GA Faith Leaders Respond to Texas Church Massacre

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 6, 2017

MEDIA CONTACT

Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org, (202)735-7123

Kahran Myers, kmyers@faithinpubliclife.org, (727) 742-5193

NC Faith Leaders Respond to Texas Church Massacre

CHARLOTTE, NC — On Sunday, a gunman opened fire on parishioners at a service at a small Baptist church in rural Texas, killing at least 26 people. The gunman, who died shortly after the attack, was court-martialed in 2012 for assaulting his wife and child.

Faith leaders in North Carolina issued the following statements:

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Rev. Dr. Nancy Ellett Allison, Pastor, Holy Covenant United Church of Christ (Charlotte, N.C.):

“Gun violence in America can be curbed. Not by locking our congregational doors on Sunday morning or arming our ushers, but by sidestepping power-hungry politicians that seek to block policies that save lives and prevent violence. Now is the time to rid our nation of all assault weapons designed for mass murder.”

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Rev. Dennis W. Foust, PhD, Senior Minister, St. John’s Baptist Church (Charlotte, N.C.):

“The latest massacre is another opportunity for God’s people to rise as one initiating love, grace and peace. Let us live the prayer Jesus taught: ‘Thy kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth as in heaven.’ Let us incarnate and teach God as love – never hate – and minister to those who grieve as well as those who suffer with mental health challenges. And, let us invest our energies in redemption, pursuing actions that are best for the common good amidst violence and evil.”

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Faith in Public Life is a strategy center for the faith community advancing faith in the public square as a powerful force for justice, compassion and the common good.