Beloved,
Our hearts are breaking as once again we grieve the loss of police officers who were murdered in the line of duty. I urge us all to pray for the families, friends and colleagues of Bridgewater College Officers John Painter and J.J. Jefferson as they face the reality of the death of their loved ones. It has been reported that Painter and Jefferson were the best of friends. We pray their families will be able to serve as a source of comfort for one another.
Please also lift the friends and family of Officer Fernando Arroyos, Detective Jason Rivera, Corporal Charles Galloway, and Officer Wilbert Mora. All of these public servants were killed by gunfire in the line of duty in 2022. Let us also pray for the healing of so many others who have been injured by gunfire while trying to protect all of us.
The National Fraternal Order of Police reports that 30 officers have been shot in the line of duty in the first 32 days of 2022. The Officer Down Memorial Page lists 62 officers who were intentionally shot to death in 2021. These staggering numbers indicate that this issue needs to be addressed.
Based on our United Methodist understanding of Micah 4:3 and Matthew 5:9, the Book of Resolutions provides some ways in which we can stand with our police officers in order to remove some of the danger from their jobs.
The United Methodist Church urges “congregations to advocate at the local and national level for laws that prevent or reduce gun violence.” Some of those measures, listed in the Book of Resolutions, #3428, include:
- Universal background checks on all gun purchases;
- Ratification of the Arms Trade Treaty;
- Ensuring all guns are sold through licensed gun retailers;
- Prohibiting all individuals under restraining order due to threat of violence from purchasing a gun;
- Prohibiting persons with serious mental illness, who pose a danger to themselves and their communities, from purchasing a gun;
- Ensuring greater access to services for those who have mental illness;
- Establishing a minimum age of 21 years for a gun purchase or possession;
- Banning large capacity ammunition magazines and weapons designed to fire multiple rounds each time the trigger is pulled;
- Promoting new technologies to aid law-enforcement agencies to trace crime guns and promote public safety.
There are also more immediate ways we can support our police officers. I encourage you to reach out to any officers you know and offer a word of encouragement and gratitude. If appropriate, ask them if it would be okay if you prayed for them in that moment.
As you encounter police officers that you do not know, please thank them for the sacrifices they make on our behalf. For those of you who have churches in places where officers “walk the beat,” invite an officer into the church for a cup of coffee. If you are having in-person worship, perhaps you can plan a Sunday where you appreciate police, constables, deputies, and other members of law enforcement. Invite those from your local precinct or municipality and have a social hour in their honor.
Officers Jefferson and Painter were referred to as the “Dynamic Duo.” I pray that they are now able to be a dynamic duo around the throne of God. May it be so. Amen.
Peace and blessings,
Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi
To find out more about what United Methodists are doing about gun violence, visit umcjustice.org/what-we-care-about/peace-with-justice/gun-violence-prevention
