faith in action

Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence

This week, vigils are being held nationwide in honor of those who have lost their lives to gun violence. I encourage you to find one in your area and attend.


Last week, several colleagues and I attended the National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.

It was a moving event. Prayers were offered, songs were sung and litanies read by Muslim, Jewish and Christian clergy, including Church and Society’s general secretary, the Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, and by advocates of various political stripes.

Some of the most powerful prayers and loudest petitions, however, were found in the faces and voices of those who have lost loved ones to gun violence. Some of the clearest moments of call were embedded within the testimonies of those who have survived gun violence themselves.

This week, vigils are being held nationwide in honor of those who have lost their lives to gun violence. I encourage you to find one in your area and attend.

Attending a vigil is one of the most important things we can do in working for gun violence prevention. Bearing witness to those who have died, and standing with those who survive, grounds the work we prayerfully offer on this issue as people of faith and members of the public square.

With that in mind, we offer a save the date for an upcoming event.

We at Church and Society have been working with two people profoundly impacted by gun violence — two United Methodist mothers who lost their sons to gun violence — to plan a healing space and centering space in the midst of advocacy. On Wednesday, Jan. 31 – Thursday, Feb. 1, we are partnering with Heeding God’s Call to End Gun Violence to host a Gun Violence Family and Survivor’s Retreat. The retreat is primarily for participants in the D.C. Metropolitan and surrounding areas (like Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia) at the United Methodist Building in Washington, D.C. If you are interested in attending, please email jmoore@umcjustice.org.

This focus on the lives lost and the personal impact of gun violence is not separate from the work for legislative and grassroots change. Last week, while many of us were preparing for the National Vigil, members in the U.S. House of Representative passed concealed carry reciprocity legislation, legislation which is contrary to our goal of gun violence prevention.

We must not and cannot forget the toll gun violence daily has in our neighborhoods, communities, churches, schools and lives. We must mourn the dead, pray for the survivors, and work to prevent future violence.