Peace Worship Service in New Haven INTERNATIONAL PEACE SUNDAY
10:00 AM
Sunday, September 17
First and Summerfield United Methodist Church
A caring, diverse, reconciling congregation
425 College Street, New Haven
(Corner of College and Elm Streets, across from the Green)
Pastor: Rev. Taka Ishii
Childcare available, Wheelchair accessible.
For more information call 624-2521, or check our website: www.fsumc.org
Some Background:
The United Nations proclaimed in 1981 the International Day of Peace (Sept. 21)
as a time "devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both
within and among all nations and peoples"; it expanded the Day of Peace in 2001
to call for a global ceasefire for that day.
First and Summerfield United Methodist Church will observe the Day of Peace with
our INTERNATIONAL PEACE SUNDAY worship service.
We will dedicate a Peace Pole with a flag ceremony, and call for a one-day global
ceasefire for Sept. 21.
Join us as we pray for peace, celebrate human diversity and call for justice.
News release below:
NEW HAVEN’S FIRST & SUMMERFIELD METHODIST CHURCH OBSERVES INTERNATIONAL PEACE DAY THIS SUNDAY;
GOVERNOR RELL, MAYOR DESTEFANO PROCLAIM SEPTEMBER 21 AS THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE
First and Summerfield United Methodist Church, a downtown congregation in New Haven,
is observing International Peace Day with a flag ceremony on its front portico at 10:00 AM
this Sunday, Sept. 17, followed by a Sunday worship service to pray for peace.
The congregation will dedicate a peace pole and will join the United Nations call on all
nations to honor a one-day global ceasefire. Following the service, the church will
open its church school and host an international potluck luncheon.
The Congregation has held a prayer vigil for peace every Monday at noon on the portico
since the attacks of 9-11.
Childcare is available and the building is wheelchair accessible.
At the church’s urging, Governor Jodi Rell has proclaimed September 21 as
“International Peace Day” in Connecticut. Mayor John DeStefano has made a similar proclamation
for the City of New Haven.
The Governor’s proclamation calls on “all government departments and agencies, organizations,
schools, places of worship and individuals in our state to commemorate, in an appropriate manner,
the International Day of Peace.”
Governor Rell declared that observances “may include community service projects,
cultural exhibits and performances, a moment of silence, ringing of bells, sharing the universal
wish ‘May Peace Prevail On Earth' at noon, vigils, religious services in our places of worship,
and other education and public awareness activities in order to help establish a global day of
peace in our homes, our communities and between nations.”
Congregation Lay Leader Wanda Harris approached the Mayor and the Governor about making proclamations.
She noted that the Church “wanted to have an early celebration” and will observe the International
Day of Peace on Sunday, Sept. 17.
The International Day of Peace was originally declared in 1981 by the United Nations as a time
"devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations
and peoples.”
The U.N. eventually expanded the Day of Peace in 2001 to call for a one-day global ceasefire on
September 21. The International Day of Peace provides an opportunity for “individuals,
organizations and nations to create practical acts of Peace on a shared date.”
It also highlights the UN Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World,
2001 to 2010.
First and Summerfield Church has been in existence in downtown New Haven since 1789.
The current congregation is ethnically and internationally diverse. Many members come from Africa,
West India, Korea and Japan. Others can trace family ties to nations across the globe.
The Pastor, Rev. Takayuki Ishii, was born in Japan and is author of the popular children’s book,
One Thousand Paper Cranes: The Story of Sadako and the Children’s Peace Statue.
Part of the Church’s mission is to “welcome persons of every race, culture, class, age, ability or
disability, and sexual orientation.” The church raised money to obtain a Peace Pole to reflect
its mission and its diversity. It is a seven-foot handcrafted cedar pole with the message
“May Peace Prevail on Earth” written on each side in English, Korean, Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew,
Zulu, American Sign Language and Spanish. The international Peace Pole Project was started in
Japan by the World Peace Prayer Society. 180,000 Peace Poles are planted in the soil of 180 countries
around the world. They act as a silent prayer and message for Peace on Earth as a witness for peace. |
