A statement from Bishop L. Jonathan Holston:
Bishop Holston
Here we are again.
Once more, we find ourselves in anguish over the loss of young lives in a mass shooting – this time with 17 dead and more than a dozen wounded at a high school in South Florida. Less than two months into this year, 30 mass shootings have been reported in our country.
We pray for those young people suffering from bullet wounds. We pray for the families of the dead and injured students and teachers. We pray for those who have been traumatized by what they have seen in their school, in what should be a safe place.
We thank God for the first responders, teachers and others who put their lives at risk to protect and save the innocent; for the doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who work to heal; for the volunteers who donate life-saving blood, both this week and year-round.
Many of you have heard me say there is a difference between wishing and hoping. Hoping includes a plan for fulfilling our wishes. As a society, we must move from wishing that this escalating problem will improve to hoping that it will by taking concrete steps to make our communities safer and reduce the possibilities of mass shootings.
As United Methodists committed to social justice and opposed to gun violence, we know we must address this escalating, yet preventable, slaughter of innocents.
For some of us, hoping means developing relationships with at-risk youth in our communities, surrounding them with a community of support and accountability. This work requires time, courage and an investment of ourselves and our resources.
For some of us, hoping means working with our legislators to develop realistic strategies that reduce the frequency of mass shootings while also supporting responsible gun ownership. The two do not have to be mutually exclusive. This work also requires time and courage.
For some of us, hoping means working as a congregation alongside and within the schools in our communities to support teachers and school personnel in making sure that troubled young people don’t escape notice and slip through the cracks. Again, courage, time and personal investment will make the difference.
In this season of Lent, we must continue to pray for victims, survivors and their families. Let us also pray for the courage to put feet to our faith and to act in ways that bring healing and hope to a culture of fear and despair.
Congregational Specialist Chris Lynch has pulled together some resources for youth workers and other adults who are helping young people process the aftermath of a school shooting.
I also encourage you to take to heart the words of Bishop Ken Carter, resident bishop of the Florida Conference, which includes the community of Parkland.
Grace and peace,
L. Jonathan Holston
Resident Bishop
South Carolina Conference
The United Methodist Church
Click here to read Bishop Carter’s statement.
Click here to check out resources to help
youth deal with school shootings.
February 16, 2018
