A CHURCH in the heart of Dayton, Ohio, where NATO’s spring Parliamentary Assembly took place from 22-26 May, was open 12 hours a day to offer prayers for peace, as delegates marked the 30th anniversary of the end of the Bosnian War.

The town was chosen to host the assembly, as the Dayton Peace Accords, which ended the three-year war and established the independent state of Bosnia Herzegovina, were signed at Dayton’s US Air Force base in 1995.

Christ Episcopal Church was in the heart of the NATO village, where delegates convened for a four-day session over the weekend. It opened its doors to offer a “Sanctuary of Peace”.

The director of communication and parish life at the church, Emily Joyce, told the Episcopal News Service that the church stayed open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for prayers and reflection.

“Christ Episcopal Church, Dayton, is near the center of the secure zone, yet our church building will not stand empty; in recognition of the powerful need for peace in our time, we will offer ‘Sanctuary for Peace’,” she said.

The Rector, the Revd Peter Homeyer, said: “We’re doing it also to celebrate how NATO has helped for now over 75 years to create at least pockets of peace in the world. We all have a role to play in making peace. Some of us have big roles, like the folks who will be gathered with the NATO general assembly, and some of us have roles that look exactly the size of our lives, but, if we make peace, we’ll do it together.”

Some of the prayers, which were also available on YouTube on one day, were led by the Bishop of Southern Ohio, the Rt Revd Kristin White. She said: “I pray that this legacy of peace flows through the deliberations and actions taken by the assembly while they are in our midst.”

Other prayers were led by interfaith groups.