A Response to Violence: UCC GMP Releases Statement on Recent Events

The Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, UCC General Minister and President/CEO has released a statement and prayer addressing the recent incidents of violence in the United States. She calls the church to pray for the families and communities who have experienced grief and loss, and to pray for those dealing with the aftermath of these events. Her full statement is below.

Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise… The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.  Isaiah 60:18,20b 

On September 10, 2025, the United States was once again visited by violence. The murder of Charlie Kirk was an act of violence that should not be applauded or tolerated. At Evergreen High School in Colorado, two students were injured by another student who opened fire in the school then took his own life with that gun. 

Today, we pray with families and communities who have experienced grief and loss, we pray for those who have lost their loved ones in these recent tragedies. May they find peace and comfort in the days ahead as they lay these souls to rest. We pray for the injured and their care givers. We pray for those who mourn.

Pastoral care is needed for people and communities who are experiencing the loss of these lives in different ways. Ours is ministry to those in need and suffering, and for those who will minister to these families and accompany them on the journey to healing and hope. We pray for their strength.

The murder of Charlie Kirk was a targeted act of violence, as was the school shooting. These are not isolated acts of violence, instead they are the latest incidents to bring attention to this epidemic of violence. In June of this year, Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman were murdered in their home, while Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman were shot and seriously injured in their home by the same gunman. These were also targeted acts of violence, as are the shootings that have taken place over the years in houses of worship, affecting Christians and those of other faith traditions. 

Yesterday’s shooting in Colorado is the 46th school shooting in the United States this year and occurred just weeks after children were killed and injured at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. Our nation’s schools have become places of fear and anxiety, rather than places of safety for our children and teachers. Our young people, like so many adults, are turning to violence, rather than finding ways to resolve the challenges they experience and the issues that are emerging around them.

Violence is not to be condoned and is not an answer to resolving the differences that are a part of our social fabric. There are differences of opinion on any number of issues. Theological and political differences are not an invitation to hurt and harm others, or to end the lives of others. 

The United Church of Christ strongly condemns these acts of violence, and continues to call for a renewal of civil discourse in our communities. We mourn with those who mourn, longing for a time when violence shall no more be heard in our land.

And, on this day, when the United States commemorates the 24th anniversary of the violence of September 11, 2001, we remember the lives lost on that day and continue to pray for those who lost their loved ones. We pray for an end to the violence and live with hope for a future where peace prevails for all.

Bring us back from the edge, O Lord, the edge where our humanity frays. Draw us closer to your everlasting light, as our lives are impacted again by the violence that pulses around us. Grant us wisdom to lower the guns and to eliminate the rhetoric which has become a relentless stream of violence. Provide us with words of hope where hope feels elusive and our desire for change seems long in coming. 

Cleanse from us the toxic hate which fills our media, oozes into our town halls and public squares, and seeps into our schools and faith communities. May your love find us in new ways as we wrestle with the anger and animosity surrounding us. 

We know that your light still shines, your path of peace remains close by, your Spirit is ever ready to guide us beyond the edge and into your love. Open our hearts to seek, find, and follow you. End the violence. Bring us back from the edge, O Lord we pray. Amen. 

Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson
General Minister and President/CEO
United Church of Christ

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