I was working on a report about the Church’s response to gun violence as I watched the news conference regarding the shooting at the Greenwood Park Mall in Indianapolis.
It is as though we are stuck in a lingering lament. A nightmare where the innocent die in a hail of bullets. Trauma and tragedy are passed from one community after another. When will it end?
Our prayers are with the Greenwood community. Our prayers are with you, mothers, fathers, siblings, and neighbors who grieve near and far.
Let us pray, for it is all—and the best—we can do in a time like this.
O God of Life and Love,
Bring us to a better place where this daily violence is no longer our reality. Grant us the courage and fortitude to make changes that will bring this pain to an end. Help us, Lord, to help one another. Amen.
Bishop Julius C. Trimble
Resident Bishop
Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church