A small group in Lititz connected with the other side of the world Sunday night as members joined in prayer for an end to genocide, famine and war in Sudan's Darfur region.

Lititz United Methodist Church was just one of many U.S. churches tapped into a satellite feed from Dayton, Ohio, called "Not on Our Watch."

Designed to inform and move Christian congregations to take action to help end the rape, mutilation, killings and drafting of children as soldiers in Sudan, the live show featured ministers and human-rights activists, including the Rev. Michael Slaughter of Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, Ohio.

Now LUMC is lining up to take action.

"We're going to react in some way as a group, but we're not sure how yet," Kevin Bergman, LUMC's director of outreach ministries, said.

Bergman said he visited Slaughter's church two years ago and liked what he saw — a four-year focus on Darfur that raised $3.7 million to start a sustainable agricultural program for those hardest hit by the violence in the western region of the African nation.

A large civic-minded church, LUMC already has run a project to build a well in Kenya. That kind of international focus was part of why members Jerry and June Downing attended Sunday's event.

"I was just interested and wanted the straight scoop on what's happening in Darfur," Jerry Downing said. "I knew it's in Africa, but finding out everything that's going on over there was eye-opening."

He said he'll take the message to his Adult Sunday School class and try to find a way to make a difference.

During a prayer Sunday night, June Downing asked for forgiveness for not recognizing the utter devastation of the Sudanese people.

"I knew there was genocide there — that's why I felt I had to ask for forgiveness," she said. "This really opened my eyes. God's obviously trying to get our attention."

Lay pastor Paul Miller explained to the group of about 20 that although Sudan is predominantly Muslim and led by an Islamic government, Christians living in the south have suffered, too.

"Christians care for all people," Miller said.

In a prayer Miller led for the group, he echoed Slaughter's call to action for Christians to be aware of the problem, to allow themselves to be agitated by unjust suffering of the Sudanese and to take action, whether through prayer, donations or spreading awareness.

"Tonight we shared with people on the other side of the world," Miller said in his prayer.

"Move us to action," he said. "It's OK to be agitated. Help us to be active. We pray that lives there will be changed."

To get involved with LUMC's response to Darfur, call the church office at 626-2710.

E-mail: slindt@lnpnews.com