CPTnet
January 12, 2002
North Manchester, IN: Pilgrimage of faith
by Cliff Kindy

In each of our communities, how do we rally others to get in the Way of
Jesus rather than following the way of war to the World Trade Center or
Afghanistan? How do we hear more clearly Jesus' call to pick up our cross
instead of the clamor to pick up a flag and a gun?

Seventeen people participated in the sendoff of the CPT Pilgrimage of Faith
from
Goshen, Indiana, on December 22 in support of the delegation going to
Pakistan and Afghanistan. Phyllis Carter anointed the walkers for the
journey and Paul Stuckey from Colombia was part of the prayer circle.

Averaging twenty miles per day, the pilgrims visited churches, mosques,
military bases, and defense plants, inviting people to hear the peaceful
voice of Jesus rather than the voices of fear, hatred, and revenge. The
walkers carried signs reading, "Don't obey orders to kill" and "We mourn
4000 deaths here, 4000 deaths there, and how many more?"

At a very cold, blustery Saturday afternoon vigil at the General dynamics
tank factory in Lima, fourteen walkers prayed that it would be turned into
a muffin
factory. They performed a ritual sniffing of the the wind to symbolize
their hope that the aroma of muffins would soon replace shipments of tanks
as the primary output of the factory.

At First Mennonite in Bluffton, Ohio, forty-six worshipers joined in a
symbolic walk around the block and a prayer under the dove in front of the
church.

Silence, fasting, singing, praying, and listening along the trek gave
clarity to the struggle congregations are facing with the place of flags
and the pledge of allegiance in the lives of people of faith. Just as the
Hebrews brought the worship of a universal God, unfettered by time and
space, into a context of tribal gods; so today the church endeavors to
maintain that witness to a universal, rather than a national, God.

The walkers entered Columbus, Ohio, as a hate attack on the Islamic Center
was making headlines. They joined in Friday prayers with the Muslim
community and paid a solidarity visit later in the afternoon to the damaged
center.

The fifteenth day of the pilgrimage included a morning vigil a the Defense
Supply Center in Columbus. It concluded with a prayer vigil by fifty
participants on the steps of the state capitol , an action coordinated by
the CPT-Cleveland group and the Mennonite Peace and Justice Commission.

Int total, sixty-five walkers, including sixteen CPTers joined in the
pilgrimage for parts of the 230 miles. Hospitality was provided by Church
of the Brethren, Mennonite, Methodist and United Church of Christ
congregations. Three generations of the Kindy family furnished vehicle
accompaniment while another four supporters assisted Rich Meyer with press
coverage and other logistics.

Participants are still hoping to smell muffins soon.