Praying for Uvalde, Texas

Dear Members and Friends of Trinity Church - United Methodist,

Upon hearing the news from Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday, my heart felt like it had been torn from my chest. I write to you today without words to express my grief, my pain, my confusion, my anger, my lament. Today at noon, Trinity Church will join churches and other organizations around the nation ringing our church bell as a sign of support and solidarity with the families and community of Uvalde. Most churches will ring there bell 19 times for the 19 children who tragically lost their life. Our bell is electronic and does not toll individually, but for a period of time. As such, we will ring our bell for 2 minutes at noon.

You are invited to ring your bells as well. If you are part of an organization with a bell, invite your administration to ring it at noon. If you have a bell at home, ring it 19 times in your house or on your front porch. If you do not have a bell handy, set your cell phone to chime at noon. We are all invited to take a moment in prayer to lift up the pain and brokenness we are all experiencing together.

We have been sending our "thoughts and prayers" for over 20 years to communities struggling with tragic mass shootings. As people of faith we know a life of prayer is where we begin, but we pray that God moves us to respond in peaceful ways that keep our schools and houses of worship safe, that addresses the mental health of our communities so everyone feels loved and supported, and offers the grace of Christ in the brokenness of our world and within our souls.

As we pray today at noon with the chiming of bells, you are also invited to check out the messages sent to us by Bishop Jung and the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church.

Take care of yourselves in these challenging times, and know your church family is journeying this path with you.

God bless,

Pastor Eric Taylor