Prayers For Japan

On Thursday night, northeast Queens residents will show their solidarity with the battered, but not broken, people of Japan.

The  will host a service to pray for the victims of the earthquake, tsunami and spreading nuclear radiation in the beleaguered island nation.

"We're inviting everyone in the community to light a candle of hope with us," said church pastor Reverend Dr. Linden De Bie.

Thursday's vigil is going to be a Taizé-style service including a candle lighting ceremony, a prayer, a litany, silent meditation and songs. The Taizé tradition encourages participation from different peoples and religious traditions.

"It's open to anyone who wants to attend and offer their support to those suffering," De Bie said.

As of last night BBN World News reported the expected death toll will rise far above 10,000 as local rescue teams struggle to search for 16,000-plus people still reported missing.

The massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake, which rocked the Pacific coastal areas of northeast Japan on March 11, sent a devastating tsunami that swept across the region.

Damage from the quake and resulting wave also crippled the Fukushima nuclear facility, where a radiation leak threatened an ever-growing segment of the Japanese population.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the latest estimate for the total cost of the Japanese disaster are between $112 to $235 billion — making it one of the costliest natural disaster in world history.

Tomorrow service will begin at 7 p.m. inside the chapel at the Community Church of Douglaston. 

The Community Church of Douglaston is located at 39-50 Douglaston Pkwy. in Douglaston.