Omaha health-care prayer vigil

Nearly 150 persons participated last month in an interfaith prayer vigil for health-care reform at First United Methodist Church in Omaha, Neb.

OMAHA, Neb. — First United Methodist Church and Interfaith Worker Justice cooperated in arranging an interfaith prayer vigil for health-care reform. The vigil the last week of August was held at the church and attended by 148 persons, including persons from local Jewish and Islamic communities.

Attendees at a prayer vigil at First United Methodist Church in Omaha, Neb., were asked to write their health-care story on surgical masks.

The Rev. Debra McKnight, associate pastor of First UMC, worked with Noel Anderson, director of Interfaith Worker Justice, to arrange the vigil.

McKnight said she comes from a family full of health-care professionals, including physicians, dentists and producers of medical equipment. She pointed out that awareness of health-care issues has surrounded her throughout her life. She said that fact was an impetus to take action.

McKnight said she has been blessed with a family where “great medical advice” is easy to get. “I know that not everyone has that opportunity,” she said. “I want everyone’s health care to be as good as mine.”

The prayer vigil at First UMC consisted of prayers, stories from congregants and music such as “Will I lose My Dignity?” from the hit Broadway musical “Rent.” After every prayer or story, a bell was rung. By the end of the vigil, it had been rung 31 times. Each bell toll represented another person that lost health coverage in the state of Nebraska that day.

Prayers were offered by a diverse collection of persons. These included a leader from the Guatemalan indigenous group from St. Francis of Assisi, who prayed in Qanjobal, his native language. The vice president of the Niagara Foundation, Ferhat Ozturk, recited a passage from the Quran.

The Rev. Frederick McCullough of St. John’s African Methodist Episcopal Church spoke briefly on the importance of health-care reform. “It is time that pastors and congregations come together to speak out against the injustice we see in the health-care system that robs the poor of the access that all deserve,” he said.

Throughout the vigil participants shared personal stories about struggles with the current health-care system. Everyone in attendance was given an opportunity to write their story on a surgical mask and at the conclusion of the vigil. The masks were all placed on a board for everyone to read. A video of some of these masks and stories can be seen on YouTube and Flickr.

After the vigil, Turkish Muslims from the Niagara Foundation served participants a home-cooked Turkish dinner called Iftar to break the Ramadan fast.

The vigil was organized in only three weeks, according to McKnight. She said a lot of publicity was through congregational announcements at participating churches. In addition, Anderson helped with media publicity by getting free radio announcements on the local National Public Radio station, newspapers, and on intheO.com. He also employed social networks such as Facebook and e-vite.

When asked about advice to share with other potential organizers, McKnight said, “Be sure to have some positive messages in the mix, represent a wide range of stories, get lay members involved, have a good balance of music and the Word, and build trusting relationships with other clergy and faith communities.”