May 13, 2011
Day of Prayer
A variety of faith traditions represented in Evansville
Abraham Brown signs a proclamation which declares May 5, 2011 as a "Day of Prayer" in the city of Evansville as Iman Abdul Wajid from the Islamic Society waits. Brown is a pastoral associate at Nativity Church in Evansville and the director of Centro Latino Juan Diego. (Message photo by Mary Ann Hughes) Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
Rev. F. P. Miller was the first to arrive at the Four Freedoms monument last Thursday for the 2011 Interfaith National Day of Prayer. He’s with First Ebenezer Baptist Church in Evansville, and he had been working since early that morning. “I started at 7:30, and I am going here and there,” he said, adding, “and I have to go to the hospital when I leave here.”
Despite his busy schedule, he wanted to participate in the Day of Prayer “because it’s important for the churches to gather together,” he said. “We should lend our support when we can.”
He knows about the importance of prayer, noting “prayers have never hurt anyone, and they’ve helped a lot.”
Prayer was the focus of the day, as leaders from a variety of faith traditions prayed for wisdom and harmony among all people during a noon gathering at the Evansville riverfront.
Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger welcomed representatives of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu faith traditions and invited each of them to pray in his or her own tradition. He said, “We put ourselves in a mode of peace as we begin our prayers.”
The group included
- Rabbi Helen Bar-Yaacov, Temple B’nai Adath Israel;
- Pastor Joseph Easley, Central United Methodist Church;
- Dr. Mohammad Hussein and Iman Abdul Wajid, Islamic Society;
- Abraham Brown, pastoral associate at Nativity Church in Evansville and the director of Centro Latino Juan Diego.;
- Rev. Claudene “Deane” Oliva, Unitarian Universalist Church;
- Rev. F.P. Miller, First Ebenezer Baptist Church;
- Mike Baron, Mindful Heart Buddha Sangha;
- Rev. Philip Hoy, Zion United Church of Christ;
- Pandit Shri Martand Sharma, Tri-State Hindu Temple.
Rabbi Bar-Yaacov read prayers both in Hebrew and English, explaining they were “some of the prayers we pray on a daily basis.”
Iman Abdul Wajid quoted the Quran “to be just to each other,” because “if we are able to save one life it is as if we saved all of humanity.”
Brown prayed in Spanish and English: “Dear Lord, Thank you for gathering us here on this National Day of Prayer.
“We pray for peace, for justice for all the diverse community that makes this beautiful country, we pray for just laws, for a just immigration reform and for just all we need to all live in harmony in this country we all love. We ask you for all these things in the name of Jesus, your son.”
Rev. Oliva recited a Litany of Restoration, asking participants to respond “it will not matter” as she said, “If, recognizing the interdependence of all life, we strive to build community, the strength we gather will be our salvation.
“If you are black and I am white . . .
“If you are female and I am male . . .
“If you are straight and I am gay . . . .”
After Pandit Shri Martand Sharma from the Tri-State Hindu Temple recited a chant from his faith tradition, the bishop concluded the Day of Prayer by asking God to bless “all those who are suffering.”
As she reflected on the Day of Prayer, Marcia Ballard said, “I think the more we try to understand each other and love each other, the better our world will be.”