My Beliefnet colleague Alana B. Elias Kornfeld is a guest blogger – a blogger of conscience on Darfur:

I am Jewish and I’ve often felt an inexplicable, magical power when I am in temple and worshipping with members of my faith community. The energy a group of people praying and delighting in the celebration of God is so very powerful. But that energy isn’t just for us. It is our responsibility to take those wells of energy and use them to help others.

I first came to know about the Save Darfur Coalition (SDC) through Adam Zuckerman, a young Darfur activist I interviewed for Beliefnet. The task of ending genocide is so huge and so overwhelming, but I was inspired by the SCD and Zuckerman and felt that bringing attention to Darfur was the least I could do.

Now, the good people over at SDC also know about the power communities of faith have and call upon you to “Raise the Alarm” on Darfur this weekend in its “Weekend of Prayer and Action for Darfur.” On Sunday, December 10, (which is also UN World Human Rights Day) people of conscience around the world are slated to hold demonstrations in front of Sudan’s embassies. And you are requested to participate by inviting your church, friends, neighbors and anyone else you know to add their name to an urgent sign-on letter to President Bush asking him to end the atrocities immediately.

The heartbreaking truth is that since 2003, Black Darfuris have been the target of an ongoing genocide where the massacre of African Muslims by Arab Muslims in Darfur has resulted in more than 400,000 deaths and 2.5 million displaced people. Also heartbreaking is that women and girls as young as 8 years old are being raped and sexually assaulted by the Janjaweed on a daily basis.

I believe now is the time to take a stand. If you belong to a house of worship you have the ability to use your auspicious God-given power to call your religious leaders to action. A simple action can go a long way.

Click here to sign up to participate in the Weekend of Prayer and Action for Darfur.