Congregational Action
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The UU Congregation of Atlanta held a special bilingual worship service commemorating the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 7. Pictured are the Rev. Dr. Paula Gable, preacher; Eiji Nakanishi (an A-bomb survivor) who delivered his remarks in Japanese; and members of the congregation along with the Sadako statue that commemorates the 60th anniversary of the bombings.
Photo courtesy Laura Yamashita. |
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First Unitarian Church of Portland, OR
First Unitarian Church of Portland, OR  hosts veteran peace activist Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, speaking on “The Battle for Our Nation's Soul” on July 29. Gagnon has been invited by the Economic Justice Action Group, WILPF, OPSR, and the Multnomah Meeting of Friends. His latest book, Come Together Right Now: Organizing Stories from a Fading Empire, will be available at the talk. Additionally, the Portland congregation is involved with the Shadow Project. Read more information on the ways in which those in the Pactific Northwest can become involved.
Members of First Parish in Arlington, MA
Members of First Parish in Arlington, MA are involved in an interfaith effort to mark the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the ringing of church bells at the time of the bombings and many community activities. See more below. Contact: Joyce Thompson
Arlington, MA and the greater Boston area:
Hiroshima / Nagasaki Remembrance activities & events – updated July 18, 2005. Check www.justicewithpeace.org , select Calendar of Events link for updates!
TUESDAY, August 2, 2005:
5:30-6:30 PM – Copley Square vigil (at Dartmouth & Boylston St., across from Boston Public Library)
7:00 PM – Film “Radiation: a slow death, a new generation of Hibakusha*” at Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston St, Boston . Sponsored by WILPF & Community Church of Boston.
WEDNESDAY, August 3, 2005:
3:00 PM Film “Radiation: a slow death, a new generation of Hibakusha” West End Branch of Boston Public Library, 151 Cambridge St, Boston . Contact: 617-723-9599.
SATURDAY, August 6, 2005:
8:15 AM Church Bells will toll in Greater Boston area churches in remembrance of the bombings. Will your church join? email jthomkiwi@aol.com for more information
12:00-2:00 PM – Brookline PeaceWorks Vigil, Coolidge Corner.
1:00-2:00 PM – Park Street Vigil (at Tremont & Park St.), near main subway exit.
The following are sponsored by Watertown Citizens for Environmental Safety
3:30-5:30 PM – Film Showing – “Radiation: A Slow Death, A New Generation of Hibakusha ”, art and photo exhibit, discussion at St. John's United Methodist Church, 80 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown
6:30-7:15 PM – Public Reading of John Hersey's Hiroshima at St. John's
7:15 PM – Procession from St. John's to Watertown Square with posters
7:30 PM – Vigil in Watertown Square
8:30 PM – Move to Charles River Dock for reflections, music, and the floating of candle boats
Contact at www.watertowncitizens.org – 617-926-8560 mailbox 2
SUNDAY, August 7, 2005:
Peace Sunday at Old South Church, 645 Boylston St., Copley Square, Boston, events listed on reverse.
MONDAY, August 8, 2005:
5:30-6:30 PM – Arlington UJP will be remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the weekly vigil at the intersection of Pleasant Street and Mass. Ave, Arlington Center.
6:30-8:00 PM – Join a vigil to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Bombing of Nagasaki, Monday, Old Town Hall, 20 Main Street, Andover, MA. A microphone will be provided to share poetry, stories, personal reflections and music.
TUESDAY, August 9, 2005:
6:30-8:30 AM – Join the regular weekly vigil (6:30-7:30 AM) of the Raytheon Peacemakers and Merrimack Valley People For Peace at Raytheon in Andover (350 Lowell Street, at the intersection of Routes 93 and 133) which will continue until 8:30 AM Please bring banners and signs. We'll also share poetry, stories, personal reflections and music. Overnight hospitality can be provided upon request. For further information contact Mary Kate Small at 978-474-0606.
* About Film: Premiered at Tufts in April, this film makes connections among the hibakusha survivors of the atomic bombs, Gulf War veterans suffering from Depleted Uranium exposure and “downwinders” from a nuclear power plant in Washington State.
Tennessee Valley UU Church in Knoxville, TN
- At 9:45 am on Sunday, August 7, at Tennessee Valley UU Church in Knoxville, TN , there will be a "Forum" entitled "Peace Monuments Around the World."
Presenter Ted Lollis has written, "August 6 is the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima bomb, and August 9 the 60th anniversary of Nagasaki. In each of those cities, bells and other monuments now symbolize the universal longing for world peace. In fact, the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have inspired hundreds of similar monuments throughout the world. I shall discuss the history of post-World War II peace monuments and show slides of more than 100 monuments constructed in the last 60 years.
"I shall end my presentation by showing examples of peace monuments which have been erected at low cost by congregations, other small groups, and even by individuals. The most common such monument is the "peace pole" which incorporates the words "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in multiple languages .
"Peace poles have already been erected by UU congregations in Alexandria, VA, Ames, IA, Annapolis, MD, Arlington, VA, Bay County, FL, Bellevue, WA (photo on-line), Berkeley, CA, Bismarck, ND (photo on-line), Columbus, OH, Dayton, OH (photo on-line), Eugene, OR, Fayetteville, AR, Fall River, MA, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Golden, CO, Kelowna, BC (photo on-line), Kennebuck, ME, Lawrence, KS, Littleton, CO (garden plan on-line), Los Gatos, CA, Minneapolis, MN, Newburyport, MA, North Andover, MA, Ottawa, ON, Pittsburgh, PA, Poughkeepsie, NY, Rice Lake, WI (photo on-line), San Antonio, TX (photo on-line), Watertown, NY, and Westbrook, ME."
- At 7:00 pm on Tuesday, August 9, in Oak Ridge, TN, there will be a gathering at the International Friendship Bell in A. K. Bissell Park to express gratitude for and celebrate the fact that since the bombs were dropped on Japan in August of 1945 (exactly 60 years ago), no nation or country has used nuclear weapons.
In a press release, Dr. R. Boyd Carter, President of the Oak Ridge Community Foundation, has announced, “We will slowly toll the bell six times, once for each decade of nuclear non-use. Ms. Shigeko Uppuluri will perform on the koto (a stringed Japanese instrument), accompanied by Ms. Elise Campbell on the flute. The gathering will begin and end with music provided by the Sorta Singers, a well-known local folk group.
“There will also be a responsive reading to mark the celebration of this occasion. And Mr. Ted Lollis will offer two other readings: One will describe the purpose of the International Friendship Bell, and the second will be from a paper by Dr. Alvin Weinberg entitled ‘The Bell and the Bomb” from the 1996 symposium on ‘strengthening the tradition of non-use of nuclear weapons.'"
This gathering is open to any and all and is offered to the citizens of Oak Ridge and the World in the spirit of peace. Oak Ridge is the "Secret City" where plutonium was created and where uranium was enriched during World War II for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs.
The was cast in Japan in 1993 and symbolizes peace and friendship with Japan. The dates of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs are engraved in its bronze to last 1,000 years. Dr. Alvin Weinberg, Manhattan Project veteran and director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (1955-1974), believes that the bell and similar monuments in Hiroshima and Nagasaki will help perpetuate the 60-year taboo against the renewed use of nuclear weapons. See www.cosmos-club.org/journals/1997/wein.html .
Dr. R. Boyd Carter is pastor of the independent interdenominational United Church, also known as "The Chapel on the Hill" . Dr. Alvin Weinberg, Shigeko Uppuluri, and Ted Lollis are members or friends of the Oak Ridge UU Church , as are most members of the "Sorta Singers."
All Souls Church Unitarian in New York, NY
All Souls Church Unitarian in New York, NY has a nuclear disarmament task force which works to educate the public regarding nuclear non-proliferation and put pressure on lawmakers to reign in investment in nuclear arms programs.
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, GA
 Thursday, July 21, 2005
7:00 pm, reception,
7:30 pm, film
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta (UUCA), 1911 Cliff Valley Way NE, Atlanta, GA 30329
Please Join the Atlanta Community for a Special Screening of Last Best Chance, introduced Via Satellite by
Sam Nunn,
Co-chairman and CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative and former U.S. Senator from Georgia. Followed by discussion with special guests Joan Rohlfing, Senior Vice President for Programs & Operations Nuclear Threat Initiative and James T. Laney, former U.S. Ambassador to S.Korea and former president of Emory University.
Last Best Chance is a docudrama demonstrating the threat posed by vulnerable nuclear weapons and materials around the world and the imminent need to secure and destroy these materials. This film is a chilling wake-up call that, as former Senator Sam Nunn states, “We're in a race between cooperation and catastrophe.”
FREE and open to the public
For more information, contact WAND at 404-524-5999 or wandatlanta@wand.org
Sponsored by Atlanta WAND (Women's Action for New Directions), UNA/Atlanta (United Nations Association), PSR/Atlanta (Physicians for Social Responsibility), UUCA Social Justice Council, thirdThursdayCINEMA, and The Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta, Inc.
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