By Thea Jarvis

Most Mondays find John Storey winding down from Sunday services at Clifton Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, where the young ministerial candidate pastors the flock.

Monday, June 14 was different.

On that day, Storey and four other Georgians were booked at the Harlem precinct house of the New York City Police Department after a peaceful attempt to blockade the Chinese Mission at the United Nations.

"It was time for me -- for me as an individual and me as a member of my community -- to do more than march; to vote with my body, to say 'no' to business as usual," John Storey said back home in Atlanta.

The Clifton pastor had ridden on one of three chartered buses which, together with private cars, had brought over 300 Georgians to the march and rally that focused on the United Nations special session on disarmament. They in turn joined thousands of demonstrators from all over the United States and around the world who converged on New York City for the special weekend events.

"Most basically came as individuals or with groups of friends," Storey said of the local participation, which was coordinated by the Georgia Nuclear Freeze Campaign. "There was a wide mix of people -- all ages."

John Storey is a thoughtful man -- patently non-violent with an easy-going disposition and a ready sense of humor. He was genuinely moved by the spirit of New York City and the people who met there.

"Everywhere there was cooperation and encouragement," he observed. "It was the first time I've ever been to New York City when I didn’t see an act of violence or a harsh word."

The only note of discord was sounded by one loner in Central Park who tried to abscond with someone else's sleeping bag. He was promptly held by the protective crowd until police arrived.

Those same city police, despite added duties, were "very supportive and sympathetic" toward the protestors, John Storey added. One of the men in blue told the Atlanta pastor that this was the way things ought to be. "It's about time the city woke up," he had said. "The whole city is like a festival!"

The long weekend that culminated in John Storey's arrest began with an interfaith service at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, where 10,000 people -- Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, Jews and others were hushed in prayer. "You could hear a pin drop, there was so much concentration," pastor Storey remembered.

The group them marched out of the Cathedral to Central Park, planting a symbolic "tree of life" whose roots were covered by soil people had brought from all over the world.

Friday night found the Atlanta contingent sleeping in the pews, the gym floor, or the parlor of the Metropolitan Duane United Methodist Church in Greenwich Village.

Asked about his less than luxurious accommodations, John Storey replied modestly, "It was fine -- I've done it before."

The Saturday scene was, for most of the protestors, the central event toward which all the activities had been leading. John Storey joined in a three-hour march down First Avenue, past the United Nations Building, through Times Square, and down to Central Park, where speakers and entertainers rallied the crowds.

"One park ranger was holding up a sign saying 'one million people'," indicating the numbers already crowded into the park, Storey noted.

Following the rally, in which participants won kudos for decorum and cooperation, most of the protestors left the big Apple for their hometowns. But John Storey and four other metro Atlantans stayed behind for a classic exercise in non-violent civil disobedience.

After a Sunday spent in prayer and preparation, the Clifton pastor and his band headed for the Chinese Mission at the United Nations on Monday morning. "The only civil disobedience (I had participated in before) was a refusal to pay war taxes," Storey related.

His decision to perform an act of civil disobedience was colored by his confidence that the protest would be "completely peaceful and non-violent" and by his perception that "the nuclear powers have no intention of dismantling the bomb," a position Storey finds "hypocritical" in light of their participation in the disarmament sessions.

At the Chinese mission, John Storey and his group sat down near police barricades which were blockading the street and read scripture, sang, and prayed. All members of the group had been trained carefully for this moment and were shadowed by a six-member support group which assisted with logistical details and emotional backup.

When, after about 20 minutes, police came and carried them off on stretchers to a waiting bus for their trip to the precinct house, spirits were high and good humor prevailed.

"They were gentle, very gentle. They let us make the statement," Storey said of the arresting officers, who gave the protestors "desk appearance" tickets, released them and told them not to come back.

Not one to waste valuable time, however, John Storey and his group moved to the United States Mission directly across from United Nations Headquarters. They were again arrested and run quickly through the ticketing process before being released.

When a further attempt to blockade the Soviet mission proved unsuccessful, the Georgians celebrated their triumphs with a small party in the Chelsea section of the city and left for home the following day.

Back in Atlanta, John Storey's enthusiasm for the cause of disarmament is ongoing. Local meetings and plans for future rallies around the metro area keep the fires stoked and burning.

"I see it as a movement of the Spirit," Storey said of the ever-growing hue and cry to stop the proliferation of nuclear weaponry, "and it's spreading all over."

Asked if he feels his participation in the New York protest was effective, Storey answered with characteristic conviction. "According to my understanding of Christian theology, effectiveness is not my goal -- that's up to God. My call is to act faithfully and leave the rest to God."