wfn.org | United Methodists gathered in Washington hear shalom message

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Sept. 17, 2001 News media contact: Thomas S.
McAnally7(615)742-54707Nashville, Tenn.  10-21-71BP{397}

NOTE:  Photographs are available for use with this story.

By Melissa Lauber*

WASHINGTON (UMNS) -- Bishop Felton Edwin May asked United Methodists to get
out their Christmas candles early and place them in their windows as a sign
of hope and a reminder that Jesus is the light of the world. 

"There's no doubt about it; we are being put to the test," the
Baltimore-Washington Conference bishop told a crowd that filled the
sanctuary of Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church in Washington,
Friday, Sept. 14. "As Christians and a people of faith, the very foundations
of our existence are being called into question." 

On the national day of prayer, still reeling from a soul-shattering sorrow,
more than 700 United Methodists gathered to share their grief, hear the
words of God and begin the process of healing.

The Service of Prayer for Shalom, sponsored by the Baltimore-Washington
Annual (regional) Conference, was held three days after terrorists steered
hijacked planes into the World Trade Center in New York City and the
Pentagon in Arlington, Va.

"These events have left us forever changed," said retired Bishop James K.
Mathews. "The impossible has happened. It has been said that words cannot
describe the enormity of such wanton destruction. Yet somehow we do find
words. They include 'evil, violent, demonic, inhuman, anger, vulnerability,
compassion, empathy, terrorism, judgment, justice, vengeance, retribution.'"

To help worshippers make sense of these words in their own lives, they were
given the opportunity to create a prayer wall, inscribing the names of those
affected by the disaster on boards around the sanctuary. An anointing of
healing oil was offered, accompanied by a prayer that each person present
would become an agent of peace in the world. Many came forward to light
candles for those they loved.

Worshippers also shared their fears, anger and hope in small groups as they
discussed the whirlwind of emotions and events, then prayed for each other
aloud. Tears rolled down many faces as the congregation joined hands and
lifted their arms, singing, "We Shall Overcome." Pastoral counselors were
available for those who needed them.

May said his first reaction last Tuesday was one of revenge. "Oh, it's easy
to say when you are away from it that God is love and I'm going to be like
God, but then when you're caught by surprise all those nice episcopal
thoughts . . . went running out the window and all that I could feel and
sense was 'get them, get them.'" 

May said he was called back to a commitment to work for shalom by prophets
who spoke of beating swords into plowshares and justice rolling down like
water. "I'm not a pious pacifist who will lie down and let someone walk over
me," he said. "I simply want to be obedient to the word of God."

May called for a renewed commitment to build communities of shalom and for
the world to become a community of shalom. "Let us aggressively pursue the
evildoers (and) aggressively determine to train peacemakers in every
nation."

"What would it look like if we decided to light candles of hope rather than
to curse the darkness?" he asked. Lighted candles would be a way for
individuals to say, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord with
justice, freedom and liberation for all ... (and) Jesus is the light of the
world," he said. 

He also pointed to "In Defense of Creation," a pastoral document created in
1986 by the church's Council of Bishops. After re-reading it, May said he
discovered that it provided valuable insights into today's battle against
terrorism. 

"It may not be the atomic, or the hydrogen, or the neutron bomb of days gone
by," he said.  "It's the insidious, unstoppable reality of terrorism. The
only thing that can stop terrorism is the truth, and the nerve and the verve
that will come from the people of God."

A collection for the United Methodist Committee on Relief was taken during
the service.  Music was provided by the Classic Brass Quartet and choirs
from Metropolitan Church, under the leadership of Alex Helsabeck.

A young girl sang, "We shall live in peace," and the service closed with
worshippers joining in "God Bless America."
#  #  #

*Lauber is a writer on the staff of the United Methodist Connection,
newspaper of the Baltimore-Washington Conference. 

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United Methodist News Service
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