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[Back to index of September articles] Unity Walk to promote interfaith relationships By Charles Dervarics Local Episcopalians led by Bishop John Chane will join members of other faiths on an ambitious Unity Walk in northwest Washington to commemorate the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and to promote interfaith cooperation. Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and Hindu communities are among those signing on to support the event, which will begin on Massachusetts Avenue and include St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, among at least six official stops during the walk. The event grew out of an interfaith summit in November 2004 to examine education and service opportunities, said Erik Schwarz, a member of St. Alban’s and director of Interfaith Works, a Washington, D.C., organization that promotes interfaith cooperation. That summit led to many joint service programs among participating congregations from community cleanups to outreach to the elderly. But the anniversary of the September 11 attacks presents a unique opportunity to focus on interfaith partnerships. “After 9/11, there was a show of interfaith cooperation at the national level. But this eroded over time,” Schwarz said. “We want to restore that sense of togetherness.” Organizers say they hope at least 1,000 people will participate in the event, which will begin Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. and conclude approximately three hours later. “We all understand this is a pivotal date,” said Schwarz, who also serves on the diocese’s Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Ministries. “We want to turn 9/11 into a day of compassion and service.” Unlike many interfaith events that include only a small number of faiths, the Sept. 11 Unity Walk is attracting wide support across the religious spectrum, from Ba’hais to Sikhs and Pentecostal faiths. “Some of the groups have had a low profile in terms of working together in the past,” said Rev. D. Thomas Andrews, rector of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Bowie and chair of the diocese’s ecumenical and interreligious commission. “That’s changing, and we rejoice in that. We are called to work together.” Plans call for churches, synagogues and mosques along Massachusetts Avenue to open their doors to promote healing and understanding. The walk will begin at Washington Hebrew Congregation, located at 3935 Macomb Street near Massachusetts Avenue, and proceed to sites such as Christ Church of Washington, Annunciation Roman Catholic Church, the National Sikh Gurudwara, St. Alban’s and the Community of Christ. Each place of worship will offer prayers. The walk then will move to the Islamic Center, at 2251 Massachusetts Avenue, and finish at the Gandhi Memorial on Massachusetts Avenue, located near the Embassy of India. Bishop John Bryson Chane is expected to be one of at least three major speakers during the walk, said Claudia Brown, the event’s volunteer coordinator. Others will include Senior Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig of Washington Hebrew Congregation and Akbar Ahmed, a former Pakistani diplomat and chair of Islamic studies at American University. “This is unique because of all the religions involved,” said Brown, a member of All Saints Unitarian Church in the District’s Adams Morgan neighborhood. The involvement of Muslims is significant, added Brown, who has traveled extensively in the Muslim world and helped organize a Muslim solidarity committee at her church. “We felt the need after 9/11 to have Muslims participate in our interfaith circle,” she said. Another prominent partner in the event is the Points of Light Foundation, a charitable organization founded by former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara. Organizers sponsored a meet-and-greet volunteer event Aug. 16 to promote participation in the walk. About 50 volunteers are working on the event, Brown said, primarily in logistics, fundraising and publicity. In the days leading up to the event, organizers are asking faith communities to announce the walk in their publications and on their Web sites. They also are encouraging worship leaders to create Sept. 11 sermons that focus on respect and love for neighbors, with a special focus on the symbolism of the day. “Sept. 11 certainly has done a lot to point out the need for more active participation with people of other faiths,” Andrews said. While the event is an outgrowth of other interfaith projects, the Unity Walk is drawing “much broader” support, he added. All facilities along the route will have water and bathroom facilities for walk participants. Event planners also will have vans to shuttle people during and after the event. An extensive Web site provides information on logistics, host congregations and upcoming planning events prior to the walk. Visit www.dcunitywalk.com or call the volunteer center at 202/362-2222. [Back to index of September articles]
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