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]
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(*) 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:
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:
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.
