Thursday, March 21, 1:00 PM EDT - in person at the Methodist Building, 100 Maryland Ave., NE, Washington DC
Pray-in for a permanent ceasefire: A nonviolent witness for Gaza
Pray-in at the U.S. Capitol Calls for Congress to Support a Permanent Ceasefire
Why: The crisis in Gaza and pending full invasion of Rafah demands immediate public action and witness. For Christians, this includes sharing our pleas for a just peace, especially now as our Muslim family enters their holy month of Ramadan.
What: All are welcome to join a public pray-in as part of an ongoing Lenten Ceasefire Campaign. We will offer a prayerful vigil with press invited, and then a nearby nonviolent witness action. We will raise our voices together, asking our Creator for guidance and strength as we urge those in power to do the courageous work of nonviolent peacemaking. We urge all parties to:
a) Publicly call for bilateral ceasefire to prevent the further loss of life
b) Support demilitarization rather than supplying additional military aid or arms to Israel
c) Focus on a release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners held without due process
d) Support robust humanitarian assistance and restarting U.S. government funding to UNRWA, the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees
e) Work diplomatically to end the siege on Gaza and end the occupation of the Palestinian Territory in order to address the root causes of the violence, accountability for harm, and move all parties toward a lasting, just peace that protects all human life and ensures long-term security and sustainability in the Middle East
The focus must shift to diplomacy, accountability mechanisms, robust humanitarian aid, and strategic peacebuilding.
Why: Urgent action is needed to stop the mass slaughter and destruction and to save lives. War is trauma, not justice.
Dozens of national Christian organizations have advocated for Congress and President Biden to take the necessary steps to de-escalate the conflict in Israel-Palestine, including calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and for all parties to prioritize corridors for humanitarian aid for the people in Gaza; and to prioritize steps to secure the immediate release of hostages and ensure international protection for civilians.
War is not accountability. Retribution is not accountability. Only with de-escalating steps and a ceasefire can we work for accountability. Only then can we mobilize credible voices who have the right leverage to create conditions for detaining those responsible for harm. Only then can we do the deeper, transformative work of accountability.
Register here: Pray-in for a permanent ceasefire: A nonviolent witness for Gaza (google.com)
Flyer: Pray in for permanent ceasefire March 21 DC.pdf(Review) - Adobe cloud storage