By Angela Finet
In recognition of the International Day of Peace, Mountville (Pa.) Church of the Brethren shared in a worship service and public vigil to raise awareness of the magnitude of the national tragedy of gun violence.
On Sunday, Sept. 17, the congregation shared in a litany of remembrance for the 216 children killed each month in the United States due to gun violence (according to Pew Research Center, April 6, 2023). Following worship, the congregation “planted” pinwheels, each representing a child, in the lawn as a public witness to “Seek Peace and Pursue It.”
On Thursday, Sept. 21, they held a public candlelight vigil as an opportunity for the whole community to lament, remember, and witness to God’s call to be people of peace.
— Angela Finet pastors Mountville Church of the Brethren.

Please pray… For the Mountville Church witness in its community, and for all those touched by gun violence.
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- Grants support increased humanitarian needs in South Sudan, among other responses to violence and war
- Messenger magazine receives three awards from the Associated Church Press