CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Cheyenne religious leaders hope locals can promote messages of peace and kindness in spite of the violence currently plaguing the Middle East.
They spoke to more than 40 community members who attended the “Interfaith Peace Vigil for the Middle East” Monday evening. The event was sponsored by the Cheyenne Interfaith Council, a coalition of various religious groups within the city, and took place at the Mt. Sinai Congregation.
Mt. Sinai Rabbi Moshe Halfon said the event was inspired by the Oct. 9 pro-Israel vigil that occured outside the state capitol, where more than 50 people showed up to show their support for the nation and local Israeli community members.
During Monday night’s vigil, Halfon and other church leaders encouraged attendees to pray for and love one another. Each of their messages was followed by songs or poems that highlighted the importance of peace.
First United Methodist Church of Cheyenne Associate Pastor Reverend Todd Scranton told the vigil audience that he “struggled” to find the right words to say. Instead of speaking, Scranton asked that attendees quietly sit and think about those affected by the war.
“The best thing we can do in this place of safety and quiet is to sit in silence as we remember those who would love nothing more than to be in a place of safety and quiet,” he said during the vigil.
Like the reverend, Pastor Patricia Bell from the Frontier United Methodist Church said she wasn’t sure how to respond to the recent violence. Last week, a member from Bell’s congregation asked what she thought about the Middle East conflict. Her reply was an honest one.
“I had to think fast,” Bell said during the vigil, “and my reply was, the older I get the more questions I have and the fewer answers I have.”
Bell, who attended the Oct. 9 vigil, said she was moved by the speakers who publicly shared their concerns about their Israeli family members. All she could think about was that people needed to pray and stand unified with others who are hurting from the loss of life.
“The only weapon we as believers have is to pray and understand God, as each of us understand God,” she said.
Pastor J.R. Atkins from Grace United Methodist Church recalled living in Bethlehem in 2017, and like many Americans “arrived prepared to solve their problems.” Atkins said he quickly realized that obtaining peace, especially in religion-related disputes, is complicated. He learned there are only three things for peace-lovers to do: respect one another’s religion, approach people with love and have meaningful conversations with one another instead of relying solely on the media for information.
“A lot of people are going off of sound bytes, or what is being repeated,” he said during the vigil. “It is our job here to go beyond that.”
After the leaders spoke, Mt. Sinai congregation member Noam Mantaka shared his distress about seeing people “picking a side and going against the right thing to do.” Mantaka is the owner of of the Israeli food truck Noam’s Table, and moved to Cheyenne in 2016. He has a son in the Israeli Defense Force and family in Israel whom he worries for everyday.
“I went through a lot in my life in bad and in good,” he said during the vigil. “I’m a peacemaker, I’m for peace but for peace you need two people. … When you don’t have the right partner for peace it’s very hard to make peace.”
