Washington anti-war rally draws United Methodists
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Jim Winkler (left), Sally Jo
Snyder and John Copenhaver join marchers in Washington in a
demonstration calling for an end to the war in Iraq. A UMNS photo by Jay
Mallin.
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By Kathy L. Gilbert*
Jan. 29, 2007 | WASHINGTON (UMNS)
United Methodists were among tens of thousands of protesters who
gathered on the National Mall to send a message to Congress and
President Bush to end the war in Iraq.
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John Copenhaver and Marsha Childs want U.S. troops withdrawn from Iraq. A UMNS photo by Jay Mallin.
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The large turnout Jan. 27 demonstrates "the tide has turned to peace,"
said Jim Winkler, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Church
and Society, based in Washington.
"We were out in the street to help Congress remember that this
Congress was elected to bring an end to the war. We were also out there
to tell the president that the escalation of the war is exactly the
wrong thing to do," he said.
The church agency has called on Congress to oppose Bush's decision to
send 21,500 additional U.S. troops to Iraq by withholding funds to
escalate the war. Instead, the board urges increasing diplomatic efforts
to end the war that has killed more than 3,000 U.S. service members and
an estimated 35,000 Iraqis.
The Rev. John Copenhaver, a United Methodist pastor and professor at
United Methodist-related Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va., said
he participated in the protest to "put some starch in the backbones of
members of Congress."
"The people spoke emphatically in November for a change in course in
Iraq," said Copenhaver, referring to elections when Democrats won
control of Congress. "By change we didn't mean an escalation or troop
surge. We meant reduction. We meant bring our troops home."
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Tens of thousands of marchers
gather on the Mall in Washington
to demonstrate for peace in Iraq.
A UMNS photo by Jay Mallin.
|
Copenhaver said he wants Congress to cut spending for the war, while his
wife, Marsha Childs, said "too many lives have been lost." Both are
members of Stephens City (Va.) United Methodist Church.
In response to the rally, the White House issued a statement
affirming the president's unwavering support of the right to free
speech. "He understands that Americans want to see a conclusion to the
war in Iraq, and the new strategy is designed to do just that," said
spokesman Gordon D. Johndroe.
The administration says additional troops are needed for the war in
Iraq to succeed, and that failure in Iraq would undermine the war on
terror.
The anti-war demonstration was noisy but peaceful. "As we marched up
Constitution Avenue toward Capital Hill, the crowd filled the street
from side to side and went on forever," Winkler said. "There was a
wonderful spirit."
Before the rally, Winkler and other United Methodists participated in
a worship service at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation, around the
corner from the United Methodist Building.
The protest was organized by the group United for Peace and Justice, a coalition of 1,400 local and national organizations.
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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