Message from the National Council of Churches USA

On August 6, 1945, at 8:16 a.m. Japanese time, 80,000 people died instantly in the blast of the first atomic bomb in Hiroshima. Another 35,000 were injured and more than 60,000 would die by the end of the year from the effects of radioactive fallout. On August 9, 1945, between 60,000 and 80,000 died at 11:02 a.m. in the blast of the second atomic bomb over Nagasaki. The nuclear age was born -- and continues in the uncertainty of missing plutonium caches and terrorist threats. This August, people of faith around the world will be commemorating the anniversary with worship, prayers and peace programs to prevent the horror from happening again. Click the links for a sampling of the resources that are offered by churches and church organizations for this historic observation: Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America; Church of the Brethren; Lutheran Peace Fellowship; Orthodox Peace Fellowship; Presbyterian Church (USA); United Church of Christ.