wfn.org | WCC FEATURE: WCC US president calls to mark 21 Sep. as Peace day

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World Council of Churches - Feature
Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org 
For immediate release - 08/09/2004

 CELEBRATE THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE: 21 SEPTEMBER

                       By Bernice Powell Jackson (*)

                                         Free photos available  see below.

Celebrating peace when the world is at war, when both Iraqis and Americans
still are dying in Iraq, when civil war and genocide threatens thousands in
the Sudan and again in the Great Lakes region of central Africa, may seem
like an exercise in futility. But the truth is that it is when the world is
at war that we need voices and prayers for peace even more. This year,
then, let us celebrate peace on the International Day of Peace, September
21.

Let us celebrate peace in our churches and temples and mosques. Let us
light candles for peace. Let us plant peace poles for peace and gardens for
peace. Let us preach sermons about peace. Let us teach our children in
faith schools about peace. Let us focus our adult learning on peace. Let us
ring church bells at noon that day. Most of all, let us pray, earnestly
pray for peace.

Let us celebrate peace in our schools - from pre-school to high school. Let
us sponsor essay contests, poetry and art contests on peace. Let us make
sure that every child in every school takes conflict resolution in school.
Let us work to end bullying in every school. Let us teach our children to
evaluate the music they hear, the movies they see, the video games they
play to see what messages of hate and intolerance and violence they
promote. Let us help students to identify how they wish to celebrate peace
and build peace in their own lives, as well as their community and their
world - and then let us listen to them and make their suggestions happen.

Let us celebrate peace in our communities. Let us encourage town hall
meetings to talk about peace in our neighborhoods and in our world. Let
drama groups do plays about peace and poets do poetry readings about peace.
Let us ask our mayors and city councillors to hold International Day of
Peace ceremonies and honor those who are peace heroes, just as they honor
those who are war heroes.

Let us celebrate peace in our homes. Let families caught up in violence
turn to their clergy or physicians or school officials for help. Let every
woman and every child experience one day of peace in their homes on
September 21 - and then let's find ways to ensure that they never again
have to endure violence in the place which should offer them the most
safety.

Let us celebrate peace in our world. Let every one of us work for an end to
war and violence in this world, no matter what political party is in power
or who the president is. Let us make sure that every single person we know
is registered to vote in this election. Let us write letters to our elected
officials about peace.

The United Nations named September 21 as the International Day of Peace in
1981. This year, the World Council of Churches (WCC) is inviting
congregations around the world to pray for peace and to work for peace on
this special day, marking it as an International Day of Prayer for Peace.
In addition, as a part of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence and its
special 2004 focus on the United States, it will also sponsor a meeting on
October 5-6, 2004 in Atlanta on "The Power and Promise of Peace" . For more
information, you can contact them at www.overcomingviolence.org. Let us
celebrate peace. [576 words]

- - -

(*) Dr Bernice Powell Jackson, WCC president from North America, is the
executive minister of the Justice and Witness ministries of the United
Church of Christ in the USA.

A free high resolution photo of the author is available at:
http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/press_corner/powelljackson.html 

More information on the International Day of Prayer for Peace including
liturgical resources is available at:
http://www.overcomingviolence.org/peace2004 

Opinions expressed in WCC Features do not necessarily reflect WCC policy.
This material may be reprinted freely, providing credit is given to the
author.

This article, reproduced with permission, was orginally published on 23
August, 2004 in "Witness for Justice", a weekly column written by Bernice
Powell Jackson addressing a broad spectrum of justice issues that impact
our world today. It is appearing in many community newspapers across the
USA.
http://www.ucc.org/justice/witness/ 

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 The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 342, in
 more than 120 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
 traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works
 cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the assembly,
 which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally
 inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is headed by
 general secretary Samuel Kobia from the Methodist church in Kenya.