Oct. 1, 2015
Beloved Church and Community Family, the grace and
peace of Jesus Christ be with you.
I write to you this evening as both your pastor and
fellow community member of Lincoln, Illinois in
regards to the tragic shooting that took place today
(Thursday, October 1, 2015)
on a community college campus in Roseburg, Oregon.
First, I write to you as a pastor. When I heard the
news of today’s shooting that took place on the
campus of Umpqua Community College my heart broke.
As many of you know, our church is engaging in a
four-week study on gun violence and our gospel
values. Just last night we talked about recent
shootings that have taken place. Today, we add
another to that list. As a pastor, I urge you to pray
with and for those in Roseburg, Oregon. Pray for the
victims, their families, those wounded, those who
will do the difficult work of bringing order to the
chaos, and, yes, pray for the one who committed the
act of violence. What exactly do we pray for? That
is up to you. But, perhaps we could pray for peace.
As your pastor, I encourage you to take time to
ponder your baptism. Why this during such a time as
this? In our baptism we are claimed, named, and
etched into the family of God, not as sinners but as
God’s very own. In the waters of baptism we are
affirmed of our goodness, of our beauty, and gifted
with faith—a faith that believes, even in the
darkest of times, that God is present. Somehow.
Someway. Somewhere. More importantly, by returning
to the waters of baptism, we are reminded of our
shared story as human beings, that God calls us to
protect the lives of all within the human community,
as each is loved by our creator, God. No one, and I
mean no one, should ever be victims of violence.
Finally, as children of God, we are called to be
ambassadors of God’s love, ushering the reign of God
with our financial and material resources, but
especially with our lives. Thus, I would like to
extend an invitation to you to join us regularly
before worship during October at 9:30am on Sunday
mornings for a prayer service where we commit
ourselves each week to seeking new and active ways
of effectively bringing a life-saving change, both
to our community and to our own lives.
Now, as a concerned citizen of the United States,
but specifically of Lincoln, Illinois, I write to
ask the question: what are we in Lincoln, Illinois
doing to prevent such an event from happening in our
community? As a member of this Logan County
membership, I ask the question: how is my local
government educating our community about gun safety?
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The statistics are alarming in regards to
deaths caused by firearms. According to a 2007
report from the International Association of Chiefs
of Police 2007 Great Lakes Summit on Gun Violence,
over 100,000 people are shot by guns. 30,896 of
these victims die yearly. Perhaps the main question
I ask, as one who loves the city of Lincoln, a city
that houses two college campuses, which make up our
membership: what are we doing, or can we do to
prevent such an event from happening in our schools,
our churches, our places of social gathering, and in
our homes?
As one who grew up walking the fields, small game
with my grandfather, a veteran of World War II, I am
not advocating for a ban on all guns. But as a
pastor and concerned citizen, I plead with my
neighbors, hunters, and law-enforcement officials
who regularly handle firearms properly, to be wise
examples in reducing risks and teaching others how
to prevent these senseless acts of violence.
More importantly, I write pleading that we, as a
community, begin engaging in conversation as a way
to prevent us from becoming numb to gun related
events, because they happen, not in our backyards,
but across the country or upstate.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, they will
be called children of God.” My beloved community, I
invite you to join me on the corners of Kickapoo and
Broadway, Thursday morning, October 8th at 10am, for
vigil and to plant a peacemaking seed through
prayer.
Sincerely,
[The Rev. Adam Ryan Quine
First Presbyterian Church of Lincoln] |
