International Day of Peace Celebrated by Holy
Apostles Soup Kitchen Drumming and Art Group
n
2001, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a
resolution designating September 21st as an
International Day of Peace. On that date, all religious and
spiritually based groups and all men, women, and children who
seek peace in the world are encouraged to hold
spiritual observances for peace and nonviolence. This
global 24-hour vigil is meant to demonstrate the power of prayer
and other spiritual practices in promoting peace, preventing
violent conflict, and establishing a global ceasefire.
With each year, an ever-expanding number of people and
organizations worldwide join in marking this International Day
of Peace. One such organization is the Holy Apostles Soup
Kitchen. This year its observance was led by the Soup Kitchen’s
Drumming and Art Group, conducted by ArtSpirit, which utilizes
the power of the creative spirit to heal the mind, body, and
soul.
Marion
Williams, ArtSpirit’s founder, began by welcoming everyone to
the event and introducing Holy Apostles Church’s Associate
Rector, Rev. Elizabeth Maxwell, and the church’s Program
Director, Clyde Kuemmerle. Assisted by Jessica, Marion explained
the basic concept of the International Day of Peace, and then
asked everyone to write down their prayers for peace, which they
would be using a little later.
Marion then introduced David as the drummer for the evening.
He got the drumming circle started with heartbeat drumming,
which is based on the rhythm of the heart – something everyone
has in common – and then branched out from there.
Next, with Maria providing any necessary guidance,
participants began crafting the prayers they had written down
earlier into prayer scrolls. They each received a sturdy piece
of material on which to write or draw their prayer, and they
were provided with a diverse selection of materials – beads,
fabric, twine, ribbon, feathers – to use to design the scrolls.
After everyone finished their scrolls, each of which was
quite unique, one by one the participants said or sang their
prayer and then gave it form in a drumming rhythm, which
everyone else picked up and played while the person hung his or
her scroll on a prayer mobile.
Nouk’s far-reaching prayer read: "May no illness come; may
children be many; may they come closer to the elders; may wisdom
come among nations; may no misfortune stop the rain."
Precious prayed that "everybody be rich, not just in wealth,
but in resources, land, and animals, and that in the end, they
should have peace and happiness."
Edwarda
prayed for "all the people who are in need around the world,"
while Jude asked that "God create peace among all people on this
planet and give us all eternal life."
Following this moving ceremony, everyone paused to enjoy the
bounteous refreshments laid out for them. Then, they retook
their seats to hear Nouk read the message from Secretary General
of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, who stated in part:
"For
some of us, peace is a day-to-day reality. Our streets are safe;
our children go to school. Where the fabric of society is
strong, the precious gifts of peace can almost go unremarked.
But for far too many people in the world today, those gifts are
only an elusive dream. They live in chains: a climate of
insecurity and fear. It is mainly for them that this day
exists."
Annan concluded, "I call on people everywhere to observe one
minute of silence today in the name of peace. Let us remember
the victims of war. And let each of us pledge to do more,
wherever we can make a difference, to bring about lasting
peace."
The evening, which was clearly very meaningful and
pleasurable for all participants, was rounded out with some
final drumming and singing. It closed with everyone giving one
word for the world. Some of the words offered up were hope,
courage, peace, love, joy, and creation.
To learn more about the drumming and art group, visit
www.artspiritonline.org. To obtain further information about the
Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, visit www.holyapostlesnyc.org.
