Brethren participate in peace rally in Washington, D.C.
By Emily O’Donnell

It was a historic day on Saturday, Jan. 27, as the largest number of protesters since the beginning of the Iraq war gathered in the nation’s capitol to voice opposition to the troop surge and demand the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

Crowd estimates ranged from 200,000 to 300,000 as people from all areas of life, both young and old, united in a march to pressure Congress and the Bush administration to end the war in Iraq. The march in Washington, D.C., was organized by United for Peace and Justice, and began with a rally on the National Mall at 11 a.m. The rally included high-profile speakers such as actresses Susan Sarandon and Jane Fonda, actors Sean Penn and Tim Robbins, Jesse Jackson, congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), congresswomen Maxine Walters (D-CA). Also speaking was Bob Watada, father of Lieutenant Watada, the first military officer to refuse deployment to Iraq and currently facing court-martial. Fonda spoke to a cheering crowd announcing that “silence is no longer an option.”

More than 200 members of the Church of the Brethren gathered to participate in the march, at the invitation of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office and On Earth Peace. Around 120 Brethren members gathered at 10 a.m. at Washington City Church of the Brethren, home of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office. They were later joined by more Brethren at the National Mall.

Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren brought more than 75 people to the event. Three Brethren colleges also sent large student delegations: Bridgewater (Va.) College, Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., and Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa. Other Brethren participants traveled from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Illinois to attend the march.

At Washington City Church of the Brethren, a short prayer vigil was held and participants reaffirmed their commitment to the Iraq Resolution made in 2006 by the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference calling for the withdrawal of troops (for the text of the resolution go to www.brethren.org/ac/ac_statements/2006IraqWarResolution.pdf). Following the prayer vigil, the Brethren marched together carry signs stating “Church of the Brethren: A Living Peace Church,” “A Matter of Conscience, A Conviction of Faith,” and many other signs with scriptures and words promoting peace.

Following the rally at the National Mall, the Brethren group also marched with thousands of others around the Capitol building. One seven-year-old girl chanted, “What do we want?” The marchers shouted, “Peace.” The little girl continued, “When do we want it?” The crowd roared, “Now!”

"For once I felt like I was in a majority,” said Church of the Brethren member and Bridgewater alumni Rebekah Houff. “Knowing that the majority of the country is against the President's decision to send more troops to Iraq and seeing over 200,000 people come to D.C. to oppose the war was an overwhelming experience!"

The Church of the Brethren’s participation in the march was one of the greatest examples of putting our faith into action. Our commitment to peace and our opposition to all war is a pillar of our denomination, and on Jan. 27 this commitment was reaffirmed. We truly are a living peace church, and as disciples of Jesus we must continue to call for the end to the Iraq War.

--Emily O’Donnell is a legislative associate with the Brethren Witness/Washington Office of the Church of the Brethren General Board.

Source: 1/31/2007 Newsline