The peace pole is missing from Salem United Methodist Church.
The theft was discovered early in the week, according to church member Carolyn Hoggard.
Hoggard’s husband, Lynn, hand-crafted the pole which bore the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in four languages. Another church member, Ann Dague, had used India ink to enhance Hoggard’s lettering.
The pole had been set in concrete in front of the church, which is on Salem Road. It had been at that location for about two years.
Hoggard explained that a peace pole is a hand-crafted monument that displays this message on each of its four or six sides, usually in different languages.
According to an Internet site, there are more than 200,000 peace poles in 180 countries all over the world dedicated as monuments to peace. They serve as constant reminders for people to pray for world peace. (Usually a peace pole is 8 feet tall with the bottom “planted” in the ground, as was the one at the Salem community church.
However, many indoor peace poles are supported by stands. One may be constructed from any material that is environmentally sound.
The Peace Pole Project was started in Japan by The World Peace Prayer Society in 1955, shortly after World War II, by Masahisa Goi. Since then, more than 200,000 have been placed around the world, in 180 countries.
In the United States, most peace poles are made from western red cedar, a wood that is a renewable resource. They may be made from any local hardwood, or from plastic or metal.
Peace poles often are planted to commemorate special occasions, such as holidays, anniversaries, events and festivals; or any date may be chosen to dedicate a place to peace. One of these may grace a town square, a school, a park, a place of worship, an office or a garden. Whatever the location, the presence of a peace pole announces that this is a special place, dedicated to peace on Earth.
Planting a peace pole is considered a way to bring people together on an inspiring project to join in a network of peace consciousness that is emerging all over the world.
“When you plant a peace pole in your community, you are linking with people all over the world who have planted their poles in the same spirit of peace,” Hoggard said. “Every peace pole proclaims the prayer ‘May Peace Prevail on Earth’ in the language of the country and often several other languages as well.
“We hate that ours is missing from the church,” Hoggard said. “We can’t imagine why anyone would take it, but if the person will bring it back, there will be no questions asked. We’d just like to have it returned to its place in front of the church.
Hoggard noted that mayors in many parts of the world have planted peace poles to dedicate their cities and towns to world peace. Both political leaders, such as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and religious leaders, such as Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama, have dedicated Peace Poles.
Peace Poles have been placed in such notable locations as the North Magnetic Pole, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, and the site of the Egyptian Pyramids in Giza, as well as numerous community parks. Frequently they are placed near the entrances of churches or schools. In one case, a garden, created for a wedding, was designed around the Peace Pole that was its center piece. The Molossia, a micronation, has a Peace Pole in eight languages.
One of the world’s largest peace poles, at 52 feet, is located in Janesville, Wis., at the site of a KKK rally. The initial inspiration for planting Peace Poles often is as a response to a local issue like a KKK rally.
Another of the largest peace poles in the world, as measured in tons if not height, is the granite one in Beech Acres Park near Cincinnati, Ohio. The original inspiration for it was hate literature left in the driveways of Jewish residents.
Many people reportedly purchase peace poles, but there are some who feel strongly that they should be made by hand by the owners. Some even feel that the materials should be found, as in trees that have fallen of their own accord. But others say they want a skilled artisan to create for them a work of art that will last for centuries, as with a hexagonal stone peace pole for a public park.
|
Razorbacks
