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How can you participate?

We are writing to invite you and your congregation to observe Peace Sunday together with brothers and sisters in the global Anabaptist church family.

Following the recommendation of the 2003 Peace Council in Bulawayo regarding the establishment of Peace Sunday, the 2006 Peace Council in Pasadena has chosen the Sunday nearest to September 21 (International Day of Peace) as a Peace Sunday to be observed by Mennonite World Conference member churches.

The International Day of Peace was established by the United Nations Resolution no. 36/67 dated 30 November 1981 to be observed for the first time on the third Tuesday of September 1982 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly. Later, the UN General Assembly set 21 September as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace. The resolution states,

"The Assembly, reaffirming the contribution that the observance and celebration of the International Day of Peace makes in strengthening the ideals of peace and alleviating tensions and causes of conflict, (decided that) beginning with the fifty-seventh session, the Day should be observed on 21 September each year, with this date to be brought to the attention of all people for the celebration and observance of peace."

The resolution further declares,

"… that the International Day of Peace shall henceforth be observed as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Day; (and that the Assembly) invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, regional and non-governmental organizations and individuals to commemorate, in an appropriate manner, the International Day of Peace, including through education and public awareness, and to cooperate with the United Nations in the establishment of the global ceasefire."

The Secretary-General Kofi Annan has even asked all United Nations departments and agencies to expand their observance, extending a special invitation to civil society and highlighting the Minute of Silence at 12 noon.

In light of this, the 2006 Peace Council held in Pasadena decided on March 11, 2006 that,

1. The Sunday nearest to September 21 (the International Day of Peace) would be designated as a Peace Sunday to be observed in our churches around the world. For 2006, this will be September 24.
2. The MWC Peace Council staff would prepare suggestions for scripture readings, prayer concerns, and ideas of activities to help churches observe this day.
3. Churches are invited to report back to the Peace Council on their activities for this day.
4. Churches who already observe a different Sunday as Peace Sunday are encouraged to continue with their practice, and are invited to include the global church concerns in their prayers on the global Peace Sunday.

Some suggestions for activities:

1. Ring the church's bell on September 21 at 12 noon to celebrate the International Day of Peace and observe the Minute of Silence.
2. Do social activities together with other groups of people, Christians and non Christians alike.
3. Plant peace trees in the church yard or at homes as a reminder that the God of Peace has invited us to take part in his mission to bring peace in the world
4. Ask the children to draw a peace world as they imagine it. Display their drawings in the church on Sunday, September 24 so that the whole congregation can see them. Ask each child to stand beside her/his drawing to explain it to people who are looking at their drawing. Ask bigger children to share their drawing with the congregation during worship.
5. Encourage the congregation to show love and forgiveness to the people around them, especially to those whom they consider enemies. Symbolically, this act of love and forgiveness can also be demonstrated by giving members of the congregation a chance to forgive each other at the end of worship on Sunday, September 24.
6. Encourage the congregation to observe a peaceful lifestyle and reject any kind of violent action in the month of September, be it physical (beating, slapping, etc.), verbal (cursing, disgracing, etc.), or psychological (threatening, intimidating, etc.).
7. Encourage families to observe family devotions each day in the month of September, dedicated to reflect how each family member as well as the whole family has brought peace in the world. Pray also for places in the world where peace is so difficult to prevail.
8. Encourage the congregation to light a candle each day during dinner at their homes as a symbol of the willingness of all family members to become peacemakers.
9. Encourage the congregation to send cards to relatives, co-workers, friends, neighbors to remind them of the importance of peace in the world and that it is the responsibility of all humankind to bring peace.

In Christ's Name,