Please, be the light...
A vigil was held at the Oyen United Church on January 30, 2017 for the victims of the shooting in a Mosque ..the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec...in Quebec City.
The stations for mediation and prayer will remain in The Gallery of the church. They include letters from leaders of the United Church of Canada.
The following is a letter from Rev. Helen Reed.
Last night, someone walked into a mosque in Quebec City and killed six people and left five others in critical condition.
This should horrify us all.
It is part of the core of our Canadian Community that we be free to worship, that our faith be respected, that we can choose whether we worship or we don't. But those choices should not cost us our lives.
It is not enough for our leaders to say..."this is a safe place" WE must stand up and show that violence and hatred is not part of our community.
This affects us all.
The Oyen United Church will be open this evening from 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. for anyone...any faith...who might feel compelled to offer prayers for the victims of this senseless crime, or would show solidarity in community because we know that we can do better...we ARE better than this.
God asks us to Love Our Neighbours, to be the voice of Justice and Compassion in the world.
Let us put aside our differences and gather together in solidarity for peace with God's words as our guide.
Martin Luther King Jr said...
"Darkness can't drive out Darkness; only light can do that.
Hate can't drive out hate; only love can do that."
Let's be the light in the world.
Please, let's be the light in the world.