MILWAUKEE — Along the edges of the Milwaukee RiverWalk in Père Marquette Park, hundreds of Presbyterians from across the country gathered for Community Action Day preceding the 227th General Assembly plenaries.
“Healing Not Harm: A Walk Against Gun Violence” was the event co-sponsored by the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness (OPW) and this assembly’s host presbytery, the Presbytery of Milwaukee. Director at PC(USA) Advocacy Offices Jimmie Hawkins and the Presbytery of Milwaukee’s Presbyter for Ministry Vitality Ann Gibbs worked closely to plan and organize the event.
The event took place from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, June 27. After time for fellowship and access to resources and demonstrations, speakers took the stage to share the impact of gun violence on their lives. The event ended with a group walk against gun violence, where demonstrators walked a 1-mile route, marching from the park to City Hall and back.
The cause, Gibbs felt, is close to the hearts of many Presbyterians: “From rural communities to cities, gun violence is, unfortunately, something that unites us across the church and throughout the country. Rather than rallying around only a local issue, we wanted to bring people together around something we can all work to address.”
Among the resources at the event was a demonstration by Guns to Gardens, an organization that follows a movement led by RAWtools. Following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December 2012, and inspired by the prophetic image of beating swords into plowshares, Mennonite Pastor Mike Martin dreamed of a way to put Isaiah 2:4 – “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks”– into practice.
Martin founded RAWTools, which coordinates blacksmiths across the country for this unique program. The program grew after best-selling Christian author Shane Claiborne joined the effort. He and Martin co-authored the book, Beating Guns: Hope for People Who Are Weary of Violence.
“There’s a lot of forgiveness in heating…” says retired Lutheran pastor Jeff Wild, who was the blacksmith on site from RAWTools. Those attending the event were able to witness Jeff in action and had the option to purchase jewelry, statues, and tools later in the day at the Town Square event. All proceeds from the Guns to Gardens sales at the town square went to support the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship.
At the other end of the park, speakers gathered under a gazebo, including Jeanine Oakes Daughetery, pastor of North Shore Presbyterian Church, who opened the event, speaking on the vast impact of gun violence in the United States. She ended with her hope looking forward: “The epidemic of gun violence that burdens our nation does not have to define our future.”
Dr. Andrew Peterson, a representative for peacemaking and gun violence prevention in the Office of Public Witness, encouraged attendees to actively participate in their communities.
Margery Rossi, pastor of South Presbyterian Church in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and the acting director for gun violence prevention at Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, highlighted the work of the fellowship for gun violence prevention. Ending her speech with a simple call from 1 John 3:18: “Let us love, not just in word or speech, but in truth and action. Amen.”
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Frank Cimorelli shared his story of losing his son Cam to gun violence, calling for increased precautions when buying guns for those with a history of mental health struggles, and urging parents to have communication with their children’s doctors when it comes to mental health.
Debra Gillispie, founder of Mothers Against Gun Violence and a Christian, shared her story of losing her son, Kirk Patrick Bickham Jr., to gun violence. She left attendees with a call to take action: “In faith spaces, we are called not only to pray but to act.”
Hawkins then took the stage to thank the speakers and call on participants to begin the group walk to City Hall. Volunteers from the Presbytery of Milwaukee helped direct attendees safely throughout the walk.
Prayer was also at the center of the event. In a society where “thoughts and prayers” are often just performative statements, this event aimed to truly step into the power and unity of prayer.
“Even during Community Day itself, multiple people will die from gun violence. That’s a sobering reality.”
During the walk to and from City Hall, participants were encouraged to pray together every 12 minutes, the frequency at which someone loses their life to gun violence in the United States. “Stopping every 12 minutes helps people realize just how often lives are lost to gun violence,” Gibbs stated. “Even during Community Day itself, multiple people will die from gun violence. That’s a sobering reality.”
Prayer cards titled “A Prayer to End Gun Violence,” written by Hawkins, were handed out and read aloud once the group reached City Hall. The prayer ends with a call to heal: “In the name of the Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus, please heal our wounded world. Amen.”
In their coordination of the event, Gibbs and Hawkins were intentional about the power of praying together. Hawkins shared about prayer as the church’s foundation, “As people of faith – and as the Presbyterian Church – we believe deeply in the power of prayer. Everything we do begins with prayer. We pray, then we act, then we pray again, and then we continue acting. Prayer undergirds everything.”
“As people of faith – and as the Presbyterian Church – we believe deeply in the power of prayer.”
Gibbs added, “Prayer has the power to motivate us so that when we’re finished praying, we actually go out and live the prayers we’ve prayed.”
For those who were not able to participate in the walk, other resources such as a prayer station, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance information, and a film room showing videos and documentaries highlighting efforts to address gun violence. Different organizations hosted interactive resource tables at the Baird Center.
Gibbs shared that resources from the event will be available on the PC(USA) website, including some of the video clips from New Mexicans Against Gun Violence, Guns to Gardens, and resources from several participating organizations. “That way,” Gibbs says, “people who aren’t attending the assembly can still connect with these materials and find ways to take action in their own communities.”
Hawkins hoped the community day would extend beyond the walk. “We want people to leave encouraged to not only care about issues like gun violence, but to faithfully engage in the work of justice wherever they live.”
