As nation's drumbeats for war intensify, Mennonites called to kneel in prayer

NEWTON, Kan. (MC USA) -- As the United States prepares to invade Iraq with guns and bombs, the Mennonite Church USA Executive Board is asking Mennonites on March 16 to kneel in prayer in their congregations and homes.

In a recent letter to congregations, Jim Schrag, executive director of the Mennonite Church USA Executive Board, is calling Mennonites to mark Sunday, March 16, as a day for prayer and fasting. The day coincides with the last day of the 40-day fast that Daryl Byler, Mennonite Central Committee's Washington Office director, began Feb. 5. March 16 also falls during Lent, a season of repentance leading up to Easter.

"Whether we do this as a congregation or a Sunday school or class, as a family or as an individual, for five minutes or for one meal or an entire day, I invite you to bring yourself before God in repentance and supplication," Schrag said in his letter. ...

"When you read this, war may have already begun. Many of you have already prayed. Some have written to our nation's leaders. A few have joined marches with neighbors. It's time to get on our knees together as believers in Christ, to sharpen our spiritual awareness and to increase our own hunger for peace."

A deeper hunger for peace is growing among Mennonites and those already involved in prayer and fasting, said Byler and Susan Mark Landis, peace advocate for the MC USA Executive Board. Fasting and prayer are not instant solutions but a search for increased humility before God and increased reconciliation among our global neighbors, they said. More than 1,100 people around the globe are fasting for peace between the United States and Iraq, including those who've joined MCC Canada women's fast for peace.

Landis said, "It's not what we do that will stop a war - that's up to God. Our job is to listen to God's voice, to be faithful to God's call. It's important who we are, who we serve, how we worship. Actions, of course are very important, but they must come from the core of our spiritual being.
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"My desire is that this call to prayer and fasting will give each congregation the time to listen to God's call in their local space and that members of all ages will bind themselves together as a support community for each other."

A worship resource created by the Peace and Justice Support Network, called "By the Rivers of Babylon: A Service of Lament," can help congregations and individuals join this call for fasting and prayer. It uses Psalm 137 to invite congregations to mourn our nation's state of war-making during the season of Lent. This Psalm laments Israel's captivity in Babylon and expresses profound grief. The worship resource is available on the Peace and Justice Support Network web site at www.peace.mennolink.org. For more information you may also, contact Landis at (330) 683-6844.

Laurie L. Oswald is news service director for Mennonite Church USA.