All are invited - March 7 at 6:30 pm
You are invited to A Plea for Healing, a community-wide prayer service, on March 7, 2023, 6:30 p.m., at the St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Indianapolis, and convened by Angela Brown. A part of the Faith, Justice, and the Arts initiative of St. Paul's Church, this service brings together arts, civic, and multiple faith groups to demonstrate solidarity and our collective vanquishing of the noise and confusion that divide us.
From Angela about the prayer service:
In September 2005, I was deeply honored to be invited, by President George H. Bush, to sing for the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance Service at the Washington National Cathedral. The prayer service was held in response to the physical and spiritual devastation of communities and families in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The communal experience to lift our mourning nation in prayers offered by leaders of diverse faith traditions has remained with me ever since. Inspiring invocations, readings, and musical offerings provided a shared time and place for grieving, healing, and rebuilding. As our nation and world struggle with the turbulence of the pandemic, social unrest, racial injustice, divisive political rhetoric, and general anxiety of our time, I am convening a similar edifying prayer service in the context of and for my own community.
During the height of the pandemic, I was approached by composer and pianist Ken Medema to record his piece titled Black Lives Kyrie. Medema set Psalm 127 and the Kyrie from the liturgical Mass for chorus, soprano, speaker, and piano. The music surrounds and supports the spoken word of Laura Cook’s moving poem Black Lives. The layered poetry, music, scripture, and Kyrie create a plea for acknowledgement and accountability for lives shattered due to racial injustice. This poetry and anthem would serve as one of the focal points of the service.
I am inviting faith, community, and arts leaders, everyday citizens, and lay leaders to convene and demonstrate the impact and power of community strength. It is my hope that this purposeful gathering will transform beyond one prayer service to rouse a rallying cry for cooperative and impactful action throughout the city of Indianapolis.
The service is built around the following prayers offered by diverse faith, civic, and arts leaders, lay leaders, and citizens of all ages, races, traditions, and perspectives:
- Invocation (call to prayer)
- Prayer for Leadership
- Prayer for Communities
- Prayer for Children
- Prayer for Protection
- Prayer for Inclusion
- Prayer for the Nation
- Prayer for Peace
Music, dance, and spoken word representing a wide range of styles and traditions, enhancing the spirit of evocation and unity, are woven through the prayer service. This prayer service gives the church another opportunity to truly lead as the ordained community conscious-giving voice to offer a collective prayer for peace, justice, restoration to our community, and acceptance of one another as children of God.
I hope you will join us in person or via livestream on March 7, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Keep a watch on this page and my social media for more details and announcements!
- Angela Brown
