Rev. Amy S. Zimbelman is the conference minister for Mountain States Mennonite Conference. Her statement was originally published on the conference website.
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Ten people were killed in Boulder, Colorado, on March 22, 2021, when a gunman opened fire at a King Soopers grocery store near Boulder Mennonite Church.
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When I heard the breaking news, I asked Pastor Randy Spaulding of Boulder Mennonite Church what I/Mountain States Mennonite Conference could do to support those in Boulder.
“We really don’t know anything at this time. Just pray that all involved are OK and those that are hurt may heal,” he said.
Thank God, I learned that no one from Boulder Mennonite Church was there. But, by the end of the day, we learned that 10 people were killed. Ten beloved children of God.
God, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
And so this morning, I joined the Prayerstream vigil in Boulder to pray. It was held at Boulder Mennonite Church, a house of peace located just down the street from the grocery store that experienced such horrifying violence. About 30 folks were in person, and about 30 of us joined virtually from around the world to pray.
We prayed for the victims’ families whose loved ones didn’t wake up today. We grieved a country obsessed with guns. We quoted song lyrics to each other, and someone from Sweden sang about light. We felt in our collective soul a longing for God’s peace, that this is not how it should be. Someone who used to shop at that store and someone who works at the church pondered: “That could have been me.” Someone else said: “I’m shocked and I’m not shocked.”
Our prayers will be continued by those in the community, as Boulder Mennonite Church opens its grounds to make space for prayer outside of the police tape.
We send our love and God’s peace to the church and to all in the city of Boulder.
It is hard to find words to speak in the face of unspeakable violence, and so today, from a place of lament and without any answers, this is the prayer my mind keeps returning to:
God, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
God, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Amen.
For further reading
- Call to prayer and action in response to tragedies of gun violence, a blog by Mennonite Church USA Staff with Michael Martin, director of RAWtools
- Mennonite Church USA announces collaboration with RAWtools, Inc.
Action items for churches to #BringThePeace in response to gun violence
- Use “A Loaded Conversation: An Invitation to Talk About Guns,” the dialogue resource from Mennonite Central Committee U.S. and RAWtools.
- Visit the MC USA-RAWtools collaboration page and become a part of the RAWtools Disarming network to help facilitate gun donations in your community.
- Donate your gun to be turned into a garden tool.
- Become aware of the legislation at your local, state and federal level and use your collective voice for change.
- Be aware of suicide prevention organizations in your area.
- Use Restorative Justice practices for conflict mediation.