It was a great success for a church of over 30 members.
“We are a very peace-oriented church,” Pastor Millie Carroll said.
The candlelight vigil and their other activities were non-political, non-religious and not against any specific war, Caroll said.
“We only emphasize the peace that most of the world hopes for,” she added.
The words of great peace leaders like former South African President Nelson Mandela were read during the candlelight peace vigil.
The participants included guest worker advocate Rabby Syed, a Muslim.
Caroll said their church wants to celebrate International Day of Peace every year.
“There’s so much trouble in the world and so we need peace,” she added.
The celebration will also help the various ethnic groups on island build closer and stronger ties with each other, she said.
The messages posted on the peace walls and the peace banners used during the vigil will be sent to the United Nations, she said.
This will signify that Saipan was part of a worldwide event, Caroll added.
On Sept. 12 and 19, the church organized fun and educational peace games.
Children and adults alike enjoyed making peace cranes, peace balloons, peace thaumatropes, peace banners and peace walls.
The activities also included peace face painting.
They had no specific theme for this year’s celebration. Caroll said they just wanted peace for the world and peace in the neighborhood.
“Let us put out the idea of peace so others will see that we really need to work on this,” she added.
The celebration was part of the church’s social outreach programs.
