In the closing sermon at CPT’s Peacemaker Congress in October, Elaine Enns and Ched Myers encouraged all CPTers, partners and supporters to “stand in the rock where Moses stood!” They ended with this invitation: “We urge you to dig deep to help CPT take the first steps into the next 25 years. And after you’ve put your donations into the CPT hat, we invite you to write a prayer for, or blessing upon, some CPT person or place or partner. Then come and put your slip of paper into the clefts of these rocks, a symbol of how we as a community of faith support this great work.” Many prayers lifted up specific CPTers and partners. Here a just a sampling of the blessings we received:
- For those working, living and loving in Palestine and Israel: May the love and strength of God sustain you.
- For wisdom and unity.
- For the Support Team – their collective wisdom, endurance and joy.
- For all of you who work so tirelessly, may the power and grace of God richly bless you.
- For the Anishinabe of Treaty #3 Territory and government legislators that a new relationship emerges in good faith and respect.
- For those working for peace in their own neighborhoods all around the world.
- For the undocumented immigrants in the U.S. shadow.
- For brother Mohamed and the entire team in Kurdistan.
- For the Buddhist Peacemaker Team in Bangkok, Thailand and the Thai human rights community.
- In gratitude for the lives of Tom Fox, Gene Stoltzfus, Art Gish, Sattar Hattem and all others in the CPT cloud of witnesses.
- For the people of Las Pavas and the Colombia team.
- For the people of the Philippines affected by the toxic contamination and hazardous waste in the former U.S. military bases.
- For clearness and direction for CPT in Europe – developing a faithful response to Islamophobia.
- For every child of a CPT member – may God be with them.
- For our translators, drivers and hosts in all our project sites.
- For all those impacted by the Free Trade Agreement with Colombia.
- God bless those standing in the rock, in the breach, at the walls visible and invisible.
