Would a world without war be a world at peace? For many congregationsand organizations involved in On Earth Peace’s 2008 International Day of Prayer for Peace initiative, the answer is a definite “No!” Instead of praying only to end war in far-flung corners of the world, many prayed on September 21 about the violence touching their local communities, and asked for God’s help in finding solutions.

This year’s campaign saw a 50% increase in participation over our 2007 effort, with more than 150 churches and communities holding vigils or community activities on three continents! The International Day of Prayer for Peace (IDOPP) is an initiative of the World Council of Churches. September 21 is also the United Nations’ International Day of Peace, a date recognized in many zones of conflict with one day of cease fire.

The wide variety of participating groups and events in On Earth Peace’s 2008 organizing drive included two groups in Africa: The Integrated Women and Youth Empowerment Centre, sponsored by Ekklesiar Yanu’wa a Nigeria (the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), prayed for an end to violence between Christians and Muslims in northern Nigeria, while a Sunni Muslim agency in Ghana prayed that violence against women and children in their community would cease. Other international participants included groups in Puerto Rico and Northern Ireland.

Congregations and groups prayed for an end to strife and tension between different faith groups, for peace and reconciliation in families torn by violence,for creation of new employment opportunities in communities affected by corporate outsourcing, for an end to gang violence and random shooting, and for an end to systemic racism.

Here are some examples of the day’s events:

The Lower Miami Church of the Brethren near Dayton, Ohio, planned an outdoor service for their township, focusing on recent drive-by shootings. Nan Erbaugh, Associate Pastor, reported that members from at least two churches participated in the witness and that they received news coverage from the local NBC TV station.

The Kansas City (KS) Central Church of the Brethren, a multicultural congregation in a largely Latino neighborhood of the inner city, used the day to dedicate their new peace pole and to reach out to their local neighborhood. Paul Cesare reported, “The day was a success! A photographer from The Kansas City Star came out to take pictures of our peace pole dedication and we had a turnout of thirty-five to forty people.” Paul shared that as a result of the newspaper coverage, “. . .at least two thousand more people have now heard of our church and associate it with the positive message of peace.”

In Manassas, Virginia, the Dar Al-Noor mosque hosted this year’s interfaith service for the International Day of Prayer for Peace, featuring sixteen different religious
leaders representing Islamic (one Sunni and one Shiite), Jewish, and Unitarian-Universalist congregations, an interfaith chaplain, and eleven Christian fellowships including African Methodist Episcopal , Black Baptist, Catholic, Church of the Brethren, Episcopal, Jehovah’s Witness (Latino), Presbyterian, and United Methodist. Many remained afterwards for a meeting of Unity in the Community, sponsor of this year’s event, and at sundown the group broke the fast of Ramadan with the Dar Al-Noor community.

In Woodbury, Pennsylvania, Kay Guyer, a high school youth, organized her community’s very first ecumenical International Day of Prayer for Peace event including participants from St. John’s United Church of Christ, the Bell English Seventh Day Baptist Church, and several Church of the Brethren congregations. Kay reflected: “As a youth in the church, I find hope for the future in the ways small communities like my own are able to connect worldwide through the International Day of Prayer for Peace. Seeing passionate individuals unite to work towards paths of peace is empowering, inspiring, and it further challenges me to follow the radical path of Jesus.”

Now what? Inspired by the prayers of September 21, many congregations and communities are asking how to continue their organizing, how to make IDOPP
more than a day, and how to keep the focus on violence.