‘I feel your pain.’ Loved ones of gun violence victims gather for Columbus prayer vigil

Mothers, fathers and other loved ones held and comforted one another Saturday during a prayer vigil for individuals lost to gun violence in Columbus.

The vigil was held near the Government Center and began with family members telling the gathered crowd the name of their son, daughter or other loved one who had died. Following that, candles were lighted in their memory.

Following the candle lighting, a series of pastors and other local leaders talked to the crowd about a number of topics, including the importance of voting and the power of prayer and the church.

Rev. Thaddeus Spencer of New Providence Baptist Church in Columbus said he had one aim in coming to the vigil: To help knock down barriers in the community.

“I have one objective and it is to pray to knock it down,” Spencer said. “We’re going to knock down hate, police brutality and racial injustices.”

Ernest Weaver, pastor of Pine City Missionary Baptist Church, echoed Spencer’s statements about prayer. Weaver drew upon his experiences growing up in a single parent household in Columbus and how praying shaped him into the person he is today.

“I always thought that you had to be from an elite family to be successful. I found out as I got a little older that the only family that really matters and (that) you should be connected to was the family of God,” Weaver said.

Also among the attendees were Mayor Skip Henderson, Marshal Greg Countryman and Sheriff Donna Tompkins. All of them expressed condolences to the families and pledged their support to help decrease gun violence incidents in the area.

Henderson also asked that those in attendance try to communicate with somebody who might be having a difficult time or might not seem as stable as they appear.

“I challenge you to reach out to a young person and try to provide some stability for them,” Henderson said. “There are way too many of our young people killing.”

Event organizer Tanya Weaver said it was important to have this event to bring more awareness to the issue of gun violence, especially as the number of shootings continue to increase in Columbus.

“I know your pain. I feel your pain,” she said. “We are all in this together.”

This story was originally published August 29, 2020 at 4:47 PM.