What is a Peace Pole?
A Peace Pole is an international symbol of a community’s prayer for peace on Earth. It is a hand-crafted monument that displays the message and prayer May Peace Prevail on Earth, usually in different languages. There are tens of thousands of Peace Poles in 180 countries all over the world dedicated as monuments to peace. They serve as constant reminders for us to visualize and pray for world peace. For more on the project, visit peacepoleproject.org.
Summer Music + Arts Camp Peace Poles
Living out our theme of Peacemakers, our campers have created three different poles that display our hope for peace. All 100 campers and many of our staff marked the pole with their initials. By placing our initials on the Peace Pole, we are embracing the connectedness of all people and our desire for peace on Earth. Many thanks to Saint Barnabas parishioner Suzy Dodds who directed the project.
Seedlings Pole
Our shortest pole has the handprints of our littlest campers, the Seedlings (ages 3-4 years). Each handprint has a heart in the center with the camper’s stenciled initials.
Sprouts/Creators Pole
The middle pole brings together 80 campers around the theme words of the week: Aloha (welcome and connection), Ubuntu (community; I am because we are), Shalom (wholeness), and Heiwa (harmony). They have written their own initials all over the pole.
Traditional Peace Pole
Our tallest pole is more like traditional Peace Poles that you see around the world. It has the phrase May Peace Prevail on Earth in eight different languages: English, Hawaiian, Chichewa(from Africa), Hebrew, Japanese, Spanish, Arabic, and Hindi. These represent the languages of our camp theme words and well as some of the major religions of the world. The child-friendly artwork on this pole was painted by Saint Barnabas member Amy Whitehouse.
Dedication
The Peace Poles are standing temporarily on the gravel area between the fountain and the main driveway. They were dedicated with prayers and thanksgivings on June 23, 2019.
