#4 - pasadena mennonite church/palm sunday peace parade

august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena.  

i have accepted a position at salford mennonite church in harleysville, pennsylvania.  we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena.  when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg.  i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city.  i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind, and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena.  we have arrived at the top ten things about life in pasadena.



#4 - pasadena mennonite church/palm sunday peace parade

i cheated a bit with this one.  realisticially, these both deserve their own entry in my top ten.  but because they are pretty closely related, i tied them together. 

pasadena mennonite has been our incredible church home while we've lived here.  we have been welcomed there with open arms and have found meaningful relationships that will carry on beyond pasadena.  this community has acted as our substitute parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles.  they have been our mentors and peers in ways we never could have imagined.

the peace parade is one of the things that this church does annually as a way to make a public declaration of a commitment to peace.  it is held every year on palm sunday and has grown to include many other local groups dedicated to peace and an end to global warfare.

both of these things are special to me, and i will miss them deeply when we move from here.

more from the peace parade

as you can imagine, it is challenging to photograph a whole parade in session, but this image gives you some sense of our peace parading from sunday.

oh, and did you see that the parade was front page news in the pasadena star?

palm sunday peace parade

this year's version of the palm sunday peace parade (which has been happening in pasadena since the start of the iraq war - 8 years ago!) was quite possibly the largest and most interesting of all.  those in attendance had created large peace doves, hundreds of posters and banners, as well as noisemakers of all kinds.  we were privilidged to hear from james loney (the peace activist, not the dodgers firstbasemen) who shared about his experience as a non-violent peacemaker in iraq.  it was an incredible and meaningful event and made me proud to be a participant, and proud to live in a city where something like this can take place.

update: photos that a friend of mine took can be found right here.

palm sunday peace parade

we made a joyful noise, and had quite a good time celebrating as part of the palm sunday peace parade. over 120 people came out to make a public statement about peace on the streets of pasadena. if you didn't make it, we'll see you next year!

palm sunday peace parade

an annual tradition at our church is to celebrate palm sunday with a peaceful protest march. the palm sunday peace parade has been happening for 8 years - ever since the start of the iraq war. it is an easy way to display an outward appreciation for those who are working for peace.

all are welcome to attend tomorrow's event. it will start at 3:00 p.m. in the sanctuary of Messiah Lutheran Church, 570 E. Orange Grove Blvd, and after a short opening message, we will walk down to the paseo mall. click on the image below for further details.



more skywatch friday action can be found right here.

arched framing: the bridge and the building

two pasadena icons in the same photo. both have been featured on this blog from time to time, and quite often together - although rarely like today's photo.

and quickly - tomorrow is the annual palm sunday peace parade that my church organizes. you can see my photos of last year's event right here. and you can learn more about the event by checking out this recent article from pasadena weekly.

consider this your invitation to make a statement and join the parade.

palm sunday peace parade

i had the pleasure of participating in the 5th annual palm sunday peace parade here in pasadena. this event has been taking place since the invasion of iraq. it grows larger every year, stretching for at least a full block this time. The plan is to continue this action until war is no more (so chances are it will be happening next year if you want to join in). not to get too political, or religious, but if you are interested in learning more about what you can do as a passionate christian for peace, check out the matthew 5 project.