All aboard!
Church school students, teachers and parents painted two cars of a plywood “peace train” at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown on Sunday. The train engine and caboose will be displayed on the church’s lawn this week before being carried into the sanctuary on June 2 as part of a peace-themed Youth Sunday service to conclude the church school year.
Parishioners penned messages of peace, honoring members of the nation’s military, past and present; praying for peace in Syria and throughout the world; and vowing to work for peace. One message contained the Finnish and Russian words for peace (ruaha and mir) and wished for “peace to troubled souls in all lands.”
Some of the other messages read:
- In peace and wonderful memories of my classmates who died in Vietnam.
- Dear God, May you help people to find peace within their lives, and then they will be able to show peace to others.
- I give thanks for all who work for peace and pray God to grant peace in each person’s heart.
- Let us rejoice in our difference, and live with each other in generosity and peace!
- May there be peace throughout the world. May all those in the military fighting for peace find peace.
- Peace is a large a luxurious tree whose roots are justice. We pray for justice in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world and for peace.
- God is Love.
- Let us reflect and appreciate that we live in a country that views diversity as a strength and can discus and resolve differences peacefully. Thanks to all who gave their lives to help us achieve and protect that way of life.
- I wish for peace between individuals. We need to treat each other with understanding and love.
- God, pleased protect all our military as they work to protect us. God grant this world PEACE!
Sarah Agostin, left, and Madeleine Beavis decorate the caboose of the Morristown "peace train." Sharon Sheridan photo
Throughout this week, community members are invited to write messages of peace and pin them to the train cars.
Following St. Peter’s Youth Sunday, the train will travel into storage in the church depot, aka the furnace room, until reappearing for the International Day of Peace on Saturday, Sept. 21.
The train will be larger then, joining with cars decorated by members of other Morristown area churches in preparation for a peace march and prayer service in town that day. Any churches interested in participating can contact Sharon Sheridan at sharon@sharonsheridan.com.
