Join in prayer for Syria

A call for prayer for the people of Syria

As violence in Syria continues, special envoy and former Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan met with Syrian Presdient Bashar al-Asad to “convey the grave concern of the international community about the violence in Syria, including in particular the recent events in Houla.  [He also] conveyed in frank terms his view to President Assad that the six-point plan cannot succeed without bold steps to stop the violence and release detainees, and stressed the importance of full implementation of the plan.”  U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon “informed the U.N. Security Council on Friday afternoon that the U.N. monitoring mission in Syria will be up to full strength next week, but that Syrian forces continue to shell Syrian towns and that ‘most elements’ of the U.N. six-point peace plan have yet to be implemented.”

In March, the National Council of Churches of Christ leadership met with Syrian officials to urge for an end to violence there, and the UCC and Disciples have supported efforts to respond to the situation there in diverse ways.

Prayers and support for the people of Syria are needed now as ever.  To that end, an Ecumenical Prayer Service for Peace in Syria has been scheduled for June 12th at 7:30 pm (EDT). It will be held at Saint Aphraim Church, 6200 Indian Run Parkway, Alexandria VA 22312, but people and congregations are encouraged to join in this prayer from wherever they are. This service is a time for the ecumenical community to show support for and learn about our Syriac Orthodox sisters and brothers. The Archbishop the the US Syriac Orthodox will be involved in this event and is very thankful for your concern and prayers.