End Gun Violence Michigan
We will discuss domestic violence and gun violence in greater detail, review proposed bills to address this issue, share our action plan for the fall, and receive training on how to talk about this issue. We'll also have a space for survivors of domestic violence themselves to receive training on sharing their stories, which we know is both incredibly difficult and important.
We'll be joined by a special guest, State Representative and Speaker Pro Tempore of the Michigan State House Laurie Pohutsky (Livonia). Rep. Pohutsky is a fierce advocate on many issues, including domestic violence. As a survivor of domestic violence herself, she'll be sharing what these bills would mean for Michigan.
Join End Gun Violence Michigan
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Contact Your Elected Officials
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Additional Resources
Click here for more Resources for Gun Violence Prevention
A Call to Address Gun Violence
While we are painfully aware that more than 100 Americans die each day from guns, the recent spate of mass shootings in this country has again heightened our sense of urgency to take action to stem the tide of gun deaths. As an initial response in 2019, First Presbyterian Church Ann Arbor produced the following statement to serve as a guide for our congregation to address this societal scourge with prayer and potential action.
Please read the statement below and consider how you might help in this cause.
First Presbyterian Ann Arbor Commitment to Reduce Gun Violence
We, as members of First Presbyterian Church, in an effort to model the love and the care of Jesus Christ in the world, commit ourselves to work actively to increase the respect and sanctity for life in our community and across our nation. We hear Jesus’s call to us to be peacemakers and lift up this special concern as we pray, worship, study and take action together in the world to reduce gun violence.
We believe we should love our enemies and follow the commandment, “Thou shall not kill.” We will pursue peace through non-violence. We are called to love and bear one another’s burdens without fear, without judgment, without resentment, without enabling, without condemnation and without guilt. We are called to generously share God’s grace with all people.
We agree that as Christians, we will work to diminish fear and violence. We will work to increase our love and safety in a Christian community that allows for differences and opinions. We are not of one mind about the appropriateness of owning or carrying handguns for personal safety. We acknowledge that this discussion is not about guns used for hunting or shooting sports.
As a Christian community, we commit to supporting our neighbors and caring for one another. We commit to welcoming, protecting, and educating our congregation and community. We commit to providing a safe place of worship. We commit to continual prayer for an end to gun violence.
We commit to providing a safe place of worship
We commit to educating our congregation and community
We commit to working in partnership for action and advocacy
We commit to continual prayer for an end to gun violence
Link to PCUSA Resolution-Gun Violence-Gospel Values, Mobilizing in Response to God’s Call:
https://www.pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/acswp/pdf/gun-violence-policy.pdf
Contact
For more information on how you can get involved, please email the Social Justice Action Group at sjag@firstpresbyterian.org