Wednesday September 11, students, Athenians, and local faith communities will take to the streets for the third annual Interfaith Peace Walk. The walk will begin at 7pm at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd on University Terrace and will end at the Islamic Center on Stewart Street. Taking place against the backdrop of escalating tension and potential military intervention in Syria, as well as the dozens of other persistent conflicts throughout the world, the Interfaith Peace Walk offers people of all faiths–or no faith tradition–in the Athens and Ohio University communities an opportunity to demonstrate our common commitment to a more peaceful, fair, and free world.
“We all know the phrase ‘peace be with you,'” says the Reverend Evan Young, UCM’s Campus Minister. “Many of us can’t hear the phrase without giving the automatic response used in many churches–‘and also with you.’ We’re walking on September 11th to show that these are more than just words–that they call us to action, to public witness, to advocacy for a different way of being humanity together.”
The march will make the rounds of the uptown churches, starting at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd and making its way past First United Methodist Church, Athens First Presbyterian, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Hillel at OU, St. Paul Catholic Church, Christ Lutheran Church, and Christ the King University Parish, and will end with a gathering at the Islamic Center.
Sponsors of the peace walk include Better Together at Ohio University and OU’s University College. Local faith communities sponsoring the walk include UCM Center for Spiritual Growth & Social Justice, Athens First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Athens First Presbyterian Church, Athens Friends Meeting, Christ Lutheran Church, the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, the First United Methodist Church of Athens, Hillel at Ohio University, the Muslim Student Association, and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens.
The march is part of the Better Together campaign at Ohio University, which is a continuing student-led effort to mobilize college students from different faith backgrounds to engage in community service together to make Ohio University a better place for everyone.
