Worship

By ERIC FOLKERTH

Thoughts and prayers

May God help us to create change in the face of gun violence

Iattended a town-hall meeting recently where members of our community came to share their concerns, following the horrific school shooting in Uvalde. The gathering was at one of our Oak Cliff elementary schools.

It was attended by four of our area state representatives —including Texas state representatives Rafael Anchía and Jessica González — as well as many leaders from DISD security and mental health professionals.

One of the themes that kept recurring is that for young children and their parents, the pandemic, followed by this shooting, has truly traumatized families.

Families are still trying to find an elusive sense of “normal” and stability. Parents are wrestling with how much information to share with their children about these horrific events. Local leaders — many of whom *truly do want to act* to change our laws in ways that will keep children safer — feel stymied by powerful forces that resist change.

I prayed to open the event. But, before I prayed, I spoke about *what* I would pray, and why. I told the crowd that after any number of mass shootings in the United States, leaders often call for “thoughts and prayers.”

But, as these shootings continue to happen with troubling frequency, it can feel frustrating to hear this call to prayer, with little or no action that follows.

Therefore, I reminded the crowd, there are really two ways people can mean the phrase “thoughts and prayers.” 1.“Thoughts and prayers” can be a wall, to defend leaders against acting for change. 2. “Thoughts and prayers” can be a desperate plea for spiritual comfort and help, but also a call to action.

It’s within this second understanding that I prayed. And I thought I’d close this essay by sharing that prayer here:

Holy, Compassionate, and Just God, Hear the prayers of our broken hearts.

Holy One, we know that you are able to bring new life out of heartbreak. Even when nothing is ever quite the same, when hearts overflow with grief, you are planting seeds of new life.

But God, we know that you need us to act, not just pray.

May our prayers lead us to LISTEN to our mutual and individual concerns for our own children and for their safety.

May our prayers lead us to ACT to stand up to powerful interests who seem to place their wishes ahead of the safety of our children.

May our prayers lead us to WISDOM that we might not overreact in fear, and by doing so cause more anxiety.

Help us to find that challenging middle ground between responding to real threat and living in constant fear.

We pray for all the elected and appointed officials here today. We pray for all the beautiful staff and children of all our schools. We pray for the courage to stand up to the powerful who resist change. We pray for our own children. And we confess the fear we have for them, and our helplessness to sometimes know how to encourage and dispel their fears.

Amid our confusion, help us to listen to each other as neighbors and friends and move beyond words, to action.

For if our prayers are merely words, we know that they are not acceptable to you, O God.

So give us courage to listen, to change, to pray, to act.

In your holy name we pray all these things.

Amen.

ERIC FOLKERTH IS SENIOR PASTOR AT KESSLER PARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. CALL 214.560.4212 OR EMAIL SALES@ADVOCATEMAG.COM FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION.

WORSHIP

BAPTIST

CLIFF TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH / 125 Sunset Ave. / 214.942.8601 Serving Oak Cliff since 1898 / CliffTemple.org / English and Spanish 9 am Contemporary Worship / 10 am Sunday School / 11 am Traditional

GRACE TEMPLE BAPTIST Come to a Place of Grace! Sunday Worship: English Service 9:30am / Spanish Service 11:00am 831 W. Tenth St. / 214.948.7587 / gracetempledallas.org

CATHOLIC

ST. CECILIA CATHOLIC PARISH / StCeciliaDallas.org / 1809 W Davis St. Saturday - Bilingual Mass 5PM; Sunday – English Masses 7:30AM & 11AM; Spanish Masses 9AM & 1PM

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185 Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel 10:50 am - Sanctuary / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

EPISCOPAL

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH / ChristChurchDallas.org Sunday School: 11:15am /Mass: 9am & 10am English, 12:30pm Español Wednesday Mass: 6pm English, 8pm Español / 534 W. Tenth Street

METHODIST

TYLER STREET CHURCH / Join us @tylerstreet.church / 927 W.10th St. / 214-946-8106 / Study of God’s Word Contemporary / Anderson Hall Sat 5 pm / Traditional & Worship Sunday 10 am Tylerstreet.com

KESSLER PARK UMC / 1215 Turner Ave./ 214.942.0098 I kpumc.org 10:30am Sunday School/11:00 Worship /All are welcome regardless or race, creed, culture, gender or sexual identity.

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

KESSLER COMMUNITY CHURCH / 2100 Leander Dr. at Hampton Rd. “Your Hometown Church Near the Heart of the City.” 10:30 am Contemporary Service / kesslercommunitychurch.com

TRINITY CHURCH OAK CLIFF / Love God. Love Others. Make Disciples. Sundays 10:00 am / Worship & children’s Sunday School 1139 Turner Ave. / trinitychurchoakcliff.org

PRESBYTERIAN

PARK CITIES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH/ 4124 Oak Lawn Ave Sunday Worship 9:00 & 11:00 A.M. To all this church opens wide her doors - pcpc.org

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