Congregational Participants

Come...

We come together from more than 36 diverse faith communities and traditions to put our convictions into action by saying NO to war and YES to peace and justice.

Gather...

...to call upon our government to cease its focus on war and to focus its energy and resources on peaceful and lawful resolution, negotiation, international cooperation, and the well-being of all creation.

...to call upon our government to defend civil liberties at home and strengthen the values that our nation holds: justice, tolerance, diversity, equality, liberty, and human dignity.

...to insist that war is a moral, ethical and religious issue involving matters of life and death for children, youth and adults who all share our common humanity.

As people of faith we are compelled in this critical time to commit our spirits, voices, hearts and actions to the cause of justice and peace on earth.

Act...

• We are committed to nonviolent action for peace and justice. We will walk and talk, pray and act in the manner of love, for God is love.
• We seek to win over our opponents in truth and love, never to humiliate or defeat them. Affirming that every human being has inherent worth and is a child of God, we refuse to hate or condemn any person or group of persons, even as we oppose and condemn forces and actions of violence and injustice.
• We pray, speak and act for the well-being of all people. Members of our own armed forces and the armed forces of all nations will be respected. It is in part on their behalf and for their safety that we say NO to war.
• We will stand in solidarity with individuals or groups whose civil rights are violated. We will not be silent.
• We ground ourselves in the core teachings and practices of peace and justice in our own faith tradition. From these sources we gain strength, wisdom, courage and compassion for all.
• We come from diverse faiths; therefore, our words and actions will be diverse. Our activities may range from meditation and prayer vigils to political action, and, if discerned necessary, include acts of civil disobedience. Each of us will participate according to our own conscience. We respect, celebrate and learn from this diversity.

We base all our thoughts and prayers, words and actions on the conviction that only love will overcome hatred, only justice will lead to peace, and as people of faith we are called to build a just and peaceful world.

Participating Congregations and Organizations:

• American Muslim Voice
• Beyt Tikkun Synagogue
• First Congregational Church (United Church of Christ) Palo Alto
• First Evangelical Lutheran Church Palo Alto
• First Presbyterian Church Palo Alto
• First United Methodist Church Palo Alto
• Holy Trinity Episcopal Menlo Park
• Network of Spiritual Progressives
• Palo Alto Friends Meeting
• St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Palo Alto (Catholic)
• Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto
• West Bay Chapter, Buddhist Peace Fellowship