A local congregation is stepping up their weekly prayers for world peace with a permanent monument aimed at planting the message of peace in the hearts and minds of all who visit the Turlock church.

The First United Methodist Church of Turlock, located at 1660 Arbor Way, held a dedication ceremony on Sunday for a peace pole monument and shalom garden in front of the chapel. Peace poles are a global movement and no matter where they’re located, they all carry the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in 16 languages.

“This past Wednesday, Sept. 21, was designated as the 2022 International Day of Peace, and the Peace Pole Project is an international effort to support world peace. Here at First UMC of Turlock, our Peace Pole project and new shalom garden here by the bench marks our own efforts to lift up God's shalom in our world,” said FUMC Turlock pastor Steve Judson.

The languages that were chosen for the Turlock Peace Pole Project were the most common used at the Turlock Unified School District: English, Spanish, Punjabi, Assyrian, Arabic, Farsi, Dari, Portuguese, Pashto, Hindi, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Armenian, Persian, Cantonese and Mandarin.