February 13, 2023
I am heartbroken at the reports of the shooting at Michigan State University and that once again our state and our country is faced with a senseless tragedy. I am heartbroken that East Lansing joins a long list of communities affected by gun violence that our country cannot seem to stop from occurring. We ask God to help us understand these tragedies, comfort our grief and sorrow, and guide us to a new path of peace.
I grieve with the Michigan State Community for those who have been injured, those who have lost their lives, and their families. I continue to pray for the students and staff sheltering in place, the parents waiting helplessly at home, and the police and medical professionals responding to the situation. I have been in conversation with Pastors Gary Bunge and Haley Vay Beaman of University Lutheran Church in East Lansing and we will continue to support the students and the Michigan State community in any way we can.
While in these moments we often turn to prayer, we must also remember to take action in stopping these tragedies from occurring both in our state and across the country. Therefore, I will be meeting with other Michigan faith leaders tomorrow to discuss how to make common sense gun reforms to address the senseless gun violence that has once again marred our state.
God, our healer and refuge, we pray for all who suffer from gun violence. With your mercy, bind up their wounds, restore their bodies, and heal their hearts. Comfort the mourners and embrace the lonely. With your might, empower us to change this broken world. Make us advocates for a stable society, alive with hope in you. We ask this through the one once wounded for our transgressions and now standing in our sorrows, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. (ACS p.49)
Peace,
The Rev. Craig Alan Satterlee, Ph.D., Bishop