About 80 people from Good News Christian Reformed Church in London, Ontario, marked International Human Rights Day by writing letters to politicians around the world.
The church's public justice committee hosted Write for Rights, an event sponsored by Amnesty International at which people gather in groups to hear about human rights abuses and to write letters of protest to the governments involved.
Anton Brink, a member of Good News CRC, said the goal is to "put pressure on the heads of state for the release of political and religious prisoners."
The church's public justice committee held a potluck supper and educated those who attended about human rights abuses in four countries. Then everyone began to write.
In all, church members wrote 202 letters that evening and the next Sunday after church. Redeemer CRC in Sarnia, Ontario, also held a Write for Rights event. Across Canada, nearly 30,000 letters were written.
"It's pretty wonderful to see young children in grade 7 and 8 writing letters," said Brink. "If you look at the Bible, it talks about salvation, but there are many more references to doing justice—looking after the poor, the widow, the fatherless, people in jail. It's what Micah 6:8 is all about—doing justice."
About the Author
Heather Wright is a freelance writer from Petrolia, Ontario.
