East End Cooperative Ministry hosted its second annual “Let Peace Shine” candlelight prayer vigil last month.
Free and open to the public, this event brought people together as encouragement for embracing every faith. Last year, more than 500 community members participated.
Each participant received a candle that represented a commitment to peace.
President/CEO Michael J. Mingrone once said, “If we teach and encourage people to have peace within ourselves, then that peace can be transferred to the entire community. Hand in hand, one prayer and one person at a time, we hope to find peace through community and reflection.”
He went on to say, “We ask the community to come together again for a candlelight vigil as we pray for peace in our community, in our world, and in ourselves.”
East End Cooperative Ministry was founded in 1970 as a collective response of the leaders of 18 local faith communities who recognized problems that were too great for any one of them to successfully address alone.
Starting with interracial breakfasts for Peabody High School students, EECM’s services have expanded in response to critical needs identified by the community. Three of their core programs provide life-altering support for children, parents and families, seniors, veterans, and those incapacitated by illness.
Those programs are Children & Youth Services, Community Nutrition Services and IMPACTS (Individuals Making Progress and Change through Self-Sufficiency).
Through these programs EECM provides the necessities of life––a hot meal, a safe place to sleep and food for the family.
For others, it is a place to regain strength after a hospital stay, find a support system to work toward recovery, or receive one-on-one help to change life for the better.
For young people, EECM provides educational programs, drug and alcohol prevention programs, violence prevention programs, a Summer Day Camp, and a concerted effort to show our children a better future.
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