Tara Bennett, chair of the Peace and Justice Committee, discusses how Church of the Redeemer is putting its prayers into action through gun safety in our community.
Through the bidding of the bishop, the vestry at Redeemer commisioned the clergy to acknowledge an ongoing issue happening in our country and community: gun violence. Now, if you attend a Sunday morning service at the Church of the Redeemer, you will be struck by the church’s focus on addressing the crisis of gun violence in our community and country. During each service, clergy bless and light an orange vigil candle in the votive stand. During the prayers of the people, an additional petition is added to the general petition for the dead, and five recent victims of gun violence are mentioned by name.
Redeemer is also putting its prayers into action. In September, Redeemer hosted a Be SMART presentation by the diocesan Peace and Justice Committee to learn about safe storage practices and protecting children from gun violence, such as homicide, suicide or unintentional shooting. Volunteers at Redeemer’s Northland Infant Clothing Closet ministry now distribute and display Be SMART materials in English and Spanish to all of its customers and is working with the Platte County Sheriff’s Department to obtain and distribute free gun locks to anyone who needs one to secure guns in their home.
If you are interested in ways your church or group can start to address gun violence in our community, contact Tara Bennett, chair of the Peace and Justice Committee at peaceandjustice@diowestmo.org.