Prayer service in Morris Township responds to Ferguson decision, 7 pm

service responds to ferguson, nov 2014
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service responds to ferguson, nov 2014

In the wake of Monday’s grand jury’s decision not to indict a white police officer in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen in Ferguson, Mo., the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship will hold a “service of prayer, reflection, and resolve” at 7 o’clock tonight, Nov. 25, 2014.

“People of all faiths and people of good will who are in need of a healing community tonight are welcome,” the house of worship said.  The hour-long service will be held at 21 Normandy Heights Road in Morris Township.

The Rev. Alison Miller issued this statement:

Many of you may be feeling heartache today in the wake of the grand jury decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson.

The challenge is that while we may not have access to all of the details presented to the jury, we also know that time and again people of color are discriminated against by our criminal justice system. At times, this discrimination has even led to the death of innocent human beings.

I have deep respect for first responders – the men and women who are willing to put their bodies and lives in harms way in order that we may live in safer communities. However, I also believe that all of us are called to reflect on recent events and ask ourselves how we can work towards reconciliation and towards dismantling systems of oppression. When I say ‘we,’ I mean all of us – police, ministers, teachers, business leaders, parents, military, social workers, musicians, artists, etc.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’ Each of us must do our part to figure out how we can participate in this bending towards justice. It will be a matter of prayer and meditation and self-reflection. It will be a matter of listening and learning from the diverse voices in our community and around the globe. It will be a matter of resolve to take actions that follow the dictates of our moral conscience.

Tonight, I invite all of you, who sit with heartache and sit with a desire to affirm that the loss of a human life matters, to join us in our sanctuary at 7 pm for a service of prayer, reflection, and resolve.

In fellowship,

Rev. Alison

2 COMMENTS

  1. This was an awesome idea to provide a vehicle to begin the healing process, especially in our multicultural community of Morristown/Morris Township and Morris Plains. Unfortunately, the target group who would be MOST in need of and benefit from this (youth and young adults), would like me, not see this is time to attend because of the medium in which you used to advertise.

    My chance, I happened to stumble upon this newspaper article, and unfortunately a day late. My suggestion would be if there is a next time, use social media platforms such as Facebook or the school district email blast to reach this target demographic..

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