Campaign for Peace:
Christian Women Pray for Peace  from Advent to Easter

Thank you for your Prayers for Peace!

United Methodist Women members read more than 20,000 "prayers for peace" in front of the White house, April 21-25.  Then, many of them visited their members of Congress.

Keep Praying!  Peace in this world is needed!

Statement of Genie Bank, Women’s Division President
"Prayers for Peace" Reading in Washington, D.C.

Today and this entire week, women from around the country stand before God, the United States government, and the world reading prayers for peace. The reading of these prayers is a witness to the faith and determination of United Methodist Women to work for peace in Iraq and the world.

Fifteen to 20,000 prayers have come in from around the country and the world.

They are prayers of military mothers and prayers for all mother’s children in the military.

They are prayers from rural areas and prayers from the inner city.

They are prayers of those who remember past wars and prayers of those have witnessed the affects of violence in their own homes and communities.

They are prayers of those who believe in the Prince of Peace, in miracles because of God’s love, and in the amazing power of the Greatest Commandment, "to love thy neighbor as thyself."

These prayers are as diverse as those women who sent them. Women wrote them in their own words, from the heart, and from their own understanding of what peace entails. And in reading these prayers aloud, these prayers are a witness of faith, of a belief in the Prince of Peace, and in the power of prayer.

In the Christian faith, we celebrated the miracle of the Resurrection yesterday. Jesus rose from the dead amidst violence, colonialism, and human-centered desires. Today, the violence continues. Though military strikes appear to be over, new threats of violence are arising. Our prayers are a witness that peacemakers are needed. We need to continue to work on personal levels and systemic levels to make peace. We need to continue to believe in the miracles of Jesus Christ, in his ministry to the least of these, and in his dialogue with people of other faiths. And we must pray unceasingly for that peace.

We are part of United Methodist Women, an organization made up of almost one million members. And these are their prayers.

Shalom/Salaam . Peace be with you.

 

Background of this Campaign

In November 2002, a local United Methodist Women member of Washington state wrote to the Women's Division suggesting that United Methodist Women  in all churches across the nation begin a "Prayer for Peace in Iraq" campaign.   If United Methodist Women were to spearhead a campaign, other denominations and faith groups might join in,  she suggested.

"Imagine if the world heard that the churches in the United States cared enough to pray that there will be no war. We could revolutionize the way some other countries look at America," she said.

A brainstorming session at the Women's Division followed and out of it came a larger campaign for peace entitled, "Christian Women Pray for Peace from Advent to Easter."

    Here are some things United Methodist Women did to participate in the Prayer Campaign for Peace:

"Pray for Peace" Links