Winnetka Congregational Church Invites the Community to an Open Prayer Vigil

Winnetka, IL ― The Orlando killing spree is unequivocally a tragedy unto itself. It raises or intensifies profound questions about views and treatment of LGBTQ people, about what restrictions might be placed upon gun ownership, about views and treatment of our Muslim brothers and sisters, about how to reach out to the dispossessed, and about the capacity of hateful ideologies to prey upon people who are disaffected or disenfranchised in whatever way.

Unavoidably and equally, the Orlando mass shooting is also an event that triggers and re-activates other losses, traumas, and trepidations, both past and ongoing, both global and local―such as the murder of British MP Jo Cox, the one-year anniversary of the Charleston church mass killing, the still-soaring murder rate in Chicago, and ongoing tensions between the African-American community and the Chicago Police Department, to name but a few.

There is no fast, easy, fixed, or one-size-fits-all response in the face of any one of these events or upsets, let alone in the face of all of them as they swirl together in a maelstrom of issues, energies, and emotions.

Many folks from all walks of life are feeling upset, disrupted, unsure, and, often… overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the gravity of such events. Overwhelmed at their brutality and apparent frequency. And, overwhelmed by the question of what to think and how to respond as people of faith―both within the context of one’s own faith tradition and, more broadly, within the context of a religiously pluralistic world.

For anyone who may be feeling the weight of ongoing, recent, and/or re-triggered events, the Winnetka Congregational Church sanctuary will be open on Wednesday, June 22 from 4 P.M. to 7 P.M. so that people can pray, light a prayer candle, mourn, or simply to sit in sacred silence. The Winnetka Congregational Church pastoral staff will be available should anyone wish to talk, to process, or pray together.

The sanctuary will be open. And all are welcome, no matter one’s feelings or faith tradition.

For more information, please contact:

Winnetka Congregational Church

847-441-3400

wccexecutivecommittee@gmail.com