By Christine Sheller
Sunny, relatively warm weather ushered in Palm Sunday 2019, as
approximately 150 individuals gathered for the Annual Palm Sunday Procession
for Peace and Prayer Service at the Central Presbyterian Church on Grand Avenue
in Des Moines.
We were welcomed by the
pastor at Central, Wallace Bubar, and were given directions on processing by
Patti McKee, a member of the Des Moines Faith Committee for Peace (DMFCP), and
at approximately 3:00 pm the procession began.
We were led by a police officer in his car, then by two donkeys as we
were given one lane of the street.
People carried placards, and signs promoting peace as well as land
justice, as the theme this year was “To Love and Defend Our Sacred Earth.” People also carried palms in remembrance of
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem days before his crucifixion, over 2000 years ago. There were many cosponsors for this event,
including Iowa Peace Network. The Des
Moines Faith Committee for Peace planned the event.
(Krieg/ AFSC)
(Krieg/ AFSC)
We arrived at the Plymouth Congregational United Church of
Christ on Ingersoll Ave. for the Prayer Service after a nice walk down Grand,
and down 36th to Ingersoll, back to 42nd and Ingersoll,
at Plymouth.
(Sheller/ IPN)
(Krieg/ AFSC)
Gathering music as well as the music throughout the service was led by Mary
Beth Mardis- LeCroy. We were led in a
call to worship by the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Des Moines, Richard
Pates. The opening song was “Restless Weaver.” An Invocation was given by Alan Scarfe,
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa.
Next, we were welcomed by the senior pastor at Plymouth Church, Matt
Mardis-LeCroy. Linda Dorsey, a member of
the DMFCP, also welcomed attendees.
Next, Bishop of the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist
Church led us in a Prayer of Confession, which included words of confession on
polluting our earth, and committing violence.
An Assurance of Pardon was also read.
The last third of the service began with a Scripture Reading
by Jacquiline Saxon, Executive Minister of the
Mid-American Baptist Churches of Iowa and Minnesota. Minna Bothwell, pastor at Capitol Hill
Lutheran Church, introduced the featured speaker, Matt Russell, Executive Director
of Iowa Interfaith Power and Light. He
gave a motivating talk, sharing about his work at Iowa Interfaith Power and
Light as well as organic farming. Next,
Minna Bothwell shared a prayer with the children who were present, after they
joined her in the front. Our Offering
was introduced by Carmen Lampe-Zeitler, member of the DMFCP, where she invited
everyone in attendance to write an action they would take to help with climate
change, on a paper cut-out of a hand we were given upon arrival. We were then invited to bring them up as we
felt led, to stick them on a board in the front. It was a neat scene to see the collective
array of actions people committed to take.
We sang “The Whole Word is In God’s Hands,” and took part in an Offering
Prayer- a Creation Care Covenant on a slip of paper we were also given on
arrival.
Last, we were given a Charge and a Blessing, by Joan
Fumetti, of the Interfaith Green Coalition.
We sang, “Turning of the World” to end the service.
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