WARD 4 FAITH LEADERS

Clergy United for Peace

Ward 4 Faith Leaders United for Peace is an ecumenical group of clergy in Ward 4 committed to applying spiritual solutions to address the scourge of gun and other forms of violence plaguing our community. We seek the intervention of the Spirit of the living God in the life of Ward 4. We accomplish this by holding Prayer Vigils for the victims of gun violence, holding Peace Walks down thoroughfairs, and in Summer holding a Peace Camp where young people can learn constructive ways to settle their differences. We invite all clergy, faith communities, and residents to join us in the cause. See our About Us page.

A Call to Prayer and Fasting

                                                                       

Three years ago, the Ward 4 Faith Leaders came together around the issue of gun violence that plagued the ward and the entire District of Columbia following the COVID pandemic. We held vigils, peace walks down major thoroughfares and even started a Peace Camp, all to bring spiritual solutions to bear on our social ills, and while the problem of crime remains with us, God be praised, the surge of gun violence has abated substantially. Now, a new and potentially more dangerous challenge has appeared on the horizon. The District is now confronted with a federal administration that threatens to erode our moral ethos. Our residents and immigrant workers, housed and unhoused, are uprooted and subjected to detention at undisclosed locations by masked agents, acting under the guise of law enforcement. Federal employees are dismissed without consideration of their legal rights and contracts and grants are canceled without any consideration of the human consequences to meet suspect budgetary targets and to provide tax benefits for the wealthiest in our nation. This behavior is in direct contravention of the admonitions of the Prophet Micah, who informed us that God expects us to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). The oppressive nature of this environment is palpable and creates untold anxiety for our congregants and the community at large and will undoubtedly lead to unrest and violence on our streets. Moreover, our beloved democracy is threatened by these actions. As faith leaders committed to justice and mercy and resisters of moral dysfunction and oppression, we find this circumstance unconscionable, no matter what your theological or political persuasion might be.

Therefore, the Ward 4 Faith Leaders are calling for days of Prayer and Fasting. Under the banner DC Moral Resisters Standing for Justice and Compassion, we are asking congregations in Ward 4 and within in the DMV to join in our call to Prayer and Fasting by committing to the following, starting on Tuesday, September 30:

  • Call your members to pray each Tuesday for the reign of justice and mercy to return to the District of Columbia.
  • Identify ten (10) members of your congregation to fast each Tuesday from 6 am to 6 pm.
  • Ask these ten members to identify two (2) others to join each week; and
  • Once each month attend a Breaking Fast Meal at one of the designated houses of worship.

We will continue this effort until the oppression ends. If your congregation is willing to take part in the call to action, please complete the register here.