On September 20th, I attended Prayer in the Square, an annual event in which all the churches in the tri-state area are invited to gather in Times Square to pray for an hour about issues relating to social justice. The event was also streamed by churches throughout the nation and the world. It was put on by Times Square Church, in cooperation with various churches and organizations in the area.
Each year, the event invites different people to lead the prayer over different issues. This year they had a Vietnam veteran pray for our nation's soldiers at home and abroad, a flight attendant pray for those still suffering from the affects of 9/11, a city social worker pray for underprivileged families, a former Nigerian diplomat pray for genocide in Africa, an aid worker pray for children involved in child trafficing, a Wall Street executive pray for the state of the economy, and a youth pastor pray for the pressures teens and college students go through. Mayor Bloomberg gave a speech about his new program to help mobilize volunteers throughout the city to address issues of need.
I found several aspects of the event particularly empowering. Firstly, it is an incredible experience to be able to stand in the middle of Times Square and cry out to God about the problems in the world around me. There's something about being among a group of people (around 50,000) who share my passion and voicing my concerns out loud that I found very empowering. We were there, we cared, and we were doing something. Secondly, the event made a special effort to cater to young people. Those between the ages of 18 and 29 were invited to a special pre-event rally, and were given a special section in the crowd where we could pray together. It meant a lot to me to see so many people my age who were fighting for change, and I appreciated the fact that Prayer in the Square acknowledged that my age group was valuable to have present. Lastly, I really appreciated being able to hear representatives of different issues praying for their topic. I was able to hear what they were grateful for, their hopes for the future, and the concerns they had.
I left the event feeling inspired.
As a future teacher, I will definitely remember how empowering it is to participate in an event that encompasses more than the tiny classroom group, and how awesome it is to go to a specific location (if possible) that represents the issue being addressed. I will also remember that there are always more than one way to address an issue. I don't always have to have my students volunteer, or protest, or write letters. Participating in social justice is as close as a prayer.
For more information, visit www.nycprayer.org
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Sounds like a multi-cultural event. Nice!
ReplyDeleteI am not a religious person, by any means, but I think this sounds like a great event. It's great to have a chance to share an experience like that with a whole group of people and would be even better to share with students. They might not have to fully participate in such a thing but just observing it could be enough to stir up conversations about a number of items, such as different religions or the issues presented through the prayers.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cutie Patutie hahah..
ReplyDeleteOne thing about this event though, is that there are students out there who are not Christian (and affiliated with other religions) or are Atheists. Although many students I am sure may feel inspired, others may feel alienated and confused. I know I get confused when I go into even Protestant churches, even though I grew up Catholic. I feel like educators always need to be extra careful when incorporating any sort of spirituality or religion.
But I am glad you were empowered by the event! I would have liked to hear some of the prayers. Especially the youth pastor praying "for the pressures teens and college students go through" -Amen!