Methodist Federation for Social Action

NOTE: Photographs are available with this report. Full press release with pictures available at http://www.umns.umc.org/03/jan/026.htm

By Joretta Purdue

WASHINGTON (UMNS) – The temperature did not climb above 25 degrees, but tens of thousands of people, including United Methodists from several states, gathered Jan. 18 on the National Mall to call for peace and walk to the Washington Navy Yard.

In the three hours before the rally was to begin, the United Methodist Building at Capitol Hill provided warmth and snacks for rally participants, some of whom had boarded buses the day before to travel all night from the Midwest, New England and other parts of the country.

A similar demonstration occurred in San Francisco the same day, and a group of Florida United Methodists indicated they were headed for a peace rally at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa that day.

At the United Methodist Building in Washington, Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader, secretary of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, offered the benediction at a prayer service led by Jim Winkler, staff head of the denomination’s Board of Church and Society. Jonathan Meier, the 20-year-old college student who had walked most of the way from Ames, Iowa, to take part in the rally, shared his experience in the message portion. Members of other faiths participated in the service as well.

The hospitality at the building offered an opportunity for making placards as well as getting refreshments and connecting with others who had come to the nation’s capital to express their feelings about a possible war between the United States and Iraq.

"War doesn’t solve anything," asserted the Rev. Beth Cooper, a campus minister at San Diego State University. "I don’t think we’ve engaged in full conversation that would explore other possibilities for peace." Cooper had been attending a short session at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington and extended her stay to participate in the weekend activities.

Chett Pritchett, another Wesley Seminary student originally from Parkersburg, W.Va., said the rally and march offered an opportunity "to show my disdain for the decision for war."

"War only supports the rich," he said. It "hurts the poor, homeless, and women and children in all situations. As Christians, we’re following our call for justice. We need to support ‘the least of these,’ and that’s who war hurts."

The crowd milled amiably in the cold, clear day while listening to a number of speakers, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Actress Tyne Daley told the demonstrators, "You’re in the right place."

Signs were the order of the day. A few of the sentiments expressed included:

· "Don’t Bush Whack Iraq";

· "Give Peace a Chance";

· "Money for Jobs, Not for War!"

· "We Are All Connected";

· "Dumb Leaders + Smart Bombs = Dead People";

· "One Global Family";

· "Pre-emptive Strikes are War Crimes."

A child carried a sign that said, "Don’t Start WWIII." An older woman held aloft a poster proclaiming, "War is Terrorism on Families." A couple with an infant zipped snuggly in its father’s jacket wore a sign that said, "Another baby for peace."

After more than two hours of speeches, the crowd began its trek past the Capitol and House office buildings. Moving down Pennsylvania Avenue, the marchers proceeded about 2.5 miles from the Mall to the Washington Navy Yard.

About midway on the route, Capitol Hill United Methodist Church displayed the word "peace" in large, bright letters. The pastor and several members stood in front of the church to show solidarity with the marchers.

"Open hearts, open minds, open doors and – in our case – open bathrooms," said member Kevin Anderson.

Almost from the beginning of the more-than-two-hour procession, a few participants came across a small park to the church with a pressing need. Can we use your bathroom? they asked. The Rev. Douglas Fox and the members unlocked all the doors, lit the candles in the sanctuary and turned on the lights in the parlor.

"It took the march a full two- to two-and-a-half hours to go by the church, and in that time we had more than 600 people," Anderson said. "They came in; they got warmed up. Some of them sat in the sanctuary. … Some folks knelt and prayed; others just put down their signs and rested. There was a girl doing yoga in the back. The parlor was full. We opened up all six bathrooms, and there were long lines at some points."

If the congregation had expected people to need the church, the members would have served hot chocolate, Anderson said.

"There was not an age or a race or a human condition that was not represented in that group," Anderson enthused. "It was just the most wonderful, diverse, happy, cold, friendly, grateful bunch of people. And it was just a wonderful, wonderful witness."

Another peace march for youth and students was held the following day, Sunday, with the White House as its destination, but the demonstrators did not reach the park across the street before being stopped by police. On Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, an interfaith service and candlelight procession honored the late civil rights leader’s dedication to peace and justice.