Praying for peace in Ukraine
About 10 people gathered at the International Friendship Bell in Oak Ridge on Monday to pray for peace in Ukraine.
Among them was Chris Kotula Iversen, who has cousins in Ukraine who she said are having to hide in bomb shelters.
She told The Oak Ridger all four of her grandparents came to the United States from Ukraine during the 1910s and had made "sacrifices" for their children and their descendants. She said she sees parallels between the desires of her grandparents and the people in present-day Ukraine.
"They want a better life for their kids. They want a life of freedom, not oppression under Putin," she said.
She said none of her cousins have been injured, but some have needed to hide in basements and garages. Others are now in Prague in the Czech Republic.
"I think until you've experienced an event like this, it's just something you've seen on television," Iversen said. However, she said, when it's "someone you know, someone you have a relationship to, I think that's when it hits home.
"By talking about them, by writing about them, we keep them alive," she said regarding people in Ukraine. "As soon as we quit thinking about this, then Putin has won."
Daily prayer event this week
Her comments followed a prayer meeting organized by the Oak Ridge Ministerial Association. The ministers and church staff in attendance credited David Allred, pastor of High Places Community Church, for the idea. He was not present at Monday's prayer event.
Kimberly Montierth, president of the Oak Ridge Ministerial Association and a member of the Oak Ridge Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, described the event as "just the opportunity to reaffirm the love that God has for all his children.
"Our desire is for peace," she said.
Sharon Youngs, pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge, led the informal gathering, which included a prayer for peace in Ukraine, silent time, bell ringing and a reading from Psalm 31 in The Bible, which she said is a reading being used by Ukrainian churches. The magazine Christianity Today reported the reading of that psalm has spread among both Christians and Jews during the Russia-Ukraine war.
"Prayer is something that unites people around the world regardless of faith tradition," Youngs told The Oak Ridger. "There is power and support and strength in praying together."
"One of the modern dilemmas is seeing so much violence around the world and having no way to respond," said Mark Flynn, pastor of First United Methodist Church, who also attended. "Praying together is a response that we can make."
Steve Sherman, pastor at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Oak Ridge, also attended and shared his thoughts with The Oak Ridger.
"Being ministers in a variety of faiths unified in prayer fosters unity despite the divisions in our society," he said.
Several of the ministers present explained that the event is not intended to be anti-Russian.
"We're for peace, but we don't hate Russians," Youngs said.
"We're called to love our enemies and pray for them," Sherman said.
"I keep praying for hearts to be softened," Montierth said.
Allred has stated on Facebook that these prayer meetings, which started on March 14, will continue through Friday, March 18, at the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell outside the Oak Ridge Civic Center, from 11:45 a.m. to noon each day.
"All community members invited, bring lunch if you like," he stated on Facebook.
Ben Pounds is a staff writer for The Oak Ridger. Call him at (865) 441-2317, follow him on Twitter @Bpoundsjournal and email him at bpounds@oakridger.com.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Praying for peace in Ukraine
