from the NIC weekly e-News dated 10/5/2017
Suffering and sadness now come through this mass shooting in Las Vegas as we also continue to pray, work and advocate for relief for Puerto Rico and continued cleanup in Texas and Florida. In the hours and days following the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, United Methodists were there to help and provide comfort. Desert Springs United Methodist Church in Las Vegas offered housing for families coming to help care for loved ones in the hospitals, provided food, clothing, water, baby supplies and donated blood.
On Tuesday night, 160 people gathered in the church’s sanctuary for a prayer service for the victims, their families, first responders and the many medical professionals who are caring for the hundreds of injured. “The service was a very moving experience, one that brought some comfort and hope to the pain of tragedy,” said the Rev. David Devereaux, the congregation’s senior pastor.
Bishop Robert T. Hoshibata, who leads the Desert Southwest Conference that encompasses Las Vegas, called on church members to pray but also invited them to take action including reading Scripture such as Psalm 130: 1-6.
“As Christ followers who are called to love all persons, we recoil at these violent and senseless killings,” the bishop wrote. “To help us through a time of heavy heart such as this, when our spirits sink with hopeless despair and anger, we turn to God’s Word and we lift our prayers to God for hope and healing.”
Resources for Responding
Bishop Robert T. Hoshibata’s statement
Trauma resources for ministry with children
Worship resources for times of crisis
Ways to take a stand against gun violence
Overview on how the church responds to violence