September 25, 2007
Dear Friends,
Over the course of the past week you have giving me hope, made me cheer, and brought tears to my eyes. Of the 2,750 people who have signed the UU Petition for Peace, like you, many have left comments that tap the roots that feed my soul.
Sonja Johnston, the Minister of Music at the Minnesota Valley UU Fellowship for 31 years, wrote, “Every Tuesday afternoon, I, and several other members of our fellowship, hold a peace vigil at a busy street in Bloomington. The response from those driving by is 75% positive. We must end this illegal, immoral, unnecessary war NOW.”
How many of you have stood vigil?
Kelly Hardin Derwood, from the River Road UU Congregation in Bethesda, Maryland, wrote, “As a fifteen-year-old Unitarian Universalist, I am proud to represent UU youth as I sign this petition.”
How many of your children have had to witness this war?
LeAnne Notabartolo, from the UU Congregation of Las Vegas, wrote, “As a military wife whose husband has NOT been deployed (thankfully), I say, ‘bring our Troops home NOW’.”
How many of you worry when your loved ones come home late?
While the news from Capital Hill and the White House has been less than inspiring, your actions have given me hope. I know we will continue to write letters, write op-eds, stand vigil, and vote. And I believe that we will end this war.
As I see the numbers of signatures rising each day and I read your encouragement, your prayers, your pain, and your hope, I am left with the simple comment shared by Jan Taddeo, a ministerial student at Meadville Lombard, “Amen”.September 28, 2007
Dear Friends,
Of the 4,500 who have joined you in signing the UU Petition for Peace, there are some who know this war in a way that tears down the distance between our home soil and the battlefield; between us and them; between the headlines and the heartbeat.
Karl von der Heyde of the Skylands Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in New Jersey writes, “I am a veteran of the President's war. It is a disaster. Some things are worth fighting and dying for. The pride, hubris, cultural ignorance, cowardly invasion of a country with no ties to 9/11, and a nearly totally fraudulent 'Global War on Terror' of the current President of the United States are not among the things worth fighting and dying for.”
Veterans of war are in our congregations, singing the children off to class.
Carol and Al Lloyd, members of the First Unitarian Church of Cincinnati, wrote, “We have a very personal reason for wanting to stop the war - our son is scheduled to go [to Iraq] in late January/early February. It’s terrifying.”
Parents of soldiers are in our congregations, whispering prayers by our sides.
And a man from Texas left this message after signing the petition, “I am looking to join the UUA when I return from Iraq but I support your cause and the many people like you. Thank you so much.”
There are empty seats in our congregations, hopefully they will be filled.
On October 10th, Rev. Sinkford will be carrying this petition, and all of your comments, to the powerful decision-makers in Washington DC. To reach our goal of gathering 25,000 signatures, our most ambitious advocacy goal ever, we need signatures from every congregation in the United States.
Please download the petition here and bring it to your congregation this Sunday.
