Local church hosts Day of Remembrance – taking stand vs. hate

Published 5:00 pm Tuesday, April 13, 2010

JOHN DAY – A Day of Remembrance – to recall victims of the Holocaust and other acts of hatred – is set for Wednesday, April 21.

The John Day United Methodist Church on Canton Street is holding the event at 6:30 p.m., offering the community a time to speak out for justice and God’s peace.

It is organized as a time for remembrance so that events like the Holocaust are not repeated.

Bishop Robert Hoshibata of the Oregon-Idaho Conference of the United Methodist Church will participate, as will the Grant County musical group, the Juniper Singers.

The Rev. Marcie Collins said the event will remember the Holocaust and also other acts of hate and genocide, and provide the opportunity for people to recommit to Christ’s teachings and stand for peace with justice.

She said this is important because there are people who deny the Holocaust.

“Denial is very dangerous, first because it makes the Nazis the victims instead of the victimizers, and two, it means that we are not learning from the mistakes of the past, we are not prepared to stand against hate’s reoccurrence,” she said.

She said the recent foray of the Aryan Nations leader into Grant County was an eye-opener that caused local residents to re-examine their beliefs.

“The threat of the Aryan Nations in our community opened a window into our souls that enabled us to look and say, ‘That is wrong and I will stand against it.'”

The entire community is invited to next week’s event.