DEARBORN, MI (ANS) -- In response to “Peace-Breaker” events, which sought to divide the faith community in Dearborn, MI surrounding the Arab Festival last June, “Peace-Makers” from the Christian and Muslim communities, demonstrated their solidarity in word and deed today.

Participants at Dearborn Event

According to a news release from the Christian Emergency Network (CEN), the two faith communities issued a joint statement to the media which emphasized they were standing side by side in support of freedom of religion and speech for all people; calling for kind, respectful and responsible speech, even while those among us choose to use that freedom for reprehensible causes and threaten violence or injury to people or property.

In a strong show of support of non-violence the Christian community came together today with the Muslim community to speak up for themselves rather than letting “peace-breaker” activities speak for them. Meeting with Mayor John B. O’Reilly Jr., Chief of Police Ronald Haddad and other city officials, Christian and Muslim leaders launched a joint effort to respond to Dearborn’s most pressing community needs.

Christian leaders have been meeting for months following the June incident to pray and discover how they may work well with law enforcement and the Muslim community while preserving their mission and message. One of the key voices regarding this matter is Dr. Michael Ewert, pastor of the Dearborn Free Methodist Church and adjunct professor of World Religions at Spring Arbor University.

Dr. Ewert told reporters, “Christ calls us to be Peace-Makers, not Peace-Breakers. Christians have lived side by side with other faiths in Dearborn for many years peacefully. Outside groups, like the one today, do not speak for us. We are speaking up by issuing a joint statement as faith leaders of our commitment to non-violence while preserving our most fundamental Constitutional right to freedom of speech and religion. We are committing to work together with first responders in meeting Dearborn’s most pressing community needs. As Christian leaders we are networking, preparing and responding together with local first responders through ReadyDearborn. We are hoping the Muslim community will join with us intentionally to mitigate our community needs both now and in the future.”

Mary Marr who serves on the Department of Homeland Security Faith-based Security and Communications Committee is working closely with local law enforcement, faith leaders and DHS to provide a common infrastructure to responding together in the community of Dearborn and nationwide. Marr told reporters today “Despite the damage and media attention focused upon recent global unrest the Christian and Muslim communities in Dearborn demonstrates that people of different faith expressions are able to walk, work and worship side by side.”

To assist you, your family, church and local Christian community to assess your level of biblical readiness, develop emergency operations plans, build spiritual, emotional, mental and physical resiliency to biblically respond in crisis of all kinds, CEN provides three helpful training programs - ReadyChristian, ReadyChurch, and ReadyCity. For more information on engaging with ReadyDearborn, contact Mary Marr at mary.marr@christianemergencynetwork.org.

Mary Marr is also available for interviews. For information or to schedule an interview, contact Misti McHatton at misti.mchatton@christianemergencynetwork.org. 

Dan Wooding, 71, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 49 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and he hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on the KWVE Radio Network in Southern California and which is also carried throughout the United States and around the world. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 192 countries. Dan recently received two top media awards -- the “Passion for the Persecuted” award from Open Doors US, and as one of the top “Newsmakers of 2011” from Plain Truth magazine. He is the author of some 45 books, the latest of which is “Caped Crusader: Rick Wakeman in the 1970s.” To order a copy, go to: http://www.amazon.com/CAPED-CRUSADER-Rick-Wakeman-1970s/dp/1908728302/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335474883&sr=1-1 .