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By Melissa Lauber
UMConnection Staff

On Ash Wednesday, standing in front of a cross with the religious leaders of Baltimore, Bishop John R. Schol held up the boots of Spc. Armer N. Burkart, of Rockville, Md., who was 26 when he was killed by a makeshift bomb last May in Baghdad.

'Today I stand with 200,000 United Methodists in this area and 10 million United Methodists worldwide. But I also stand with the family of Spc. Armer N. Burkart. I stand for peace,' the bishop said.

As of Feb. 20, at least 3,146 members of the U.S. military ? plus thousands of non-military personnel ? have died in Iraq since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003. On behalf of these men and women and their families, Bishop Schol, episcopal leader of the Washington Area, called on Christians throughout the United States to stand as witnesses for peace.

'We are here today to take responsibility for our failure as Christians to be peacemakers,' the bishop said. 'As Christians we could have and should have done more to prevent the destruction of God?s creation and the long-term turmoil that we have created.'

Bishop Schol stood with a dozen other religious leaders, representing a wide range of Christian traditions, at a press conference at City Temple Church in Baltimore, Feb. 21.

Boots like the ones the bishop held were scattered about the sanctuary, provided by the American Friends Service Committee to symbolize the human cost of war.

The leaders came together to promote a Christian Peace Witness for Iraq that will be held March 16, the fourth anniversary of the start of the war. The event will include a worship service at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and a candlelight procession to, and vigil at, the White House.

'The bishops of The United Methodist Church have committed ourselves to pray daily for the end of the war in Iraq, and we have committed ourselves to acts of prophetic witness on behalf of peace,' Bishop Schol said. United Methodists 'cannot remain silent while American men and women in increasing numbers are being sent to Iraq to kill and be killed, while thousands of Iraqi people needlessly suffer and die, while poverty increases and preventable diseases go untreated.'

The worship, which is expected to draw people from throughout the country, will begin at the Washington National Cathedral at 7 p.m. Free tickets (available at www.christianpeacewitness.org) are required for admission. A procession down Massachusetts Avenue to the White House will follow and at 10:30 p.m. a candlelight vigil at the White House will begin.

Organizers of the event, which include United Methodists For Social Action, are calling on the U.S. government:

• to end its occupation of Iraq; 
• to support the troops by providing generous support for veterans and active-duty soldiers and their families; 
• to rebuild Iraq by providing humanitarian aid and assistance in financing reconstruction; and 
• to say no to torture and yes to justice.

At the press conference, the religious leaders were asked about the theological understandings of President George Bush, who is United Methodist and describes himself as a born-again Christian.

Other religious leaders at the press conference called on Americans to shake off the sense of denial that has kept them silent. Stepping forward, they challenged Christians to find their voices. 'It takes leadership to end a war,' one declared. 'We must issue a demand, not a plea, for peace,' said another. 'The most supportive, patriotic thing we can do for the troops is to bring them home,' said a third.

Sandy Ferguson, director of justice ministries for the Baltimore-Washington Conference, agreed with each of these statements and added her hopes that United Methodists in this region would reach past political rhetoric to truly see the costs of war.

'When you look at the boots of these soldiers who died, the extremely personal, long-lasting consequences of war come to life. We must act. We must take a stand for peace.'

Ferguson encourages individuals and church groups to attend the March 16 event, perhaps carpooling or using church vans and buses to transport members to the worship and candlelight vigil.

For more information on the event, visit www.christianpeacewitness.org.