Election Eve Candlelight Vigil
for Democracy, Peace and Hope
On 16th Street and Beyond
Monday, November 4 from 5:30-6:30 pm
On the evening before the national election, please join a candlelight standing vigil with houses of worship along 16th Street NW, from the White House to Silver Spring, to shine a light for democracy, peace and hope. All ages are welcome.
Sixteenth Street is DC’s “corridor of faith,” a 6.5-mile thoroughfare lined by nearly 50 houses of worship. In these challenging days of violence, poverty, social inequity, and a bitterly divided nation, DC religious leaders invite people from all religious communities—and our neighbors—to join us in bearing witness to the love that grounds us as people of faith and good will.
How to Participate:
- Come to your house of faith (or any convenient point) along 16th St., NW by 5:30pm. We especially encourage people to gather at major intersections along 16th St (K St, P/Q St, U St, Harvard St, Meridian Pl, Upshur St, Colorado Av, Kalmia St, Alaska Av, etc.). If you can, please sign up for a particular block here (it doesn’t need to be near your institution). Also, you are welcome to host a vigil at your institution. Please sign up–we’ll list the location. Email Rev. Rob Keithan (rkeithan@allsouls.ws) to sign on.
- Bring candles (real or battery operated), lanterns, flashlights, cell phones etc.
- Feel free to bring signs on cardboard with boldly painted letters expressing your prayers/hopes for our country. This is a positive, non-partisan vigil, so please only bring respectful signs that do not promote or oppose any candidate or party. We encourage you to use democracy, peace, and hope as themes. Learn more by contacting any one of us! And here’s a list of Religious Events near Election Day.
In Faith, Hope and Prayer,
- Rev. Renata Eustis, Pastor, Christ Lutheran Church; 5101 16th St, NW, pastorrenata@christlutherandc.org
- Rachel Geddes, Vicar, Christ Lutheran Church Vicar@christlutherandc.org
- Rev. Julie Pennington-Russell, Pastor, First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, DC,1328 16th St, NW, jpr@firstbaptistdc.org
- Rev. Eric Mathis, Associate Pastor, First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, DC, eric@firstbaptistdc.org
- Rev. Rob Keithan, Minister of Social Justice, at All Souls Church Unitarian, rkeithan@allsouls.ws
Participating Organizations (List in Formation)
- All Souls Church Unitarian, from Fuller to Harvard Streets near the church
- Christ Lutheran Church, from Farragut – Colorado
- Church of the Pilgrims, from Foundry UMC to Q Street
- Cleveland Park Congregational UCC, at the church (34th St/Reno and Lowell Sts NW)
- Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ
- The Festival Center
- First Baptist Church, from the Mass Ave roundabout to O St
- First Congregational UCC, from H to I (Black Lives Matter Plaza)
- Foundry United Methodist Church, from P Street to the Church
- John Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church, at P Street w/Foundry UMC, or at I Street/Black Lives Matter Plaza
- National City Christian Church, at the church on Thomas Circle
- Peoples Congregational United Church of Christ, from Buchanan to Crittenden
- Sixth Presbyterian Church, at the church (16th & Kennedy)
- Universalist National Memorial Church, from S to Swann St near the church
- Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice, from Fuller to Harvard Streets w/All Souls
Please email Rev. Rob Keithan at All Souls Church (rkeithan@allsouls.ws) to add your institution as a participant. Secular organizations are welcome as well!
