This week Our Lady Queen of Peace in Gilbert is celebrating a Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2023, with the theme based on “Do Good; Seek Justice” from Isaiah 1:17.

On Thursday morning the church held a unity prayer service inviting everyone from the surrounding communities to come. No matter what religion, race, young or old, the goal was to bring people together to find ways to connect with others to help bring hope.

The service began with a call to gather by the Rev. Deb Scheffey of Salem-St. Paul Lutheran Church.

Scheffey asked the congregation to reflect on their actions and their in-actions, and perhaps learn to do good and seek justice, and to overcome our divisions and address the many things and actions that is fracturing our communities.

“We need God’s grace to overcome our divisions and to address systems and structures that have contributed to the fracturing of our communities,” she said.

Diane Hamilton, volunteer at Pleasant Valley Ecumenical Network, shared when she wanted to do something.

“I retired and had to reinvent myself. But sitting at home was never my thing. I found someone in my community of Burger Hollow who lived in a shack of a bungalow. I helped this veteran who was an Air Force veteran, find a place to live because he was living in one room,” Hamilton said.

She started volunteering at PVEN and she watched what was going on.

“And I saw people coming in and they needed food, they needed clothing. They needed a spot to just say hi to someone. There was loneliness in their life,” she said.

She realized she could be part of the solution and is still part of the solution.

Volunteer Barbara Souders stood and said, “Through the many years of practice and participation with PVN I have learned many things, and I hope to continued in the future. He is always available. He can work it through us to help others and show them love and understanding,” she said.

Everyone in the prayer service received a rock painted with the word “Hope,” symbolizing we don’t all think the same or believe the same, but we all need hope.