A Dallas church and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) are joining forces this weekend to fight back against gun violence – looking for a cause and cure.
This has been a long-time mission for pastor Richie Butler with St. Luke Community United Methodist Church. In the past year and a half, every Sunday before his sermon, he has had a gun violence ticker. He tells the congregation how many people in the nation have died from gun violence.
“You cannot turn a blind eye when it keeps smacking you in the face. And so that is part of the reason for bringing it, continue to bring it up each week is to sort of hit us and say, ‘What are we going to do?’” Butler said. “So when I bring it up, I don't just bring the stats up. The question I ask us is, ‘What are we going to do?’ And not just us collectively, but individually. We all have a responsibility to do our part.”
Butler said the men in the congregation wanted to do something, especially after a number of shootings in North Texas including at Wilmer Hutchins High School in April.
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This weekend they will hold a gun violence town hall at the church (5710 E. RL Thornton Freeway, Dallas). The town hall is Saturday starting 10 a.m. and Sen. Warnock will give a sermon Sunday at 10 a.m.
