?Shawna Hurst was a member of the 2023-24 Colorado Springs Service Adventure unit. During her time there, she had the opportunity to join a protest in Washington, D.C. organized by Mennonite Action, supporting the rights of people suffering from violence in Palestine and Israel.
As a young person trying to find my place in the church, I am grateful to be a part of a community that chooses not to sit on the sidelines as our neighbors suffer, but instead uses their voices, actions, and even their fabric, to call for peace as Jesus would have. Participating in the Mennonite Action protest was a structured and supported way for me to take my first steps joining in public demonstrations of that call to peace.
There were three groups. The red group was for the people going into the Rotunda and who would likely be arrested. The yellow group was the small group of people going into the Rotunda, but would be taking photos, streaming live video and probably would not be arrested. The last group was the biggest the green group. This group was outside and had a permit to be there so they would not be arrested.
I chose to participate in the green group, which held an outdoor peace vigil across from the Capitol building. We sang songs, listened to a variety of people share, and prayed. The grief and anger over the reason for the protest was obvious, but at the same time, there was so much love and energy from everyone. When the red group was being led out of the building after getting arrested, we all ran over to the edge of the lawn to support them by singing, cheering, and praying. This moment stuck with me the most, how we were supporting each other the way we strived to support our suffering neighbors in Gaza.
To see people you know being led out in handcuffs was an emotional moment. I knew that they were okay and that this was a good thing, because it would be bringing attention to our demands for a ceasefire, but it was still a lot to take in. Being surrounded by familiar hymns and prayers was so encouraging and I can only imagine how much it would have calmed me if I were on the other side of the street with my wrists held in zip ties. When people started cheering and clapping, it hit me that I am so grateful to be a part of this community that is not scared to raise our voices and actually be heard.
I was just starting to hear about Mennonite Action when our Service Adventure unit decided that we were going to try to go to D.C. Being in Service Adventure provided me with the perfect opportunity to get involved, because our community from Beth-El Mennonite Church (Colorado Springs) and New Creation Fellowship Church (my home church from Kansas) financially supported us and allowed us to easily find housing and provided us with other resources in D.C. I have always looked up to people in my life who take action and participate in public protests because it is not easy and can be uncomfortable. I was grateful to have so much support getting involved.
Mennonite Mission Network’s Service Adventure program is designed for young adults ages 17-20. Through a 10-month service term (August-July), participants live together in a unit house along with unit leaders, serve with local nonprofit agencies, and connect with a supporting church congregation.
