King's followers' pledge to the nonviolent movement

Maybe not all of this applies to us on our Pligimage, but let's meditate on it and pray over it anyway. It comes from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Why We Can't Wait, p.50-51.

Every volunteer was required to sign a commitment card that read:

I hereby pledge myself - my person and body - to the nonviolent movement.

Therefore, I will keep the following Ten Commandments:

1. Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.
2. Remember always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks justice and reconciliation, not victory.
3. Walk and Talk in the manner of love, for God is love.
4. Pray daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free.
5. Sacrifice personal wishes in order that all men might be free.
6. Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.
7. Seek to perform regular service for others and for the world.
8. Refrain from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart.
9. Strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health.
10. Follow the directions of the movement and of the captain on a demonstration.

I sign this pledge, having seriously considered what I do and with the determination and will to persevere.

Get a Pilgimage T-shirt

We hope you will join our Pilgrimage and walk with us to bring about abolition and reconciliation. Whether you can join us or not, you can support us by wearing one of our shirts. They are white cotton, so they will help keep you cool (in multiple ways) while you march for justice.

A donation of $10 will help offset the costs of the shirts and the Pilgrimage. We will have the shirts available along the march.



The front reads:

Making Strides toward Abolition & Reconciliation
Pilgrimage and Walk of Remembrance
Raleigh NC to Washington D.C.
June 2008

The back reads:

Our Hope:
Restorative Justice
Compassion for Victims’ Families
Support for Death Row Families
Abolish the Death Penalty

Reflection Wednesday, June 11, 2008

From Disarming the Heart by John Dear

One way to define violence is to see it as the act of forgetting or ignoring who we are — brothers and sisters of one another, each one of us a child of God. Violence occurs in those moments when we forget and deny our basic identity as God's children, when we treat each other as if we were worthless instead of priceless, when we cling to our own selfish desires, possessions, and security.

From a review of John's book, by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat:

With great clarity and insight Dear lays out six points that comprise the spirit of nonviolence: (1) It means remembering we are all God's children; (2) it flows from unconditional, active love; (3) It invites solidarity with the poor and the oppressed; (4) it involves resistance and truth; (5) It is rooted in prayer; and (6) it is a way of transformation. The author challenges us to make a vow of nonviolence as a way of witnessing to others that God has disarmed us and wants to disarm us all.

Pilgrimage of Remembrance Agenda for Sunday June 15 and Monday June 16

Friends,

The 300-mile Pilgrimage of Remembrance: "Making Strides toward Abolition and Reconciliation" begins in Raleigh on June 15 at 1:00 PM at Central Prison, 1300 Western Blvd. We walk to remember murder victims, people on death row, the executed, the exonerated and the families of all these persons and we walk to call for an end to the death penalty.

For more information on the purpose of the Pilgrimage, please see our first blog post.

Schedules for our first two days are below. Those joining us at Central Prison are encouraged to park on Dorothea Drive or Cabarrus Street immediately east of the prison.

Sunday, June 15

• 1:00 Gather for spiritual reflection and blessing of the Pilgrimage.
• 1:30 Begin walking
• 2:30 Prayer and Reflection on the State Capital grounds (also first stop for rest!)
• Resume walking by Governor's Mansion to Circus Restaurant, 1600 Wake Forest Road
• Continue walking up Capital Blvd to Triangle Town Center vicinity
• 6:00 Potluck Dinner and Service of Blessing and Support, Church of the Nativity, 8849 Ray Road
• Rev. William Barber speaking

This will be a great time for so many of you who've said, "I'd like to walk with you but I can't" to eat with us and bless our journey.

Monday, June 16

• 8:00 AM Begin walking along Capital Blvd near Triangle Town Center. (For exact meeting location, call Scott at 919-231-9752.)
  
• Walk from Raleigh to Wake Forest to Franklinton.

Check out our Itinerary (still in flux) for where we are considering walking and holding a presence.

Pressing needs:

• Food for Sunday's potluck dinner. It's hard to walk and cook at the same time, so we need people to bring food to Church of the Nativity, 8849 Ray Road, before 6:00 PM.
• We also need help with set up and clean up for the potluck.

Thanks for your support!

Scott & Roberta
Nazareth House
(919) 231-9752
Hospitality, Community, Simplicity, Peacemaking, Nonviolence & Prayer