Contributed by Shogo Nakaza
Seventeen members from CARP, Youth and Students for Peace (YSP), and Generation Peace Academy (GPA) gathered at the Clifton Family Church in New Jersey on the morning of Martin Luther King Jr. Day to make peace message bags as part of a service for the wider community of Newark, NJ. Welcoming remarks and an opening prayer was given by Yasuhiro Ozawa followed by an explanation of the service project given by Shawna Lewis. The video “MLK Day Legacy” by Compassion Games was shown and the question asked, “how will you embody the spirit of Dr. King’s message and dream while serving today?” We made beautiful peace bags consisting of snacks, hand sanitizers, masks, and peace message cards quoting Dr. King and Rev. Moon. Quotes included “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that” and “Give love and forget you gave it”.
After a lunch break, teams travelled by car to the city of Newark, New Jersey meeting up with Dawn Haynes, the Newark City Hall service representative. After offering a prayer, each person went out to clean garbage from the streets of Newark. The final portion of the service project consisted of handing out the peace packages made earlier in the day to community members throughout the town. Many responded positively to this loving gesture and could feel cared for even in such a small way.
Led by CARP New Jersey and sponsored by The Compassion Games, this two part service project was a great success. By first creating a loving and welcoming environment as volunteers, we shared that love to the larger community. No matter how small an impact may seem, it is one movement in the direction to a more loving and peaceful world. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We must discover the power of love, the redemptive power of love. And when we do that, we will make of this old world a new world, for love is the only way.”
Stay tuned for the next part of our service in the coming weeks! We will be making and giving peace message bags to students at two college campuses in New Jersey—New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Montclair State University (MSU)—during these next 40 Days of Peace to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. King.
See more of CARP New Jersey on their Facebook page. Share your story to jennifer@carplife.org!