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Canfield Presbyterian has Sept. 11 prayer walks
By LINDA M. LINONIS
canfield
In the hours and days after al-Qaida terrorists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, people prayed at candlelight vigils and sought solace in churches.
About 50 members of Canfield Presbyterian Church and community residents recalled that time and how prayer gave comfort during a Remembrance Day prayer walk Wednesday night. Dividing into groups of 10 or so, they visited Canfield police and fire stations, middle school, library, a nearby neighborhood and the Village Green.
The Rev. Larry Bowald led the group to the police and fire stations, where he said the day was a time “to remember those who put themselves in harm’s way.”
He echoed words often used to describe first- responders.
“They run toward danger while others run away.”
The minister prayed that “God keep them in the palm of His hand.”
He said, “first-responders save lives, ease pain and mend the social fabric.”
The Rev. Mr. Bowald said the first-responders in the terrorist attacks exemplified “the greatest love” by giving their lives to save others.
Mr. Bowald also said 9/11 is a time to remember the families of all those who died in the attacks, noting they still face difficulties from those losses.
At the middle school, Lisa Velker, director of Christian Education at the church, asked the group to “pray for a safe and productive year” for students around the world. She noted young people often “suffer physically and emotionally” and it’s up to those with concern and courage “to take a stand.”
At a closing ceremony, prayer walkers offered memories of that day 12 years ago and shared stories of visits to Shanksville, Pa.; the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.; and the area around the World Trade Center towers.
Jodi Zimmerman, a church member, showed a piece of glass from the towers. Previously, she had worked at the Society of St. Paul in Ellsworth, which also a site in Staten Island, N.Y. There, workers went through the debris from the towers and a co-worker sent her the fragment of glass.
As Velker read a list mentioning Flights 11, 175, 77 and 93, candles were lighted and a bell rung. Mr. Bowald put pieces of rubble in a glass bowl to symbolize the debris. Then he poured water over the rubble, noting “water is symbolic of life.”
Before the walk, Velker announced the church had received approval from the Session to construct a prayer wall. It will provide a “quiet place for soulful thought,” said Jane Perrett, church member.