News and Views

From Kathryn Green

In the fall of 2021, the world was awakening from the COVID pandemic, Russia had invaded Ukraine, and the U.S. struggled with social and racial justice issues, mass shootings, and economic issues. The confirmation class at La Plata UMC looked for ways to bring peace to this chaotic world. After considering several projects, they discerned that the world needed more peace.

They were inspired by the message of Masahisa Goi who dedicated his life to spread the message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth,” following the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hirshima and Nagasaki in Japan. Goi created the Peace Pole Project. He believed that by speaking, acting and living in the spirit of this message, that the energy field of love and harmony would radiate forth to all of creation having a positive and purifying effect on the consciousness of humanity.

In this spirit, these 11 youth, then ages 12-14 years old, designed, created and gifted three Peace Poles to the La Plata community. Standing vigil in silent prayer, each side of these poles proclaim the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in a different language intentionally selected by the class. The first pole includes the tribal / tactile languages of Bayono, Braille, Chichewa, and Cherokee. Bayono is a tribal language from Papua, Indonesia. La Plata UMC sponsors missionaries working with the Bayono tribe and Wycliffe Bible Translators to record their language in written form and translate the Bible. This inscription is the first Bayono text in North America. The second pole includes the sacred languages of Aramaic, Hebrew, Latin, and Sanskrit. And the third pole includes the modern languages of English, French, German, and Spanish.

The class dedicated the Peace Poles on Pentecost Sunday in 2022 with hopes that this space would bring together people from various cultures, faiths and traditions to ultimately unify the global heart and mind. Their hope is blooming.

The space has grown into a peaceful outdoor sanctuary for the community. Today, it includes a bench built by youth volunteers for the Appalachian Service Project and a prayer box for visitors. La Plata UMC’s Prayer Warriors pray for the requests and needs shared in the box. As a testament to this space’s impact, a few members have encouraged people struggling with issues to visit the Peace Pole Garden. After visiting, the visitors were so inspired that they sought out the member to thank them.

La Plata UMC rededicated this peace pole garden on Sept.. When you visit Southern Maryland,  make time to feel the love and peace in this special place. The Peace Pole Garden is located on the edge of the church parking lot at 3 Port Tobacco Road in La Plata.