In the wake of the school shooting in Florida, the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church has issued a statement of grief, mourning the victims of the shootings and called for prayers of repentance from the culture of death and cycle of violence.
The statement issued by Florida Area Resident Bishop Ken Carter, who is also the incoming president of the Council of Bishops, reads as follows:
“On this Ash Wednesday, our services announced the biblical imperative to “repent and believe the gospel.” In light of today’s shootings, we repent from our participation in a culture of death, we acknowledge the harm we do to others, and we claim the power of the cross that breaks the cycle of violence and retaliation. We also grieve with the communities of Parkland and Coral Springs, Florida, in the deaths of seventeen persons and the wounding of many others on the campus of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. A number of surrounding United Methodist Churches have students at this school, and our connection will support their healing ministry in the days ahead.”
