Dear Editor,

Last week the United States officially entered into war against Iraq. Our country fired missiles that rained death and destruction down upon Baghdad, home of 5 million people.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we cannot remain silent about this, for silence is often assumed to be consent. So what is it that we have to say? What is God telling us to do?

First, we mourn the decision to use violence rather than diplomacy, to give up on the efforts to reconcile our differences, and we mourn the use of our tax dollars for destruction rather than for humanitarian needs.

Second, we continue to pray for peace. We pray for governments, for soldiers and families and for victims of war. And we pray for miracles.

Third, we continue to believe that violence only continues the downward spiral toward more violence. Therefore, we seek to show that peacemaking is possible through nonretaliation, by seeking to listen and to understand, and through the decision to seek nonviolent alternatives.

Fourth, we continue to make our congregation a place of healing and hope.

Our church community is a place for various types of peoples who have grown tired of the violence and who may feel the need for support in order to live a peaceable lifestyle within an increasingly militaristic society. We are willing to share of our hope in Christ for a peaceable world where our security does not rest in military weapons, but in the powerful presence of a loving God.

Lauren Martin, pastor

Glenwood Mennonite Church

Glenwood Springs