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In the United States the Anniversary of the September 11th 2001 Terrorist Attack will be observed in a variety of ways by different churches. As time progresses the nature of these observances will change. This page is updated each year and will reflect some of those changes. The following links and suggestions will help you get started on preparing the kind of service that is most appropriate to your context. You might care to note that within the United States various Muslim and Christian organizations are calling for "open houses" to be held on September 11th. One part of this might be an "inter-faith service". We would be interested in receiving links to such services and featuring them in a section below.
It is hard to classify the materials available - or to limit them. The following are loosely classified and consist, for the most part, of DIRECT LINKS to prayers, liturgies and sermon/thought starters that may be useful in holding some form of commemoration or anniversary service. We hope the brevity of the page and our annotations will allow you to more easily find what you may be after.
PRAYERS, LITURGIES, AND SERMONS FOR COMMEMORATING SEPTEMBER 11TH
- 911 Remembrance: Found under several domain names on the Net, this site, produced by the Mission America Coalition, has a limited number of stories related to September 11th and many other items that are not.
- 9/11 Service of Remembrance: Anniversary and Healing Service
: Service suggestions and general resources from the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church, including a special prayer of confession and a small page of Sermon Suggestions.
- A Litany of Remembrance, Penitence and Hope: From the American National Council of Churches, this candlelight prayer litany is very helpful in the American context and should be useful as well to the body of Christ in other nations.
- Hymn: God, We've Known Such Grief and Anger: A new hymn by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette set to the tune of IN BABILONE 8787-D (i.e., "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy") and commissioned by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for the commemoration of the first anniversary.
- Hymn: When Evil Brings Great Tragedy: A hymn by Rev. Gerry Brague of Chalice Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in San Carlos CA, in commemoration of the 1st anniversary of the attacks of 11 September 2001. The words are applicable in other circumstances and the tune, St. Anne, is familiar (ie.: God, Our Help in Ages Past)
- Oh God, Tender and Just: A Liturgy For The First Anniversary of 9/11: From the United Church of Christ, this service is most helpful in providing a good outline of a service, prayers, and suggested readings from the daily lectionary upon which to build a message. The UCC Study O God, Tender and Just (A Biblical Study on Psalm 23) may prove to be helpful to you as well.
- Prayer In Response To Sept 11 2001: A special page of prayers from the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist (World In Prayer Ministry) that deals with the victims, all nations that suffered casualties, terrorism throughout the world, those who terrorize and hate, those in the Armed Forces, the good that has come out of evil, and our own fears.
- Readings For Commemorating 9/11: The prayers and readings on this site have been compiled by the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the UAHC Department of Religious Living for use in congregational worship and interfaith assemblies. Definitely worth looking at. Requires a bit of prowling.
RESOURCES FROM AND JUST AFTER SEPTEMBER 11 2001
- A Prayer Service: Written for Churches Responding to Sept 11 2001 Terrorist Attack on the day itself.
- What Person Among You a lectionary based sermon that deals with the September 11th Terrorist Attack.
- Living With Faith and Hope After September 11th: A statement issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on November 14th 2001. we find this statement helpful for its balance and thoughtfulness.
- O God, Our Words Cannot Express: A Hymn by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette written Sept 11 2001 in the immediate wake of the terrorist attack on New York City and Washington DC.
- The Peacemakers Speak; Statements by seventeen of the living Nobel Peace Prize Winners made in the months immediately following September 11th. The voices vary, making this a particularly useful site.
Page copyright - Rev. Richard J. Fairchild - Spirit Networks, 2001 - 2006
use the cited resources only with proper acknowledgement
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