NEW YORK, NY, USA, September 5, 2002 — The American Bible Society (ABS) will commemorate the one-year anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11th with a 24-hour public memorial that will feature prayers and songs of praise to God for bringing New Yorkers and the nation through a year of mourning. Events will culminate in a luncheon "Tribute to Heroes Past, Present and Future," hosted by ABC's Star Jones, in which ABS will honor fallen, faithful and future heroes.
| Faithful hero Lisa Jefferson, the GTE 911 supervisor who recited the Lord's Prayer with Todd Beamer in his final moments, will receive a Lord's Prayer plaque... |
Fallen hero Todd Beamer will be represented by his best friend Doug MacMillan, chief executive officer of the Todd M. Beamer Foundation; Faithful hero
Lisa Jefferson, the GTE 911 supervisor who recited the Lord's Prayer with Todd Beamer in his final moments, will receive a Lord's Prayer plaque.
ABS President Eugene Habecker sees the public memorial and worship service as a way to turn the attention of the nation to the message of hope found in the Word of God.
On Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. there will be a Candlelight vigil, followed by an acoustic premiere of David Pack's original composition "Psalm 23: A Prayer for America," a gift to the children of NYC and America, dedicated to the children of 9/11 victims. A presentation of worship music by local and national musicians will follow. A video wall with messages from bible societies from around the world, children's artwork and flowers will form the backdrop of this public memorial.
Then on Wednesday, Sept. 11 worshipers will observe a moment of silence at 8:47 p.m., the exact moment when the first hijacked aircraft hit the World Trade Center towers. This moment will be followed by a prayer of tribute to those who died in the attacks.
| ABS staff and friends of the organization will gather at key places throughout New York City to hand out free CDs of "Psalm 23: A Prayer for America," distribute booklets with inspirational words from the Bible, and pray for the nation... |
Between 9:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. ABS staff and friends of the organization will gather at key places throughout New York City to hand out free CDs of "Psalm 23: A Prayer for America," distribute booklets with inspirational words from the Bible, and pray for the nation, particularly young people, to connect with the God of the Bible in a meaningful way.
Prayer teams will meet to pray at various sites throughout the city, including Battery Park, the United Nations, Union Square, Penn Station/Madison Square Garden, ABC and NBC studios and 42nd Street.
There will be a display of children's art in the "Psalm 23" project in the ABS Pavilion at Bible House, 1865 Broadway, New York, New York, at 61st and Broadway. A luncheon "Tribute to Heroes, Past, Present and Future" will be held between 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.
A spokesman for the ABS said the commemoration, "was a natural decision by the ABS staff and a natural progression after a year of helping people cope with the tragedy. The decision was unanimous that this be a worshipful commemoration because ABS staff felt that it was time to give thanks to God for bringing us through this difficult year."
| ABS distributed nearly 4 million booklets (in English and Spanish) since 9/11 of Bible excerpts that explained how "God Is Our Shelter." |
The ABS has been involved since the beginning in helping people deal with the tragedy -- staff members volunteered in the immediate aftermath to help comfort mourners gathered at Ground Zero. ABS distributed nearly 4 million booklets (in English and Spanish) since 9/11 of Bible excerpts that explained how "God Is Our Shelter."
Since 1816, ABS has provided comfort and hope to Americans in difficult times, from the Civil War to the Persian Gulf War.
"Last year, when national tragedy hit in their own backyard, they did what they always do -- reached out to hurting people with comfort and hope found in God's Word," the spokesman said.
ABS President, Dr. Eugene Habecker put it this way: "It's one thing to say we have had a tragic set of circumstances and now we have to build a better future. There is more to it than that. Even in the midst of getting from where we have been to where we are going, there is hope. The biblical theme is not that God will be with you IF you go through the fire and deep waters, but that God will be with you WHEN you go through. It is along the journey that He is with us. We want to give Him thanks for being with us in these difficult times. We are not yet where we want to be, but the Scriptures provide the balm that helps us in this valley."
The public memorial is open to anyone who would like to participate. It is a non-sectarian/non-denominational commemoration. Everything is free and open to public, except for the private luncheon, which is by invitation only. The ABS spokesman said: "This is a time to look back on the past year and thank God for bringing us through it. Since 9/11, there has been an unprecedented search for purpose and meaning. ABS is here to help people connect with the source that can guide them in this search -- the Bible. ABS would like to use 9/11 to renew its call to reach every soul in America with the life-changing message of the Bible."
| ABS President, Dr. Eugene Habecker put it this way..."The biblical theme is not that God will be with you IF you go through the fire and deep waters, but that God will be with you WHEN you go through." |
Dr.Habecker commented: "There are three pillars to our work at ABS that support our approach to commemorating 9/11: One -- The Bible speaks for itself -- it is the greatest evangelist. Part of what we will do on 9/11 is lift up the reality and prominence of the Bible. Two -- we do what we do without sectarian or doctrinal orientation. We don't work or live in one part of our church community, so this memorial will be non- denominational and open to all. Three -- We want to bring people together from all Christian traditions around the Word of God. On 9/11, we will provide a place for the Body of Christ to rise above sectarianism to reflect on the real needs out there -- and how each of us can be used by God to help meet those needs."
He added: "People today are asking the same questions Pharoah asked Moses -- who is the Lord and why should I obey Him? We in the Christian community need to say -- with graciousness and respectfulness -- that the Bible has answers to these questions. You may not agree with the answers, but at least consider them. As Archbishop George Carey has so eloquently said, we need to let the world know that 'The Gospel carries with it the gracious invitation to consider the Good News.' "
ABS is a 186-year-old New York City-based organization with a rich Judeo-Christian heritage that exists to connect people worldwide with the life-changing power of the God of the Bible.
Source: Michael Ireland, Assist News Service
|
