Pray for Peace
Pray for Peace
By Dr. David D. Swanson
First Presbyterian Church of Orlando hosted a historic lunch in our King Parlor on Wednesday, March 6. After some considerable research, I can say it was a gathering that has rarely happened in this country and never before in Central Florida. We gathered faith leaders from nearly every religious tradition in our region for the sole purpose of building relationships. We had Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sikh, Freethought, Stoic Philosophy, Zen Buddhist, and Bahá’í (with many others invited who were unable to attend) gathered in small groups around tables to ask questions, listen, share and discuss the challenging issues of our day.
The gathering was part of a larger response to the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. Led by Jewish philanthropist, Alan Ginsburg, and local pastor, Joel Hunter, leaders from every sector of Central Florida met twice to talk about how we could prevent the sort of hatred and violence we were seeing in other communities from taking root in our city. The result was a document called The Pledge – summarized to say that we are a community of love, not hate. While we may differ in belief or philosophy, we can acknowledge that all are created in God’s image and therefore worthy of being treated with dignity, respect and love. Further, we will take steps to stop hatred toward any group or person if we see it in progress.
During the second meeting, I spoke to the group and said, “This is a wonderful statement, but if all we do is sign a piece of paper nothing changes. The reality is that until we actually know one another, we will not be able to authentically lead our community from a place of love – and I don’t know many of you.” With that, I volunteered to co-lead an interfaith series of gatherings with Arch Bishop Allen Wiggins of The Hope Church. Our luncheon on March 6 was the first one, and we learned a great deal about one another. When we are willing to listen, when we are interested in understanding another person and what they believe, we can build a true community of brothers and sisters, regardless of the many places where we may disagree.
Other groups like ours will be meeting for the same purpose. Gatherings of leaders from education, health care, law, and business will soon begin to meet. I’ll share more as our group continues to come together, but pray for us and for the peace of our city, our nation, and our world.
In His service,
Dr. David D. Swnason
As Dr. Swanson leads our church and city by his example, we encourage you to take steps toward peace and understanding in your daily interactions. How can you embrace the misunderstood and hurting in our community?
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