Antietam Dunker Church 50th annual service streams this Sunday afternoon

The Dunker Church at the Antietam Civil War battlefield is called a “Beacon of Peace” in the description posted by the National Park Service. Photo by Joel Brumbaugh-Cayford

The 50th annual Dunker Church Service at the old Brethren meetinghouse on the Antietam battlefield will be virtual this year, and available to view online. Brethren Press and “Messenger” magazine publisher Wendy McFadden is the featured speaker and will share a message on “The Wounds of War and a Place for Peace.”

The Dunker meetinghouse is on the Antietam National Battlefield, a Civil War site in Sharpsburg, Md. The annual service is sponsored by the Church of the Brethren’s Mid-Atlantic District and commemorates the peace witness of the Brethren during the Civil War. It is organized by a group of ministers in the district, in cooperation with the National Park Service.

“The Civil War ended generations ago, but the wounds are still with us,” said an announcement. “Our country has not healed from the sin of slavery and the resulting violence. We see that over and over, and it’s especially clear right now as the nation convulses in the pain and rage of racism. What can we learn from the Dunker meetinghouse that became the unwitting center of a theater of war? How can we be a witness for peace in the battles of today? How can we lace up our boots and guide our feet into the way of peace?”

The pre-recorded event will stream on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 3 p.m. (Eastern time) on the district’s Facebook page and also on the Church of the Brethren YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/churchofthebrethren where the recording will continue to be available.

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