NEW! VIDEOTAPES OF HISTORIC SERVICE NOW AVAILABLE:
MULTI-RACIAL AND INTERFAITH LEADERS GATHERED AT THE RIVERSIDE
CHURCH FOR "PRAYER FOR PEACE" SERVICE OPPOSING WAR AGAINST
IRAQ
Reminiscent of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s anti-Vietnam War
speech at The Riverside Church in 1967, senior minister of the
Church, Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr. was joined by Rev. Al Sharpton,
Rev. Herbert Daughtry, and other religious leaders for an interfaith
service of prayers for peace on Sunday, December 8 at 5:30 p.m.,
in the Nave of the Church, 490 Riverside Drive (between 120th
& 122nd St.), New York, New York.
With the event taking place on the day of Iraq's weapons declaration
deadline and the year 2002 marking the 35th anniversary of Dr.
King's famous speech, the service proved to be historic as a fulfillment
of what Dr. King began at The Riverside Church by linking the
civil rights and the anti-war movements! In October 2002, over
100 denominational and religious leaders of the African American
community joined the leadership of virtually all the mainline
protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic American Bishops
in opposing the proposed war in Iraq.
The Riverside Church, an interracial, inter-denominational, and
international church built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1927,
continues to pursue its historic focus on non-violent means to
achieve a just and peaceful world locally, nationally, and internationally
in harmony with the reign of God we believe was initiated in Jesus.
Participating clergy include: Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr. Senior
Minister, The Riverside Church; Rev. Al Sharpton, National Acion
Network; Rev. Herbert Daughtry, House of the Lord Pentecostal
Church, Brooklyn; Bishop Paul Moore, The Episcopal Church; Imam
Mahdi Bray, Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, Washington,
DC; Venerable T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki, President, Buddhist Council
of New York; Sirdar Harpreet Singh, Community Relations Director,
Sikh Coalition; Rev. Peter Laarman, Judson Memorial Church, New
York; Rev. Kathryn Johnson, Director, Methodist Federation for
Social Action, Washington, DC; Rev. Earl Koopercamp, St. Mary's
Episcopal Church, New York; and Rev. Dr. James E. Fitzgerald,
Minister for Mission and Social Justice, The Riverside Church.
Many of the participating clergy were gathered through the efforts
of Mr. Ron Daniels, Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional
Rights, which labors tirelessly to build coalitions against the
rush to war.
TO ORDER A VIDEOTAPE, CONTACT:
Ms. Marie Burgos, Office of Mission and Social Justice, The Riverside
Church, 490 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10027
212-870-6740
PRICE: $10 plus $5 for shipping ($15)
THIS TAPE IS VALUABLE AS A RECORD OF AN HISTORIC EVENT AND CAN
BE USED AS A TEACHING TOOL FOR THOSE CONCERNED ABOUT THE RESPONSE
OF PEOPLE OF FAITH TO THE RUSH TO WAR IN IRAQ.