A thousand doves for peace

Over a thousand colourful paper peace doves floated in the chancel of the Peter and Paul Church in Hermannsburg - a powerful image that peace begins on a small scale.

Over a thousand colourful paper doves of peace floated in the chancel of St. Peter and Paul's Church in Hermannsburg - a powerful image of how peace begins on a small scale: "Living in peace does not require big words, but many small steps." This is what someone wrote on their dove.
The creative idea for this installation to mark the Decade of Peace came from Phoebe Noetzel, who developed the project together with the creative group of the St Peter and Paul parish. Together with Ingrid Lüdemann, Peace Place2GO officer at the Ev.-luth. Mission in Lower Saxony, she invited people to fill pigeons with wishes and words of hope. The result was an impressive flock - an expression of a broad longing for peace.
Doves were created in all parish groups; other Hermannsburg parishes also took part. Many schools, kindergartens, the Albert Schweitzer Family Organisation, the local council and numerous members of the community and private individuals - from crèche children to senior citizens - took part. Additional doves even came from England and the USA.
"The many doves give me hope when I hear and read all the bad news. It is good for the soul to see what is possible when many people join forces," says Phoebe Noetzel and Ingrid Lüdemann is impressed by the response: "For me, it is important to realise that peace is an issue that goes beyond individual circles," emphasises Lüdemann.
"It's not enough to pray for peace, you also have to think about it," someone wrote on their dove of peace. Both prayer and reflection are important to the organisers and they hope that this campaign has given them an impetus to take small steps towards peace in everyday life. A special moment was created during the evening prayers of the Decade of Peace: the doves were bathed in colourful light and made a particularly bright, peaceful picture.