International Day of Peace: Ways to observe & act
September 21st is International Peace Day.
At the Fellowship of Reconciliation, we’ll be marking the occasion in a couple of ways, including an all-day event with affiliate Global Days of Listening.
FOR is also sponsoring On Earth Peace’s network of local events around the theme Peace Day: Praying for Ceasefire. Read on for more information!
You can participate in the Global Days of Listening via telephone, Skype, or a live-chat web page.
Passed by the U.N. General Assembly in 2001, the day is to be “devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.”
Beginning in 2004, the World Council of Churches has marked the day with an International Day of Prayer for Peace.
A spiritually-based, multifaith 24-hour vigil for peace has taken place each year around the world.
On Earth Peace, the religious peace fellowship of the Church of the Brethren and an FOR affiliate, has called this year for peace vigils and prayers under the banner “Praying for Ceasefire.” They write:
As you may know, FOR’s vision for our work over the past couple of years has been Demilitarizing Life and Land. As part of that vision, we’re engaged in advocacy on behalf of Colombian peace communities facing state and paramilitary violence, helping sponsor the cross-country Caravan for Peace against the flow of U.S. guns into Mexico, and working to confront the epidemic of gun violence in the United States.
It’s clear there are ceasefires needed in many parts of the world. Join FOR and On Earth Peace on Sept. 21 to bring our communities together on International Peace Day.
At the Fellowship of Reconciliation, we’ll be marking the occasion in a couple of ways, including an all-day event with affiliate Global Days of Listening.
FOR is also sponsoring On Earth Peace’s network of local events around the theme Peace Day: Praying for Ceasefire. Read on for more information!
A Global Day of Listening for peace
Global Days of Listening, an FOR national chapter, facilitates a special conversation with those living in conflict areas around the world. Every month on the 21st — in honor of the International Day of Peace — individuals call in from wherever they are to hear stories from people in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Mexico, Israel, the United States, and more, and to share our common dreams of and vision for a world at peace.You can participate in the Global Days of Listening via telephone, Skype, or a live-chat web page.
A call for armies, militias, and guns to go silent
Each year on Sept. 21, the United Nations marks the International Day of Peace.Passed by the U.N. General Assembly in 2001, the day is to be “devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.”
Beginning in 2004, the World Council of Churches has marked the day with an International Day of Prayer for Peace.
A spiritually-based, multifaith 24-hour vigil for peace has taken place each year around the world.
On Earth Peace, the religious peace fellowship of the Church of the Brethren and an FOR affiliate, has called this year for peace vigils and prayers under the banner “Praying for Ceasefire.” They write:
You might think that this sounds like the same candlelit vigil that you’ve done or seen a million times before. But what if this year, this event had spiritual power? …More than 100 groups from around the world have already registered events for the day — and you can too! Register an event in your community, or browse the events already scheduled.
Every community struggles with its own challenges. What could a real ceasefire look like where you are? What if you invited your community, during that twenty-four hour period, to pray for a ceasefire? Pray for a ceasefire in your congregation. Pray for a ceasefire in your families. Pray for a ceasefire in your city.
Would it be:
Who do you need to bring together to pray in a new and powerful way to end the violence?
- not one incident of domestic violence
- no shootings or homicides
- no character assassination, backstabbing gossip or malicious slander
- a time to pray for restored relationships
- a time for new relationships to be formed across walls that divide
- a time to declare that all wars are over and to call for our young men and women to come home
As you may know, FOR’s vision for our work over the past couple of years has been Demilitarizing Life and Land. As part of that vision, we’re engaged in advocacy on behalf of Colombian peace communities facing state and paramilitary violence, helping sponsor the cross-country Caravan for Peace against the flow of U.S. guns into Mexico, and working to confront the epidemic of gun violence in the United States.
It’s clear there are ceasefires needed in many parts of the world. Join FOR and On Earth Peace on Sept. 21 to bring our communities together on International Peace Day.
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