Christianity Today magazine has links to a collection of articles related to Memorial Day: http://www.christianitytoday.com/holidays/memorial/

PCUSA's Ideas! For Church Leaders magazine had an article on how families can celebrate Memorial Day: http://www.pcusa.org/ideas/2003summer/ideaexchange.htm

Bob Smylie, long-time PCUSA UN Office staff person, gave a talk at the 2003 General Assembly on "Living Faithfully in a Global Arena: Heresy and United States Foreign Policy," that includes mention of Memorial Day: http://www.pcusa.org/peacemaking/livingfaithfully.htm

The National Council of Churches is encouraging services of prayer and remembrance for all who have died in the war in Iraq. While the NCC opposed the war and continues to express grave concerns about the U.S. government's Iraq policy, "the hope is to encourage people in the faith community who supported the war and those who opposed it to pray, reflect and work for peace in this troubled time," said the Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar, NCC General Secretary. For more information and Memorial Day resources: http://www.ncccusa.org/memorialday2004/      Click here for more details below.

Lights for Dignity    [5-28-04]

Recent images from Iraq have disclosed actions that are horrific and dehumanizing. These actions violate core civic and religious values that are embraced by people of every heritage, including our commitment to basic human dignity and the spirit of creation. We encourage people of faith and good will to reflect prayerfully on how we can demonstrate compassion to all victims of violence and foster reconciliation within our human community. We also invite participation in a public acknowledgement of our anguish and our need for self-examination.

On the Sunday night before Memorial Day (MAY 30TH), as we prepare to remember the sacrifices made by those who have fought our nation's wars, please turn on the lights or light candles in your houses of worship and in your homes. Leave them on through the night, until the dawn comes on Memorial Day. By this simple action, we can demonstrate to the world that we share common values as people of faith and as patriots. We will also bear witness to our commitment to peace and good will in Iraq, in the United States, and around the world.

For more information and to sign up to participate, visit www.lightsfordignity.org or email us at info@lightsfordignity.org. We encourage all individuals, organizations and houses of worship around the country to endorse this effort as well as participate.

Working together, one by one, we will light up street corners, houses of worship, community centers and landmarks on May 30, sending a visible symbol to community leaders that we care and that we are watching with concern.

Among participating organizations are:

Clergy Leadership Network
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA)
Interfaith Freedom Foundation
M.K. Gandhi Institute For Non Violence
Muslim Public Affairs Council
National Council of Churches (USA)
Pacific School of Religion
The Episcopal Church (USA)
The Interfaith Alliance (and many state and regional chapters)
The Loretto Women's Network (LWN)
The Texas Faith Network
The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society

Charles Henderson, Presbyterian minister and "your editor and guide" for the "Christianity - General" section of About.com, offers creative thoughts on what we might celebrate as Memorial Day coincides with Pentecost.

Suggests resources for other services.

Observing Memorial Day 2004

[5-26-04]

At 6 p.m. May 27, the Thursday before Memorial Day Weekend, the National Council of Churches USA will host an interfaith worship service at National City Christian Church, on Thomas Circle in Washington, D.C., to mourn the growing number of fallen sons and daughters of our nation, struck down in Iraq while in the patriotic service of their country. We also will pray for the families of the thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians caught in the crossfire, along with all the other soldiers, reporters and non-military personnel who have lost lives and limbs in this conflict. All are precious in the eyes of a loving God.

The NCC is encouraging people of faith across the United States to organize similar interfaith worship services in their own communities, and offers the following resources. Please let Bob Edgar -- redgar@ncccusa.org -- know if you are planning a service. Click here for a partial -- and growing! -- list of services.

Here are the links for the resources. Immediately below are suggestions we hope you will find helpful in planning your service.

· Template for an Interfaith Worship Service:   Word Version    PDF Version

· Resources for Interfaith Worship:    Word Version     PDF Version

Planning Suggestions

1. Try to include interfaith partners in the planning meetings. Most interfaith services (including the ones we do) are built on a worship style with which Christians are most familiar. Sometimes interfaith partners feel that their presence is just an add-on to a Christian service. The way to craft a service that is more inclusive is to include our interfaith partners in the planning from the outset.

2. We are using the theme and material from the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence. The theme is "Power and Promise of Peace." You may check WCC DOV materials at www.overcomingviolence.org

3. "Every Life is Precious" is an important sub-theme. At the Washington DC service we will have 700+ bouquets of flowers representing US military persons who have died in the Iraq war. We will also have more bouquets representing other soldiers and a whole swath of flowers representing children, moms, dads, brothers and sisters of Iraq who have died. We will try to get as accurate a listing as possible of the US military persons who have died and run their names on a screen via a Powerpoint program. You can find a full list at: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/Primetime/IRAQ_Casualties.html?CMP=IL23417

We encourage you to identify and honor the fallen soldiers from your state or local region, particularly but not exclusively. If you can use flowers (a bouquets per soldier from your region or even a single rose would be good), please make sure that there are more flowers that will represent the loss of other (including Iraqi) lives.

4. We will use several periods of silence and guided meditations during the service. We will use speakers minimally. Depending on the size of your congregation, you may encourage people to share their reflections (This requires a strong leader - and is not a good idea if the congregation is large.) The following is the basic pattern for the body of the service.

a. Laying our grief before God

Readings from Sacred Texts
Silence
Guided Meditation
Choral Response

b. Receiving God's comfort

Readings from Sacred Texts
Silence
Guided Meditation
Choral Response

c. Moving on to become peacemakers.

Readings from Sacred Texts
Silence
Guided Meditation
Choral Response

At the end of the Washington DC service the congregation will take the flowers and go outside to create a makeshift memorial on the sidewalk. We encourage you to do something similar. (Police or Park District permission may be needed.)

These are preliminary guidelines to help you begin planning. We will appreciate receiving your creative ideas and feedback.

Invitation to the Washington, DC, service

The Power and Promise of Peace

You are welcomed
to an interfaith service
of prayer and remembrance
honoring the more than 700 Americans
who have died in the conflict in Iraq.

May it be a time of commitment
to the pursuit of peace
as an act of faithfulness.

Thursday, May 27, 2004
at 6 o'clock in the evening
National City Christian Church
14th and M Streets at Thomas Circle, Washington, DC
and at other places of worship across the nation.

Click here for more information.

Those who attend are invited to bring flowers, purchased or from the garden, to place in tribute at the church steps following the service.

The NCC is encouraging local ecumenical and interfaith services across the nation, in concert with the Washington service. If you would like your community's observance included in those listed on the NCC website, please

click here and indicate the place and time and a contact person.

This observance is sponsored by
The National Council of Churches USA
in recognition of the World Council of Churches'
Decade to Overcome Violence