I was in a morning Bible study when I received the phone call. It was from the father of one of my youth group teens who had called to let me know that his son “B.A.” had been shot. Hearing this news, I felt overcome by disbelief and sadness as I began asking a flurry of questions. Dad calmly replied, “Reverend, he is alive, he isOK; the gunshots were not fatal.” I was thankful and relieved that B.A. was still alive, but then another wave of sadness overtook me as I remembered that two weeks earlier, I had suspended B.A. from youth group activities because he, as a “prank,” had brought a BB gun there and threatened others with it. This happened the week following the massacre at Sandy Hook, Connecticut, so as one can imagine, I did not find his “prank” amusing.
Today marks the third annual observance of National Gun Violence Awareness Day. As advocates remember the 138 mass shootings and 6,303 people who have been killed as a result of gun violence so far in 2017, the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship has released its Gun Violence Prevention Congregational Toolkit.
Presbyterian churches located within a few miles of the Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport are still trying to wrap their minds around last Friday’s shootings that left five people dead and several injured. The suspect, Esteban Santiago, 26, appeared before a federal magistrate judge on Monday and could possibly face the death penalty.
Tackling complex societal issues is never an easy task, but thanks to the creative talents in Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), congregations have access to original films that can serve as “conversation starters” for their ministry and community.
For the Rev. Howard Dotson, the decision to become a chaplain and crime victims’ advocate began when two young men he was talking with were gunned down within a half hour of his meeting. The two were on a street corner raising money for a friend that had been shot and killed two days before.
The emotional wounds from last week’s shootings in Dallas are still fresh for residents as well as for government and spiritual leaders. Since Thursday, faith leaders have prayed and mourned with the community and have begun discussing the best way for the city to heal and to bridge gaps.
Presbyteries in Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas are working to help their communities respond in the wake of several shootings this week that have once again sparked debate over gun violence, racism and use of force by police.
The statistics surrounding gun violence deaths in the United States are staggering. According to the PEW Research Center, more than 30,000 people are killed by firearms each year in this country. More than 30 are shot and murdered each day and half of them are between the ages of 18 and 35. Homicide is the second leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds and the primary cause of death among African Americans of that age group.
As Orlando continues to reel from Sunday’s mass shootings, Presbyterian Church leaders are lifting families, the LGBTQ community and the entire community in prayer. As many as 49 people were killed and dozens wounded in the early morning hours yesterday at the Pulse Orlando Club. The lone suspect, identified as Omar Mateen, 29, of Fort Pierce, Florida, was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police. Authorities are still investigating the motive behind the killings, trying to determine if it was an act of terrorism.
Congregation seeks to reduce gun violence in the U.S. and to provide safe water in Malawi
The ancient biblical vision of turning swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks has stirred the modern-day imagination of Columbia Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia.
