Prayer rally to address violence in Columbus

Community violence will be the focus of a prayer rally held in Columbus this weekend.

The third annual Prayer Rally for Peace and an End to Violence - sponsored by Mayor Teresa Tomlinson and the Mayor’s Commission on Unity, Diversity and Prosperity - will be held 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the St. Luke Ministry Center, 301 11th St.

“This Prayer Rally is yet another way of uniting our citizens with a common purpose — that of expressing a desire to eradicate violence,” organizers of the rally wrote in a news release. “Our diverse beliefs and our diverse faith traditions encourage prayer as a means of, in this instance, conveying our desire for pervasive calm and peace.”

The rally will include prayers “that address the desires of a community hoping to avert, or when necessary, cope with the effects of violence,” according to the press release. The mayor will kick-off the hour long event, which is expected to attract local ministers, activists, victims, and youths. A community unity choir will present special music.

“It will be one of the best spent hours of the day,” said Tomlinson. “There is nothing more uplifting than to see people gathered, transcending differences and supporting a cause that espouses a positive outcome.”

This story was originally published June 8, 2016 at 11:20 AM with the headline "Prayer rally to address violence in Columbus."