Thursday, August 28, 2008

Princeton Friends Meeting UN International Day of Peace Event

Princeton Friends Meeting is located at 470 Quaker Road where it intersects Mercer Road

The Peace Day committee of Princeton Friends Meeting and School invites all members of the School/Meeting community and the wider community to participate in the events it has organized. This Peace Day celebration is co-sponsored by the Fellowship in Prayer.


Saturday September 20

Starting 6:00 pm

Opening Prayer for Peace in the Meetinghouse. There will be members in the meetinghouse praying for peace for 24 hours, and all are invited to come and join us at any time.

6:00 pm
First Day (Sunday) School Pot luck and all night camp out

Sunday September 21

8:00 am - 9:00

Breakfast for First Day (Sunday) School camp out

9:00 am – 10:00

Meeting for Worship in the Meetinghouse

11:00 am – noon

Meeting for Worship in the Meetinghouse

11:00 am - noon

Workshop open to all age groups of young people

Noon

Worldwide Minute of Silence for Peace, in the Meetinghouse

12:15 pm – 1:30

Simple Meal of beans and rice. Similar to the meal that many eat around the world

1:45 pm – 4:30/4:45 sharp

Adult Workshop: “Peace Through Forgiveness: A Courageous, Healing Choice”, led by Patricia Stere Sears, Housatonic Friends Meeting

1:45 pm – 4:30/4:45
Workshop open to all age groups of young people

6:00 pm

Closing Prayer for Peace in the Meetinghouse

5:45 pm

Third Sunday Gathering

5:45 pm – 6:30

Potluck Dinner

6:30 pm – 7:00

Singing and Clean-up

7:00 pm – 8:00
Guest Speaker: Susan Campbell, Merion Friends Meeting, who represents Philadelphia Yearly Meeting as an NGO at the U.N.

Throughout Sunday, two unscheduled activities will be available:

- Eyes Wide Open: New Jersey exhibit (American Friends Service Committee) that features boots representing New Jersey soldiers and Iraqis killed in the current Iraq war. See separate blog posting for further details.

- A Peace Path through the woods with signs and quotations for meditation.

For further information, email
spiritsong4@verizon.net

Eyes Wide Open: New Jersey

“An exhibit that speaks directly to our hearts and reminds us of the human cost of war.”

Princeton Friends Meeting (Quakers) and Fellowship in Prayer present Eyes Wide Open: New Jersey
At 470 Quaker Road where it intersects Mercer Road
September 21, 2008

This widely acclaimed memorial honors the casualties of the war in Iraq.

On display are 73 pairs of empty combat boots, tagged with the names of New Jersey soldiers who have died in the Iraq War, and 50 pairs of shoes to represent the thousands of Iraqi civilians who have died during the conflict.

Please also join us for the UN International Day of Peace Celebration On September 21

This event is free and open to the public

If you would like to volunteer for the exhibit, please contact Elizabeth Alberts, 6
09 912-1595 or by email at strebla@comcast.net

The United Nations International Day of Peace – September 21, 2008

In 1981, the United Nations General Assembly established the International Day of Peace and in 2001 adopted a resolution designating September 21st as the annual date of the International Day of Peace.

The resolution: "Declares that the International Day of Peace shall henceforth be observed as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Day . . . Invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, and non-governmental organizations and individuals to commemorate, in an appropriate manner, the International Day of Peace, including through education and public awareness, and to cooperate with the United Nations in the establishment of the global ceasefire.”

An ever-expanding number of people worldwide, representing a wide variety of religious and spiritual traditions, have committed to the task of working with other like-minded individuals and groups for an International Day of Peace Vigil with the following objective:

“To encourage worldwide, 24-hour spiritual observations for peace and nonviolence on the International Day of Peace, 21 September in every house of worship and place of spiritual practice, by all religious and spiritually based groups and individuals, and by all men, women and children who seek peace in the world."



This year, Princeton Friends Meeting (Quakers) is celebrating our first annual Day of Peace. We invite each congregation and organization to plan an event to commemorate the Day of Peace. Everyone is also invited to join with us in our celebration.