Local churches in Ferguson, Missouri are serving as safe havens for the community in the midst of turmoil and one local pastor is calling on Christians to promote peace and healing.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church is among several local ministries that have opened their doors to the public in the wake of civil unrest and Rector Rev. Steven Lawler called for compassion and lots of prayer.
On Monday, a St. Louis grand jury in the Michael Brown case announced that it would not indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson over the shooting death of the-late teen.
Lawler’s church has been a safe haven for local school children amid growing “fear and frustration.” On Tuesday an estimated 50 children came.
“We are a safe haven for children who are out of school because the schools closed yesterday. We have some teachers here and some food and we’ve been responding to families who have their kids with them today because schools were closed,” Lawler told The Christian Post. “We partnered with some other churches. [The] concern is to be here for kids and families, so we wanted to be a place of hospitality and we certainly have people here praying but this was a way for us to work with the community to provide a safe place for kids.”
Since the Aug. 9 shooting death of Brown, protesters have taken to the streets daily demanding justice in the form of Wilson’s arrest.
Shortly after news of the grand jury announcement broke, activists across the nation launched demonstrations protesting the outcome. According to reports, some looters smashed windows out of police cars as well as several businesses before setting them ablaze which has left local residents in fear…Read More
Source and Original Content by Christian Post