On Saturday 2 July 2016, we organised the Walk for Peace Medway. It was a beautiful day and we were all inspired by the messages of peace that we heard from different parts of the community. We started in Gillingham High Street, where Ingrid sang a beautiful Song of Peace. The imams from the mosque in Canterbury street and the Ahmadiyya mosque shared verses from the Qu’ran and extended words of welcome to anyone who is interested in what is going on in the mosque. A prayer from Saju from St Marks Church and a Hindu prayer set us on our way.
We passed through the Great Lines Park and paused briefly at the Naval Memorial. Then we continued to the Chatham Memorial Synagogue. The group filled up the beautiful house of worship and received a blessing. David Herling shared his thoughts about peace and said that peace is dynamic, so walking is a good way to promote it.
Our last stop was at the War Memorial in Rochester. We heard from various people with different faith backgrounds. Accompanied by a saxophone, we sang some songs. Neil Wood led a mindfulness session, which was a good opportunity to find the peace that we experienced in ourselves.
All in all, it was a friendly, informal event, where people met each other and new contacts were made. It was very nice to see all the different placards representing groups who are committed to peace in Medway. For an excellent impression of the day written by Megan, see her article on Patheos.
The event was generously supported by councillors from Medway Council. Medway Speakers’ Corner kindly loaned us their microphone and speaker.
Walk for Peace 2022 