CWU World Community Day 2017: ‘Kindling New Fires for Peace’

The Church Women United World Community Day is an annual event that unites women and men of all faiths in a common worship experience. This year’s theme is “Kindling New Fires for Peace.”

The celebration is scheduled 9:30 a.m. Friday at Community of Joy Lutheran Church, 110 Balboa Road, Hot Springs Village. Women and men from all faith congregations and other interested individuals are welcome to join with Church Women United of Garland County, with a goal of uniting the community in planning and implementing a time of praise and worship that demonstrates the reconciling love and need for peace in the community, the country and the world.

The celebration is focused on words written by Pierre Teilhand de Chardin, “We are one, after all, you and I. Together we suffer, together we exist.” With this idea in mind, the purpose of World Community Day 2017 is to help attendees to think and act more globally, more humanly and work to unite in love to bring peace to this earth.

An interfaith panel will be the special feature. The Rev. Stephen Copley, who is a church and community missionary worker with the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, will be the moderator and a participant on the panel. He serves as executive director of Interfaith Arkansas in Little Rock. As a church and community worker, Copley responds to God’s call to ministry among the poor and those who are disenfranchised in many areas of the United States of America. One of his ministries is a program to connect with faith communities around the state of Arkansas. This program is called ” Love Thy Neighbor.” He says that he is reminded that “Peace will be accomplished when we learn that, as humans, we are all interconnected and that we should love one another regardless of what our backgrounds or faith journeys are in life,” states the press release.

Other members of the panel are Avinash Thombre, who will represent the Hindu faith, and Rabbi Gene Levy, representing the Jewish faith. The three panelist will share information about their faiths and their faith journeys.

Please bring nonperishable food items to be donated to a local food bank, and clean new or used blankets and or baby diapers to be donated to an area crisis center.