Christian Peace Witness for Iraq is ‘a candle in the darkness.’

A hand holding a candle in the darkness was the central image for the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq, which took place in Washington, D.C., on Friday evening, March 16. Some 3,500 Christians gathered to repent of their complicity with the war and to seek the end of the US occupation of Iraq. On Earth Peace and the Brethren Witness/Washington Office of the Church of the Brethren General Board were among the organizations sponsoring the witness. On Earth Peace staff Matt Guynn and Susanna Farahat provided logistics for a peacekeeper training before the event.

The witness marked the fourth anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. It was attended by Church of the Brethren members from as far away as California and as close as Virginia, with Brethren also traveling from Kansas, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and New York, among others. More than 210 Brethren were identified as participating in the weekend including the Christian Peace Witness on Friday evening, a Brethren breakfast the next morning, and a March on the Pentagon on Saturday afternoon, according to the Brethren Witness/Washington Office.

The Christian Peace Witness began with an ecumenical worship service at the National Cathedral. Candles shone as they were carried into the cathedral's immense stone hall by representatives of 15 denominations and more than 30 partner organizations, including Phil Jones, director of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office representing the General Board, and Verdena Lee, a physician representing On Earth Peace.

Testimony and messages from US soldiers, Iraqi citizens, Abu Ghraib detainees, and members of Christian Peacemaker Teams were shared. “Hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches,” was the refrain repeated again and again.

One of the preachers, Raphael G. Warnock of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga., preached that, “Too often, the wrong question is being asked when people say, 'What can we do to keep from losing this war?' The danger is not that America may lose the war, but that America may lose its soul.” In a month when the administration made a case for a temporary surge in US troops in Iraq, Warnock said, “The surge we need is a surge in truthtelling, a surge in the nonviolent army of the Lord.”

In a four-mile candlelight procession down the hill from the cathedral and surrounding the White House, participants expressed support for soldiers, a desire to end the occupation, and a prayer for the just rebuilding of Iraq. In a nonviolence training before the procession, participants spiritually prepared themselves to surround the White House with the light of Christ, and some prepared to risk arrest by entering restricted space around the White House.

At the White House, 222 people were arrested including at least four members of the Church of the Brethren--Esther Moller Ho, Phil Jones, Phil Rieman, and Illana Naylor. Esther Ho later reflected, “I decided to participate in the civil disobedience so that my trip would have the strongest impact against the war. My primary motivation comes from the example Jesus gave us by being arrested and going to the cross in obedience to God. I felt humbled and honored that my congregation initiated the idea of my going to the witness and paid my way.” She is a member of Fellowship in Christ Church of the Brethren in Fremont, Calif.

At least 60 Brethren and friends joined together for breakfast following the witness, organized by the Brethren Witness/Washington Office at Washington City Church of the Brethren. Art Gish, recently returned from working with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) in Iraq, was the keynote speaker. He and his wife Peggy Gish have rotated in and out of Iraq and Hebron as members of CPT. Brethren at the breakfast collected more than $480 for the work of CPT and $120 in support of the fines given to the four Brethren who were arrested, according to the Brethren Witness/Washington Office.

While major events like the Christian Peace Witness can be moments of media focus, spiritual formation for nonviolent followers of Jesus requires longterm organizing and prayer at the congregational level. The trip to Washington was the culmination of such a process for Jan Long, pastor for congregational life at Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren in Fort Wayne, Ind., who accompanied a delegation of 10 members and friends of her congregation.

In the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Beacon Heights formed a group called Persistent in Prayer for Peace.“Initially, we were very focused on sharing our own personal commitments and connecting around praying for the situation in Iraq,” Long reported. “We grew into a group that educates itself on the issues, calling ourselves to be faithful and persistent in being involved--from writing letters to actively participating in public witness, a whole variety of things. The group has become a space where we know that we have support and that there are others who are aware of what we are doing for peace. It has been really helpful to know a group of people that are also called to have this (peace commitment) be an ongoing part of our faith journey.”

The Beacon Heights group studied the work of theologian Walter Wink, participated in local groups with witnesses related to the Iraq war, and participated in other community peace events. “All along, it has been my vision to see this group continue to grow in involvement and activity,” Long said. “To have 10 people commit to go to this national witness felt like clearly another step of being persistent for peace.”

Is witnessing in the streets the only way to work for peace? “No,” said Long, but added, “being in the streets is a way of witnessing with our physical presence, where we find our spirits called and engaged,” she said. “It's a way of joining with others to make a call for the awareness of injustice and alternative possibilities in our world. Peace groups and Christians who take that seriously are a megaphone that help to amplify that message for our world.”

--Matt Guynn is coordinator of peace witness for On Earth Peace.

Source: 3/28/2007 Newsline