Organize a Vigil/Witness

We vigil and witness publicly to invite participants and observers to meet Jesus, Prince of Peace, in this work.

To vigil means to "watch and stay awake." To witness means to testify to facts, often with a foundation in one’s faith. We invite each community to create its own unique vigil/witness while across the nation we "stay awake," testifying to who we believe Jesus to be, praying and acting for an end to this war.

Christian Peace Witness for Iraq asks that groups who use our name:

affirm our Commitment,
use our Guiding Principals, including our Vow of Nonviolence
witness respectfully in tone and deeply grounded in the traditions most important to your community (or communities) of faith.

We encourage you to combine elements of worship and public action. Possibilities include prayer, hymn sings, meditation, reading the names of the U.S. and Iraqi war dead, processions, die-ins, education, faxing and/or visiting members of Congress, fasting, or "car fasting" (not driving cars).

The vigils may take place within the religious community’s building or in a public space, such as sites connected to the war (federal buildings, congressional offices, military recruitment centers, social service sites deprived of funding because of the war, etc.). Your religious witness could also be linked to rallies, marches, teach-ins, etc.

A variety of faith communities can partner to organize and host a vigil/witness. Although CPWI is initiated by Christians, we warmly welcome all religious communities and traditions and people of good will to participate with us in this initiative. Remember to be sensitive and inclusive as you work on issues that cross boundaries: racial, ethnic, religious, etc. Building bridges is peacemaking at its best and takes effort.

Our main purpose is to highlight the Iraq war and its consequences, but we encourage communities to make connections between the violence of the war and critical issues of local violence. Therefore, some vigils will lift up the interconnectedness of the triple evils identified by Dr. King: war, racism and poverty. (see http://www.peaceworkmagazine.org/pwork/0412/041216.htm)

Leader Preparation

If you've not planned a public witness before, we hope the following information will be helpful. You may contact our national committee (localvigils [at] christianpeacewitness [dot] org) if you need further assistance. If you're working on a volatile topic or anticipating police involvement, it might be helpful to include someone with experience in your planning group.

As your planning group prays together, it will be helpful to clarify your goals:

Purpose
Audience
Desired outcome

The Christian Peacemaker Team handout, Elements of a Nonviolent Action Campaign, can help.

Remember that your spiritual preparation as leaders, individually and as a group, is vital. CPWI planning, work and action have always begun and ended with prayer and we are aware of God’s presence and sustaining grace.

Public Witness Checklist

When your planning group has decided the purpose, audience and desired outcome, many of the most difficult decisions will have been made. And even if you have decided only a few things, you still may register your event and then go back and add information.

(Note: This checklist is helpful for large and small events alike. Some of these points, however, will not apply, depending on your event’s size, location and audience.)

Type of event
1. Nature: Worship service, prayer, vigil, public action, civil disobedience, advocacy, faxing, forum, etc.
2. Size: individual, family, small group who know each other, public invitation to encourage new people to join Christian peace work
3. Length: an hour or two up to 24 hours
4. Recurrence: Every month until the war is over? One time?
Advocacy

We believe all prayer influences public policy, but we also believe that legislators need to know about the prayers. There are several ways to connect with your legislators:
1. Invite them to your witness. They are more likely to attend if they have an invitation to speak or at least are publicly introduced.
2. Go to their local office. Set up an appointment so people have time committed to meet with your group.
3. Take photos and audio and video recordings during the vigil and send them to both the local and Washington, D.C., offices.
4. Invite everyone at the vigil to create a fax for both offices. Children might draw pictures. Individual letter faxes carry much more weight than a collection of signatures on a general petition letter.

Location
1. Pick a site that will attract your desired audience. Street corner? Community center? Bridge? Place of worship? Legislator’s office?
2. Observe the site at the same time of day and day of the week as your service to best understand both foot and auto traffic flow.
3. Is this location accessible to everyone? Will all the folks you hope attend feel comfortable? Is it easy for people to find? Can it be reached by public transportation? Should you include a map in your publicity?
4. Contact responsible authorities for permission to use the site. Be completely transparent: explain your purpose, whom you hope to attract, whether you'll be using an audio system, how long the witness will last, whether you'll be using candles, etc.
Equipment
1. What type of audio equipment will you need? A simple rule of thumb is that an inside group of over 50 needs a microphone; a group over 20 outside needs a megaphone; and that any group likely includes people who have difficulty hearing.
2. Will people be able to see? Do you need a stage?
3. Arrange to provide drinks, a few chairs for people who can't stand long, places to keep people warm or in the shade, and other forms of hospitality.
4. If using candles, purchase them and think how to keep people safe from fire or misuse of candles.
Participants in the service
1. The worship leader/emcee welcomes everyone, introduces speakers, and wraps things up at the end.
2. Song & Chant Leaders lead the group in those songs participants don’t already know.
3. Speakers are knowledgeable about the issues and can articulate the group's message. They should make short, concise points about the topic; use concrete, vivid details to illustrate those points; be personal; keep a sense of humor; and repeat important points for newcomers.
Publicity
1. See Creating Publicity Materials (coming soon).
2. Make banners easily visible by passing vehicles.
3. Make visual aids.
4. Make copies of handouts. They should include the purpose of the action, the order of service, the names of participants in the service, where to get additional information about the issue and a local contact.
5. Notify local press about the vigil through a press release. E-mail it to reporters, then call to field any questions and inquire about whom they are assigning to the story.
6. Buy an ad in local papers inviting people to come.
7. Create visually compelling invitations for easy distribution.
Train your team:
1. Peacemakers mingle in the crowd and watch for anger or troublemakers. You will find the Peacemaker Guidelines insightful.
2. Choreographers are responsible to help things flow; check placement of speakers, participants, signs, banners, actors, etc. for visibility and coordination. They direct the "dance."
3. A press spokesperson is assigned to interpret the group's witness to the press. Every participant should have their "sound byte" ready for a possible interview. Give opportunity to practice talking to reporters.
4. Leafleters distribute available materials to inform or educate the public about the group's action and should spread out to cover the area adequately. An effective leafleter makes eye contact and a friendly positive comment with every leaflet (e.g. "This should interest you . . ."). They should practice ways of handling indifference, hostility, and open interest.
5. Photographer/Videographer records action on film and/or video. This documentation is helpful for follow-up with press and can be posted on this website to inspire others.
6. Ushers pass out materials, encourage people to join the group, help people to see and sit comfortably, etc.
7. The audio coordinator should be someone who has experience working outside and knows how to deal with inevitable wind and background noises over the microphone. An audience that can't hear leaves quickly.
Hold another event. List it

Need more help?
Email: LocalVigils [at] ChristianPeaceWitness [dot] org