Weekend of prayer for Sudan

Newtown Friends Meeting will join millions of Americans across the country in uniting on the one-year anniversary of the Congressional declaration that massacres in the Sudan are genocide during a National Weekend of Prayer and Reflection. Thousands of religious congregations across the United States, with more than a million worshippers, will offer prayers for the people of Darfur, Sudan, from July 15 to 17.

Newtown Friends will hold an information session on Sunday, July 17, at 11 a.m. Using material from the Save Darfur Coalition, the session will describe the history and background of the crisis, its current status and possibilities for action.

An estimated 400,000 Darfurians have been killed since February 2003, and more than 2.5 million people's lives remain at mortal risk today. More than 500 people die each day from violence, malnutrition and disease.

Coordinated by the Save Darfur Coalition, thousands of churches, synagogues and mosques - including the entire Catholic Church, Reform and Conservative branches of Judaism, and the National Association of Evangelicals - will include prayers in worship services, and many members of their clergy will include homilies or sermons on the need for immediate action on this dire issue.
David Rubenstein, a member of the Save Darfur Coalition, said: "Every day, Darfur experiences horrendous crimes, including gang rapes of women and girls, the burning of homes and religious buildings, the killing of babies and other atrocities. Working together, individuals and faith communities can help bring this to an end. We must act now to protect these innocent lives."