Sample Press Release for Your Congregation

Please adapt the statement below to distinguish your particular group.

Contact: __________(place name, phone and e-mail address of the person in the church who is designated to speak to the press)

______(name of your church, campus group or org.) will participate in the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq (www.christianpeacewitness.org) Continuous Prayer Vigil and Witness for Peace for Iraq for _________ hours on ____________ (date).

Goals: End the U.S. war and occupation, Support our troops, Support an Iraqi-led peace process, Say NO to torture, Say YES to justice.

Background:

Christians want the U.S. Occupation in Iraq to come to an end. On March 16, 2007, thousands of Christians gathered in Washington, D.C., to worship and witness in a public and prophetic way to our conviction that the continuing occupation of Iraq is fundamentally antithetical to the Christian Gospel. [NUMBER FROM YOUR ORG/DENOMINATION] participated in that event to make clear our convictions:

• The U.S. Occupation of Iraq must end.
• We support our troops and value the countless ways in which they have shown integrity and courage—and we want them brought home.
• We are prepared to sacrificially support an Iraqi-led peace process and development plan to be funded by the United States and its allies around the world.
• We insist that our country must reclaim its moral center by renouncing all use of torture as a tool in its ongoing “war on terror.”
• We see the link between the growing violence and poverty in our own communities that are at risk and the ongoing occupation in Iraq, and we will stand with one another to reclaim genuine security both at home and abroad.

To that end, ___________ (your church) is joining the growing, faith-based movement to launch a continuous prayer vigil and witness in churches, town squares and on college campuses across the country beginning September 16th, 2007. From that day forward, there will be Christian communities witnessing for peace at every hour of every day.

______ CHURCH will join the vigil/witness on September _____ at _____ (time) _____ (address). The service will begin at _____ with a solemn reading of the names of those killed in the wars and will continue hourly with a ringing of the bells and prayers being read and sung. (add here your specific activities for the vigil). The public is welcome.

“The leaders of the March event want to continue our commitment to expand the Christian-based movement to create real security and peace in Iraq through U.S. troop withdrawal. We believe our prayer efforts need to continue,” said [LEADER OF YOUR ORG, ID OF LEADER].