Peacemaking Group Proposes to Replace the Sign

The TPPC Peacemaking Group has proposed to Session that the current wooden sign in front of the church be replaced by a more aesthetically pleasing and permanent one, and that the message that is now on the banner hanging from the signboard be changed to call more forcefully for positive action to end to the war in Iraq.

The Session has planned a potluck lunch and meeting for after church on September 25 to enable the congregation to get a closer look at the proposed sign and provide feedback. In the meantime, the purpose of this article is to describe the proposal and provide a brief history of the vital role that "the sign" has played in the life of our church over the past twenty years.

History of the sign

For twenty years, TPPC has used signs posted outside the sanctuary to bear witness to God's call on major issues of war, injustice, poverty, and racism.

In the mid-1980's, inspired by the powerful witness of Samson Kumalo, a visiting pastor from South Africa, the church hung a sign over the entrance to the sanctuary which read "Apartheid is against the will of God."
In 1991, the beating of Rodney King and subsequent race riots in Los Angeles caused us to look more deeply at the destructive power of racism in our society, including our own faith community. We responded by erecting a wooden signboard in front of the church, with the message: "Let justice roll down like waters: God calls us to defeat racism."
In 2002, we responded to the government's hasty preparations for war in Iraq by posting a banner on one side of the signboard that read: "War is not the Answer."

The sign has played a remarkable evangelical role. Many people over the years have said things like, "I saw the sign and decided to come inside and check it out." For my family, with first-hand experience in South Africa, it was "Apartheid is contrary to the will of God" which beckoned to us from above the front doors back in 1986. The sign gives a powerful message to the community that TPPC is a church for all people where peace and justice issues matter.

Proposal for new signboard and message

The Peacemaking Group has proposed to Session that we erect a new signboard in front of the church, placed in a spot where it does not block the stone sign the way the current one does. The board and posts would be made of recycled plastic so that it does not deteriorate in the weather.

The message on the signboard would contain two parts.

On each side, the top portion of the signboard would contain a permanent message consisting of a scripture passage relating to God's call to us to work for peace and justice. This part of the signboard would also include a rainbow flag to affirm our inclusiveness as a faith community.
Beneath the permanent part of the sign would be space for the hanging of replaceable banners on each side of the signboard. The message on each banner would relate to issues of the day on which we believe we are called by the scriptures to bear witness.

The Peacemaking Group is proposing the following language for the permanent portions of the signboard and the banners below:

Side A:

Takoma Park Presbyterian Church
THE HARVEST OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS SOWN IN PEACE BY THOSE WHO MAKE PEACE (James 3:18):
NEGOTIATE AN END TO THE WAR IN IRAQ

Side B:

Takoma Park Presbyterian Church
LET JUSTICE ROLL DOWN LIKE WATERS AND RIGHTEOUISNESS LIKE AN EVER-FLOWING STREAM (Amos 5:24):
GOD CALLS US TO DEFEAT RACISM.

The Peacemaking Group has proposed the language calling for negotiations to end the war in Iraq because we believe that the perpetuation of violence there by our country will not bring peace to the region. We think God is calling us to take affirmative steps to make peace, rather than continuing the war and hoping that war will lead to peace.

We also propose to retain the language regarding God's call to defeat racism, because racism continues to be a source of injustice and conflict in our society and the world.

We hope that members of the congregation will attend the discussion of this proposal on September 25.

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