In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Religions for Peace USA organized the 2020 US National Interfaith Prayer Service for Healing & Hope to pray for all impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The service was held on US National Day of Prayer.
About 300 people attended the event on Zoom and about 1,700 watched it live on Facebook. A video recording of the event can be accessed here.
At the conclusion of the worship service, we collectively committed to the below Call to Action:1. We will contribute, to the extent possible, towards the Multi-religious Humanitarian Fund in response to COVID-19 at www.rfpusa.org/donate by making a financial donation.
2. We commit to convening every other week at the same time (2PM EST) for online National Interfaith Prayers on May 21, June 4, June 18, & July 2 to pray for all, especially those most impacted by COVID-19. If you would like to contribute to these upcoming prayer services, please email rfpusa@rfpusa.org.
3. We request local and regional interfaith councils to organize weekly interfaith prayers for those suffering in our local communities to heal and provide hope for the future.
“Of course, we do pray separately in our own religious communities but it’s also important for us to come together to pray together and uplift our common humanity and pray for everyone,” said Tarunjit Singh Butalia, executive director of Religions for Peace USA (Religion News Service, May 6, 2020)
We are very appreciative of RFPUSA member religious communities who supported this prayer service and our 11 co-sponsoring sister interfaith organizations including:
– Parliament of the World’s Religions
– North American Interfaith Network
– The Temple of Understanding
– United Religions Initiative
– Faith in Public Life
– Bahai’s of the United States
– Temple of Ara
– Interfaith Center of New York
– New York Board of Rabbis
– Tri-Faith Initiatives
– The Interfaith Observer
We look forward to hosting this prayer service annually on US National Day of Prayer!
Religions for Peace USA (RFPUSA) is the largest and most broadly-based representative multi-religious forum in the United States, with participants from more than 45 religious communities, representing diversity within each of the major faith traditions and many of the minor ones. The mission of RFPUSA is to inspire and advance common actions for peace through multi-religious cooperation among our nation’s religious communities.