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Peace Run marking America’s 250th makes stop at Spokane Valley church
Veradale United Church of Christ will host international Peace Run participants on Saturday for a public dinner celebrating peace and the nation’s 250th anniversary.
By Cody Wendt | FāVS News Reporter
Veradale United Church of Christ in Spokane Valley will hold a dinner Saturday at 6 p.m. hosting 10-to-12 participants in a Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding.
The dinner is open to members of the public interested in meeting the Peace Run participants, with an advance reservation required.
‘Peace as a tangible reality’
“When I was asked if the church would host them, give them a place to share their journey, I said, ‘Of course they can come,’” Veradale UCC pastor, the Rev. Gen Heywood recalled. “I’d learn a bit about what their goals are, where they’re from.”
The Peace Run carries on a global tradition dating back to 1987. It originated as the brainchild of internationally famous spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy with the “simple goal” to “create a feeling of goodwill among peoples of all nations,” according to its description on its website. It consists of a relay of runners carrying a symbolic Peace Torch meant to awaken “the experience of peace as a tangible reality.”
The group passing through Spokane on Saturday represents one leg of a route covering all 50 states. The relay began in April in New York, headed south, curved west and then went north to reach Seattle before making the turn back eastward toward our area.
Once the continental states have been traversed, air travel will be used to complete the full set with visits to Alaska and Hawaii.
‘Quite a privilege’
The organizations Faith Leaders and Leaders of Conscience and Eastside Gladiators are serving as co-hosts for the Veradale UCC dinner. Shari McEvoy, a member of both groups, first reached out to Heywood about holding such a meal after meeting Peace Run organizer Salil Wilson on a biking trail earlier this year.
The dinner will provide both hospitality and sustenance for the runners and a chance for members of the public to visit with them and learn about their event, which “does not seek to raise money or highlight any political cause,” but “offers everyone in the world a chance to express their longing for peace,” as per peacerun.org.
Heywood, who counts peace among her core ideals, said it will be “quite a privilege to be with people who seek that same thing.”
Following the dinner, the runners will stay the night at host residences in town before setting out to carry on their journey at 9 a.m. Local residents are invited to run alongside them as they head toward Sandpoint, and may continue to track their progress on the website’s “Follow the Peace Run” tab.
If you go
Saturday’s menu will be vegetarian, featuring food prepared by the nonprofit organization Feast World Kitchen. Attendance is free of charge, with promotional materials listing a suggested donation of $20. As of Thursday afternoon, 20 seats at the dinner were still available.
Those interested in attending may reach out to the church office at (509) 926-7173.
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