Little Rock, Arkansas, USA - On September 20, volunteers commemorated the International Day of Peace with an interfaith service project at the Harmony Health Clinic in Little Rock. About 25 people participated, representing the Sikh community, the Family Church, and the Islamic Center for Human Excellence. Ambassador for Peace Dr. Sunny Anand organized the project. Participants cleaned the outside of the clinic and did painting, spackling, and sanding on the inside. Volunteers came from as far away as Huntsville, Alabama; Nashville, Tennessee; and St. Louis, Missouri. The clinic is being prepared for a target opening date in November. Everyone worked hard and accomplished a great deal.
In addition, representative faith leaders gathered to pray for peace at the Arkansas State Capitol. Seven faith leaders from diverse traditions attended. They included Rabbi Eugene Levy of Temple B'Nai Israel representing Judaism; Rev. Stephen Copley, President of the Arkansas Interfaith Alliance, representing Christianity; Anna Cox, head of Compassion Works for All (a prison ministry), representing Buddhism; Dr. Damber Singh Tomer, from the Arkansas Vedanta Society, representing Hinduism; Bruce Biggin, representing Unificationism; and Dr. Sunny Anand of the Arkansas Saytha Sai Baba Center, representing the Sikh religion. Each offered a prayer from their own faith and exchanged peace gifts. A peace pledge was read and the ceremony concluded with singing "Let There Be Peace on Earth." Although the group was small, there was a good spirit as participants sat in a circle and prayed together. Along with the service project, it was a meaningful weekend for peace.
To read UPF's Peace Declaration and reports of observances in other nations, click here.