Interfaith Weekend of Prayer and Action for Sudan

“I long to dwell in your tent forever, and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.”

-Psalms 61:4

Joining in prayer and action in your community on Nov 7-9
1. Hold a 'Darfur: A call to Action' dvd screening and discussion.
2. Include prayers for Darfur in your worship service.
3. Organize an interfaith worship service for Darfur with other congregations in your city.
4. Send hope to Darfur with your donations.
5. Renew your community efforts and Pledge for Peace in Darfur.

On the weekend of November 7-9, communities of faith, across the country and internationally, will be joining together for the Interfaith weekend of Prayer and Action for Sudan. Resources are available through this website for holding any of the events suggested above, or contact (707) 490-5417 for further help. Please join us in your community as we turn hope into prayer and action.

1. 'Darfur: A Call to Action' DVD
Available with accompanying discussion materials and campaign postcards for an event in your congregation. Contact Natasha at Save Darfur Coalition to request a pack: natashapastora@savedarfur.org Darfur: A Call to Action is a 20-minute documentary film produced by the Save Darfur Coalition. The film provides background on the genocide in Darfur and explores what the Abrahamic religions tell us about our responsibility to our brothers and sisters in western Sudan. When you order the film, you will receive a packet of materials to host a viewing with your community—including discussion questions for Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and interfaith gatherings, and an action guide to help your community respond to the genocide.

Discussion Guides
Christian (PDF)
Jewish (PDF)
Muslim (PDF)

Postcards
Sign and mail the Save Darfur Coalition postcards.

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee also has a postcard for Darfur. 

2. Prayers for Darfur
Sample prayers have been contributed by ministers for Christian, Jewish and Muslim congregations to use in their worship services during the weekend. If you are able to organize a sermon on Darfur for your service, please see the materials in the Interfaith Worship Service. Taking up a collection for Tents of Hope during your service will help us to send the tents to refugees desperately in need of shelter in Sudan. For further bible study and youth resources please contact orose@hebrewcollege.edu.

A Jewish Prayer of Darfur
By Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of Great Britain

O God of peace, who commands us to seek peace, send peace to the people of Darfur.

O God of compassion, who hears the cry of the afflicted, hear the cry of the victims, the bereaved, the injured, and all those who live their days in fear.

Rouse the hearts of the leaders of the world to put an end to the bloodshed, the violence, the rape, the starvation, and the terror that has ravaged and endangered an entire population.

Be with those who are working for peace, or tending the sick, or bringing food to the hungry, or shelter to the homeless, or hope to those who are close to despair.

O God of justice and love, let us not be indifferent to the cry of the persecuted and the tears of those who have seen their homes, their families, and their communities destroyed.

And may their plea and their plight reach the ears and hearts of those who have it in their power to bring peace to a troubled region and aid to a devastated people.

Oseh shalom bimromav—may You who makes peace in Your high places help us make peace down here on earth.

A Christian Prayer for Darfur
By Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus, Cape Town, South Africa

We pray for the people of Darfur who have been terrorised and forced from their homes; for those who have fled to refugee camps, and who still live in fear;
We pray for those who have died, and for families;

We pray for the women of Darfur who face danger every day as they leave their camps for firewood – may you watch over your daughters;

We pray for the children of Darfur, especially those who face a frightening world without one or both of their parents – may they be protected and comforted;

We pray for the safety of the humanitarian aid workers as they feed and care for the people of Darfur;

We pray that the world’s leaders will be guided by You in their quest for justice and safety for Darfur’s people – may they be inspired by Your humanity;

Remind us that we are all Your children, and teach us to listen;

We pray that those who are causing death and misery in Darfur will turn away from racism and violence – may they be forgiven when they turn to You for guidance instead;

Teach us to rejoice in all the things we have in common and respect each others’ differences;

We pray that people everywhere will strive to live in peace, tolerance, and respect, no matter what their faith or race – may we gain the wisdom, grace, and generosity of spirit to overcome our differences and live as one.

A Muslim Prayer for Darfur
By Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra of the Muslim Council of Britain

Bismillahi rahmaan iraheem Verse 104 in Surah Al Imran of the holy Quran says that:

"And let there arise from amongst you, a nation which invites to goodness, enjoins what is right and forbids what is evil. Such are they who are successful." (3:104)

O’ God! Let us here today be the people that invite to goodness, enjoin right, and forbid evil.

O’ God! in you is the best consolation against any calamity, in you is substitute for every loss, and replacement for anything sorely missed.

O’ God! we trust in You, seek Your aid, and are hopeful of Your mercy.

O’ God! All Knowing, All Seeing, All Hearing, we ask you to comfort the hearts and minds of the people of Darfur, to give them patience, strength and solace. To give them hope, faith and light.

O’ God! we ask you to alleviate the oppression and end the atrocity.  We ask that the killing stops, the bloodshed ends, that women and children are safe and healthy and happy.

O’ God! protect the people, and protect their helpers. Give the people of Darfur back their homes, their families, their communities, their humanity, and their hope and dreams for the future.

O’ God! put an end to the violence, the horror, the rape, the starvation, disease and mass slaughter of innocent victims.

O’ God! we ask that the international community wakes up in the face of crisis and acts quickly, and that a humanitarian crisis is not permitted.

O’ God! we ask that further genocide is prevented and that the world does not stand by and witness another holocaust, another Rwanda, or another Bosnia.

O’ God! we ask you to give our leaders wisdom, and the ability to use their power for good and not evil.

O’ God! forgive our selfishness, and enable us to feel Darfur’s pain, and enable us to (believe that we can) make a difference, and stand united and strong in the face of adversity.

O’ God! give us greater understanding, greater empathy, and the power to remember.

O’ God! purify our hearts and souls, banish racism and pride from our being.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is oppressed." People asked, "…It is right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?" The Prophet said, "By preventing him from oppressing others."

Pastoral Prayer for Darfur
The Rev. John Tamilio III Sunday, October 12, 2008

God of arid deserts and of rainforests. God who hurts when we are hurt, who cries when we mourn, and who stands as a living witness to the atrocities that unfold on this planet you created to be a lush and serene paradise. We lift our hands of supplication up to you seeking your blessing on those whose backs are scorched by the sun, on those who suffer under the interrogator's lash, and on those who search feverishly for nourishment. And we ask, O God, that you fill our hands with an impassioned resolve to hope beyond the confines of despair, to enter into solidarity with those who suffer, to be fully engaged in the struggle for liberation and justice for all peoples victimized by the Caesars of the world.

We especially lift up to you this day, O God, the victims of the genocide in Darfur, Sudan — the rape, the torture, and the slaughter that has broken bodies and shattered spirits. We pray for those robbed of their childhood: those left orphaned by an intolerance which breeds violence. We pray for the widows who live through sleepless nights in terror and for men detained with no representation or trial.

Remind us, O Holy One, that our fate is inextricably bound with theirs, that we are unable to fully breathe the air of freedom while others' lungs are filled with the stench of enslavement.

Hear this, our prayer for hope and liberation, that we lift up to you in the name of the Resurrected One, who taught us to pray together, saying —

Our Father and Mother, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.

Amen.

3. Interfaith Worship Service for Darfur
By holding an interfaith worship service you can bring together volunteers and activists from throughout your community, and invite local congregations to join your work and learn more about Tents of Hope and the crisis in Darfur. An interfaith service will be held at 10am on the Sunday of the gathering in DC at Sixth and I Historic Synagogue. We welcome all groups and individuals who wish to join this service.

4. Send Hope to Darfur
At the end of the gathering we will be packing up the tents and loading them into a shipping container that we hope to send to Sudan at the end of November - but we need to cover the costs of shipping in order to do this. By collecting donations of even $10 or $20 in your community, you can help us and turn hope into action. Make a commitment to find 20 people to give $20 and bring us $400 closer to taking the tents to Darfur! Send your donations here or call (707) 490-5417 for further questions.

5. Pledge for Peace in Darfur
Assemble your group or join together with congregations in your community to re-energize each other and renew your efforts raising consciousness about Darfur in your area, and pledge for peace in Darfur. Further resources are available by visiting the following sites:
Lutheran Relief World
Eco-Cell
Mennonite Committee Central

Here are some ideas for local events on Nov. 7-9:

Darfur: A Call to Action: Lessons from Faith Leaders
Use this documentary film, discussion questions, and action guide for a community event.  The packet includes questions for interfaith gatherings.  More information below.

NEW RESOURCES!
Lutheran World Relief encourages you to stand in solidarity with the people of Sudan by taking part in the Interfaith Sudan Weekend of Prayer. Your support and prayers are an important part in making peace in Sudan possible! Click here for a wide range of resources, including a background summary on Darfur, films, prayer resources and a bulletin insert.

Prayers for Darfur
Include special prayers for Darfur in your worship services.  You will find Jewish, Christian, and Muslim prayers below.

Tent Lighting Ceremony
The tents at the National Mall in Washington DC will be lighted at dusk on Saturday, Nov. 8, using

Recycle Cell Phones
Visit Eco-Cell’s website to learn how to recycle your old cell phones for Darfur. 

Study Group
The Mennonite Central Committee has study group resources for their “Week of Waging Peace in Sudan: November 9-16, 2008.”

 
Resources for Religious Communities:

(1) Darfur: A Call to Action, Lessons from Faith Leaders

Darfur: A Call to Action is a 20-minute documentary film produced by the Save Darfur Coalition. The film provides background on the genocide in Darfur and explores what the Abrahamic religions tell us about our responsibility to our brothers and sisters in western Sudan.  When you order the film, you will receive a packet of materials to host a viewing with your community—including discussion questions for Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and interfaith gatherings, and an action guide to help your community respond to the genocide.

Watch a clip of the documentary below, www.savedarfur.org; order free copies of the video are available from Save Darfur, natashapastora@savedarfur.org.
 

(2) Interfaith Worship Service

Remembering Kristallnacht, Night of the Broken Glass: November 9, 1938

On the evening of November 9, 1938, the German government unleashed a pogrom against the Jews, burning down synagogues and smashing the glass fronts of Jewish shops in Germany and Austria.  The pogrom's name comes from the German word for beveled plate glass and refers to the broken shop windows of the Jewish stores, hence Kristallnacht, or Night of the Broken Glass. On that night, 91 Jews were killed, and 30,000 others were sent to the Dachau, Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg concentration camps. 5,000 Jewish shops were looted, 191 synagogues desecrated, and bonfires created using Torah scrolls, prayer books, and countless volumes of Jewish history and literature. Kristallnacht represents a key moment in the escalation of the persecution of Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators throughout Europe.  This included the eventual killing of six million Jews, including one and a half million children.