How did you celebrate the International Day of Peace on Sunday? I had the privilege to worship twice in Atlanta.
The morning started at First Afrikan Presbyterian Church in Lithonia for the Sisterhood Celebration Worship Service. Through song and dance and drama and a sermon by the Rev. Bridget Piggue, we celebrated the gifts, witness, faith, and strength of women past, present, and still to come. Rev. Piggue used James 1:22-25 and "The Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson to challenge us to look at ourselves and see how we are, or are not, doing the word and how we might need God’s grace to help us change.
Central Presbyterian Church came next. The service there included singing and a bell choir, liturgical dance and a sermon by the Rev. Caroline Kelly. The focus was the International Day of Peace.
A highlight included the unveiling of a mobile that included over 2,000 peace cranes (PDF). Congregational members had been making cranes for the better part of two years. Each crane bears prayers for peace. The prayers include each member of the congregation and concerns around the world.
Following the service, I had the honor of standing vigil for peace with congregation members. The congregation has held a vigil each Sunday since prior to the beginning of the war in Iraq.