadow that isolates,
separates, alienates and howls, 'No hope, no hope!'
  "We deny that shadow today and walk together in hope
toward a place and time where the 'great multitude' sings in
joy of the One who 'will wipe away every tear from their
eyes' (Revelation 7:17).
  "We walk, linked by God's love for the work of
reconciliation in our world."