Are We Closer to Peace Today?:  United Methodist Women Continue Call for Prayer for Peace

It has been two years since the beginning of the Iraq War.  The War rages on and our troops continue to serve in Iraq.  We are in the middle of the Decade to Overcome Violence (2001-2010), a decade that the World Council of Churches has designated for church communities to work towards peace and reconciliation. 

United Methodist Women has carried out a prayer campaign since the Lenten Season of 2003, the start of the Iraq War.  On the beginning of this third year, we call on the whole church to keep the faith and continue actions of prayer for peace.

As violence continues across the globe, let us pray for an end to this current war and a curb on a possible next war anywhere in the world, locally or globally.  When we pray for and stand for peace, we pray and stand against all conditions, mentalities and institutions that breed and nurture war and injustice.

Christ told us not to be afraid.  Christ walks with us. The Holy Spirit empowers us to pray for what seems impossible---that swords be hammered into plows; guns melted into tractors. We pray that children can play rather than dodge landmines, that old men dream child's play instead of war flashbacks, that old women dream of grand children instead of small graves. They asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" Today he would name people in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and Palestine as well as those in Somalia and South Asia the one who stopped to help the injured man.

In 2003 during Lent and Easter, we prayed for peace and presented prayers on cards to the White House after the initial invasion of Iraq.  In 2004, we kept our faith and continued our prayers; in the summer, a prayer for peace postcard campaign was carried out in the Regional and Conference Schools of Christian Mission and the cards were sent to the members of Foreign Affairs in Congress.   Lent and Easter 2005 is soon approaching.  Peace is still out there, waiting for us to live it. Love is out there waiting to be embodied. Christ is still on the side of the road waiting for a Samaritan to heal his wounds. Won't you continue to be a part of it? Here are a few things you can do:

  • Pray for peace here on line to be read by others for inspiration.

  • Hold a peace vigil in your own community or local/district unit calling for peace in the world and an end to the war in Iraq

  • Send your stories about the peace vigil to the Women's Division, Office of Community Action, 475 Riverside Dr. Room 1502, NY, NY 10115, SLee@gbgm-umc.org ; your stories, prayers and the event details will be sent to lawmakers and media, in efforts to bring attention to the fact that there's still much more peace to be won.
  • Write about your events for peace in your district/conference newsletters
  • As part of a growing campaign for peace, the American Friends Service Committee is launching a new movie that tells the truth about the ongoing loss of life in Iraq --and encourages viewers to sign a petition to bring the troops home. Click here to watch the movie [2 min]:
    http://ga3.org/ct/y1_-aU118m29/wagepeace/

Easter is coming. Resurrection power is available to us. What seems impossible, God makes possible. The power of faith and love can subsume our need for things, our need for weapons and our need to hold power over others who are weaker than ourselves. Believe it! Live it!

     

Send all your written prayers by April 16 to:
The Service Center
General Board of Global Ministries: The United Methodist Church
7820 Reading Road Caller No. 1800
Cincinnati, Ohio 45222-1800
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