On the eve of Friday’s hearing of a religious freedom lawsuit filed by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and more than two dozen faith partners in response to the recission of the Department of Homeland Security’s “sensitive locations” policy, people of many faiths gathered at National City Christian Church in Washington, D.C., for a heartfelt prayer vigil. Watch the 75-minute vigil here.
“We need each other,” said the Rev. Stephanie Kendell, senor minister of the host church, which is the national cathedral of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Kendell used that reminder as a call-and-response to rev up the 150 people or so attending in person and the up to 1,500 people watching online.
“In the spirit of faith, justice and moral courage, on the eve of this historic hearing, we stand together as people of different faiths, traditions and backgrounds, all united in a sacred purpose to bear witness to the dignity and humanity of every person — especially the most vulnerable in our communities,” said the Rev. Jim Wallis of the Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown University. “Tonight, we lift up our prayers — not just for the outcome of a lawsuit, but also for the families directly impacted by these injustices, for children who go to school afraid every day” that their parents won’t be around to pick them up after school. “Justice for us is not an ideal — it’s our sacred obligation.”
