Some of the state’s religious leaders are calling for “prayers for peace.” Twenty-three pastors from Christian denominations have signed a letter, saying “in this time of crisis,” their faith “is severely tested.” Reverend Sarai Beck of Ecumenical Ministries of Iowa helped draft the letter. Ecumenical Ministries of Iowa represents over 24-hundred congregations. Over 644-thousand Iowans are members of those churches. Beck says there needs to be a continuing response from the religious community to the situation with Iraq and the potential for war.Reverend Beck and the other religious leaders are asking Iowans to pray “for the leaders of the world, especially President Bush and Saddam Hussein; for the children of the world, especially the children in war-torn countries; for peace in the world and for peace in our own hearts. Beck says some members of Ecumenical Ministries of Iowa, like the Church of the Brethren, are pacifist churches, while others, like the Evangelical Lutheran Church, do support a “just” war.The following churches are part of the Ecumenical Ministries of Iowa and had representatives sign the letter: the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church U-S-A, the United Church of Christ, the Christian Church/Disciples of Christ, the American Baptist Church, the Reformed Church of America, the Church of the Brethren, and the Community of Christ.
