With the rest of the country, we continue to reel in the wake of the tragic shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.. We feel the reverberations of shock and grief, and we send our deepest prayers to the families and communities who are directly affected.
Police have reported that the suspect was a transgender woman, and already we are witnessing online transphobic attacks and discriminatory words from a few political leaders. As an Affirming Regional Council, we join with Alberta’s church-based Affirming Connections in rejecting “all attempts to exploit this tragedy by harming our beloved Two Spirit, trans, and gender-diverse communities. Weaponizing grief is morally reprehensible and extremely dangerous.”
Our hearts and our focus remain with the victims, families, and communities impacted by this tragedy.
The First Third Ministry of the United Church of Canada has shared a letter and some resources for talking about this tragedy with the young people in our lives. Read their newsletter for support in creating a safe space to process and talk about difficult things with children and youth.
The National United Church has also released a statement, available to read on the United Church of Canada website.
Read on for a call to prayer written by a Northern Spirit minister, Rev. Helen Reed.
As a reminder:
If you are not in the area, please join your prayers to theirs from your own community.The Moderator of the United Church of Canada, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath, has sent pastoral words to churches in the community of Tumbler Ridge, and to those connected in our Region to Chetwynd, BC.Let your steadfast love become my comfort
according to your promise to your servant.
Let your mercy come to me, that I may live,
for your law is my delight. (Psalm 119:76‒77)
A Call to Prayer
Our hearts ache with sorrow as we hear of those who were killed or injured. This is such a tragedy for any community, but in a small community such as Tumbler Ridge everyone will be impacted. Family, friends, neighbours, first responders, a whole school population will never be the same again.
Those of us who can only watch from a distance cannot imagine the road ahead that will be filled with pain and hurt, anger and sorrow, but we pray that it will eventually lead to healing.
We can send our thoughts and prayers on Spirit Wind to the community of Tumbler Ridge. We can join our hearts with so many others and pray for healing, pray that God’s Spirit of Compassion and Love will be tangible in those who are able to be there in the brokenness, to hold them close and hold them up.
These are our neighbours, members of God’s family. Let us love our neighbours the best that we can, let us take a moment to join in vigils in spirit if we can’t be there in person.
Let us pray for peace.
~ Rev. Helen Reed,
Northern Spirit Regional Council
