United Methodists join march for peace during King weekend
1/21/2003
NOTE: Photographs are available with this report.
Chett
Pritchett (left), a student from Wesley Theological Seminary, and the
Rev. Amy Stapleton, field organizer for the Methodist Federation for
Social Action, join a protest in Washington against possible war with
Iraq. A UMNS photo Jay Mallin. Photo number 03-18, Accompanies UMNS
#026, 1/21/03
No Long Caption Available for this Story
United
Methodist Bishop Sharon Rader (lelft) offers the benediction during a
worship service at the United Methodist Building in Washington prior to a
protest against possible war with Iraq. . A UMNS photo Jay Mallin.
Photo number 03-20, Accompanies UMNS #026, 1/21/03
No Long Caption Available for this Story
Tens
of thousands of people, including United Methodists from several
states, walk to the Washington Navy Yard in a call for peace. A UMNS
photo Jay Mallin. A UMNS photo Jay Mallin. Photo number 03-19,
Accompanies UMNS #026, 1/21/03
No Long Caption Available for this Story
Melinda
Beard (left) and Ginny Finch from Dumbarton United Methodist Church in
Washington join a protest in Washington against possible war with Iraq. A
UMNS photo Jay Mallin. A UMNS photo Jay Mallin. Photo number 03-22,
Accompanies UMNS #026, 1/21/03
No Long Caption Available for this Story
:
Protesters march to the Washington Navy Yard in a call for peace that
was joined by United Methodists from several states. A UMNS photo Jay
Mallin. Photo number 03-21, Accompanies UMNS #026, 1/21/03
No Long Caption Available for this Story
The
Rev. Douglas Fox of Capitol Hill United Methodist Church in Washington
holds a sign in support of peace marchers walking to the Washington
Navy Yard. UMNS photo Jay Mallin. Photo number 03-23, Accompanies
UMNS #026, 1/21/03
No Long Caption Available for this Story
WASHINGTON (UMNS) - The temperature did not climb
above 25 degrees, but tens of thousands of people, including United
Methodists from several states, gathered Jan. 18 on the National Mall to
call for peace and walk to the Washington Navy Yard.
In the
three hours before the rally was to begin, the United Methodist Building
at Capitol Hill provided warmth and snacks for rally participants, some
of whom had boarded buses the day before to travel all night from the
Midwest, New England and other parts of the country.
A similar
demonstration occurred in San Francisco the same day, and a group of
Florida United Methodists indicated they were headed for a peace rally
at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa that day.
At the United
Methodist Building in Washington, Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader,
secretary of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, offered the
benediction at a prayer service led by Jim Winkler, staff head of the
denomination's Board of Church and Society. Jonathan Meier, the
20-year-old college student who had walked most of the way from Ames,
Iowa, to take part in the rally, shared his experience in the message
portion. Members of other faiths participated in the service as well.
The
hospitality at the building offered an opportunity for making placards
as well as getting refreshments and connecting with others who had come
to the nation's capital to express their feelings about a possible war
between the United States and Iraq.
"War doesn't solve anything,"
asserted the Rev. Beth Cooper, a campus minister at San Diego State
University. "I don't think we've engaged in full conversation that would
explore other possibilities for peace." Cooper had been attending a
short session at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington and extended
her stay to participate in the weekend activities.
Chett
Pritchett, another Wesley Seminary student originally from Parkersburg,
W.Va., said the rally and march offered an opportunity "to show my
disdain for the decision for war."
"War only supports the rich,"
he said. It "hurts the poor, homeless, and women and children in all
situations. As Christians, we're following our call for justice. We need
to support 'the least of these,' and that's who war hurts."
The
crowd milled amiably in the cold, clear day while listening to a number
of speakers, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Actress Tyne Daley told
the demonstrators, "You're in the right place."
Signs were the order of the day. A few of the sentiments expressed included:
· "Don't Bush Whack Iraq"; · "Give Peace a Chance"; · "Money for Jobs, Not for War!" · "We Are All Connected"; · "Dumb Leaders + Smart Bombs = Dead People"; · "One Global Family"; · "Pre-emptive Strikes are War Crimes."
A
child carried a sign that said, "Don't Start WWIII." An older woman
held aloft a poster proclaiming, "War is Terrorism on Families." A
couple with an infant zipped snuggly in its father's jacket wore a sign
that said, "Another baby for peace."
After more than two hours of
speeches, the crowd began its trek past the Capitol and House office
buildings. Moving down Pennsylvania Avenue, the marchers proceeded about
2.5 miles from the Mall to the Washington Navy Yard.
About
midway on the route, Capitol Hill United Methodist Church displayed the
word "peace" in large, bright letters. The pastor and several members
stood in front of the church to show solidarity with the marchers.
"Open hearts, open minds, open doors and - in our case - open bathrooms," said member Kevin Anderson.
Almost
from the beginning of the more-than-two-hour procession, a few
participants came across a small park to the church with a pressing
need. Can we use your bathroom? they asked. The Rev. Douglas Fox and the
members unlocked all the doors, lit the candles in the sanctuary and
turned on the lights in the parlor.
"It took the march a full
two- to two-and-a-half hours to go by the church, and in that time we
had more than 600 people," Anderson said. "They came in; they got warmed
up. Some of them sat in the sanctuary. … Some folks knelt and prayed;
others just put down their signs and rested. There was a girl doing
yoga in the back. The parlor was full. We opened up all six bathrooms,
and there were long lines at some points."
If the congregation had expected people to need the church, the members would have served hot chocolate, Anderson said.
"There
was not an age or a race or a human condition that was not represented
in that group," Anderson enthused. "It was just the most wonderful,
diverse, happy, cold, friendly, grateful bunch of people. And it was
just a wonderful, wonderful witness."
Another peace march for
youth and students was held the following day, Sunday, with the White
House as its destination, but the demonstrators did not reach the park
across the street before being stopped by police. On Monday, Martin
Luther King Jr. Day, an interfaith service and candlelight procession
honored the late civil rights leader's dedication to peace and justice.
# # #
*Purdue is United Methodist News Service's Washington news director.
Korean News
