Interesting service today at church - The Universal Day of Prayer for Students

I wish everyone could have heard the very meaningful sermon at our church today. We honored the Universal Day of Prayer for Students. Presbyterians first participated in that day in February 1893. Each pew had a cut out of a T-shirt with a biography of a child that had been killed in a school shooting this year. We're a small historic church (180 members), we didn't have enough pews for the numbers needed -- even if we gave one cut-out to each person that came through our doors.

Here are a few excerpts from our bulletin:

Hymn: If We Just Talk of Thoughts and Prayers (tune of "Though I May Speak&quot
Copyright 2017 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette - All rights reserved.

If we just talk of thoughts and prayers
And don't live out a faith that dares,
And don't take on the ways of death,
Our thoughts and prayers are fleeting breath.

If we just dream of what could be
And do not build community,
And do not seek to change our ways,
Our dreams of change are false displays.

If we just sing of doing good
And don't walk through our neighborhood
To learn it's hopes, to ease it's pain,
Our talk of good is simply vain.

God, may our prayers and dreams and songs
Lead to a faith that takes on wrongs --
That works for peace and justice, too
Then will our prayers bring joy to you.

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Litany of Remembrance and Advocacy

Let us remember our fellow students who have fallen to people with malcontent in their hearts and guns in their hands.
We will stand up against gun violence.
Let us remember the teachers, school administrators and others who have died trying to keep kids safe.
We will stand up against gun violence.
Let us remember the innocent people who die every day from needless gun violence.
We will stand up against gun violence.
Let our students go to school without fear of violence or lockdown drills that don't solve anything.
We will stand up against gun violence.
Let us take a stand and get guns out of the hands of people who would abuse them.
We will stand up against gun violence.
Let us take action against racism, a primary cause of unreasonable police shootings of young people of color.
We will stand up against gun violence.
Let us take real action and stand behind our "thoughts and prayers" instead of speaking empty words. Let this be a call to
all people in the community to work for a new era of gun laws.
We will stand up against gun violence.

Faith, Grade 9; Luke, Grade 11; Natalie, Grade 12; Sam, Grade 7