Hello my friends, grace and peace to you all.
This upcoming weekend is National Gun Violence Awareness weekend and, Deacon Meribah will be preaching this serious issue. With that in mind, we will have a few upcoming spaces to discuss and engage with this issue:
Sunday, June 4 10:00 a.m. at Trinity@316 Gun violence awareness will be addressed in the sermon, and we will have a brief community discussion about gun violence after announcements. You will be invited to share your comments so that the Trinity community can begin to address gun violence. *Child care will be available in the Nursery room during the service, for parents and caregivers who wish to use it.
Sunday, June 4 3:00 p.m. On the Exhale play at Trinity (add description of the play here, cost of tickets, etc.)
Wednesday, June 7 7:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to log into a Zoom session to hear the results of the community discussion during the interactive sermon on June 4. The Zoom link will be emailed to everyone on Trinity’s email list for Trinity Topics.
Sunday, June 11 11:15 a.m. Everyone is invited to participate in a meeting after the Trinity@316 service on June 11, to be held upstairs in My Brother’s Place. We’ll discuss the results of the community discussion on June 4, and begin to address gun violence. Refreshments will be served.
As of writing we have already had 12 instances of gun violence in Lucas County:
5/19 Kayla Coleman (35) Homicide (https://gunmemorial.org/OH/toledo)
Jeremy Black (49) Homicide (https://gunmemorial.org/OH/toledo)
4/21 Mark David Wortham (17) Homicide (https://gunmemorial.org/OH/toledo)
4/19 D’marea Thornton (19) Homicide (https://gunmemorial.org/OH/toledo)
4/16 Levell Saunders (34) Homicide (https://gunmemorial.org/OH/toledo)
4/14 Justice Williams (16) Homicide (https://gunmemorial.org/OH/toledo)
Jameson Turnbull (16) Homicide (https://co.lucas.oh.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1758)
4/10 Jaden Skaggs (15) Homicide (https://gunmemorial.org/OH/toledo)
2/15 Donald Hogan (15) Accident (https://gunmemorial.org/OH/toledo)
1/25 Anthony Krug-Overton (16) Homicide (https://gunmemorial.org/OH/toledo)
1/24 Jason Means (47) Homicide (https://co.lucas.oh.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1742)
1/9 DeAsia Green (15) Homicide (https://gunmemorial.org/OH/toledo)
Gun violence is a real issue in our community even though we may not feel it or recognize it on the daily.
We are also encouraging everyone to wear orange in solidarity for those who know, have been a victim of, or are fighting against the issue of gun violence. For more information please follow this link.
Finally, after service we will be holding a quick Worship Leader Training for those interested in participating in Sunday morning volunteer work, but haven’t had the opportunity to learn the ropes. It’ll be directly after service in the sanctuary, by the baptismal font and plexiglass giving box.
I look forward to seeing you all more in this next week as we move closer to the people we are called to be: radically welcoming, always loving, justice oriented followers of God.
Grace and peace,
George Benson (he/him)
(Image from: www.wearorange.org)