Praying for Peace Around the World, 9/25 - 26

For the past several years, members of the Springfield interfaith community, most recently through the Grassroots InterFaith Team, have organized an Interfaith Service around the 9/21 International Day of Peace and Ceasefire*.

This year GIFT would like to initiate a different way to recognize the Day. We invite Springfield area faith communities and other interested groups, families and individuals to connect with the International Day of Peace by praying for all nations and areas of the world through what has been called a "rolling prayer": a 24-hour Continuous Day of Prayer with the Time Zones of the World.

Different groups/persons would sign for a particular Time Zone and during their hour pray for that area of the world - its people, its environment and related issues. The groups would decide on their own way of praying during their chosen time, which corresponds with 12 am to 1 am in that particular time zone.

We have initially discussed beginning the prayer on Saturday 9/25. Representatives from each faith community and other interested individuals would gather in Washington Park from 5:30 pm to 5:45 pm. We would hear a brief description of the IDOP and the purpose of holding the prayer in this unique way. We would include a few minutes of silence, a Native American prayer to the four corners, or some other common expression of reverence for the world and her inhabitants. The first group would begin their hour at 6 pm. We would end our 24-hour period of prayer at 6:00 pm the following day and celebrate the completion of the Prayer with a bring-your-own meal, and drinks would be provided. Once we have established our core group, we will contact other faith communities to solicit their participation, and invite them to be as creative as they would like in their form of prayer.

We hope to publicize the Day of Prayer, and intend to provide the prayer schedule, indicating those faith communities that would open their hour of prayer to the public. In order to successfully promote this 24-hour continuous Day of Prayer we need to insure a core group endorsement. So far, the following faith communities have signed Baha’i Community, Dominican Sisters of Springfield, First Presbyterian Church, Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, Islamic Society of Greater Springfield, Pax Christi Springfield, and Temple Israel. We invite your faith community to participate. To participate in the prayer or if you have any questions, please contact Diane Lopez Hughes at 544-3997 or dianelopezhughes@gmail.com

SAVE THE DATE! Join Pax Christi Springfield and the Springfield Society of Friends in A Conversation on Nonviolence on Monday, September 20 - the eve of the International Day of Peace and Ceasefire - at 6:30 pm, Carnegie Room North, Lincoln Public Library, Seventh and Capitol. For more information, contact Diane at 544-3997. Back