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Dear Brady Members and Supporters,
Last Friday, our family gathered as we marked the 26th anniversary of my husband Jim's shooting. This week, as many families around our country gather together for religious and cultural reasons, I have asked my friend Rev. Rachel Smith to share with us her thoughts about the connection between family, spirituality, and our important gun violence prevention work — a connection that inspired her to start a new program for the Brady organization, called God Not Guns. Please read her message below.
My thanks to Rachel for all she does for our movement. And thank you to everyone in the wider Brady family — donors, activists, Chapters, volunteers, and staff — for your efforts throughout the year to prevent gun violence in America.
Sincerely,
Sarah Brady, Chair
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence
Dear Friends,
During this week that is considered holy to many religions, I remain saddened by the gun violence problems we have in America — and I've come to believe that we must recognize this never-ending loss of life for what it is: a spiritual crisis facing our country.
As people of faith, we must stand witness to the destructive power of gun violence. We must say we will rely not on guns, but on God; we will affirm not guns but life; and we will bless not guns but our common humanity. We must hold a higher value saying that our children's lives are a sacred trust and that human life is more important than the so-called right to bear arms. Let us join together in saying "No More!"
To that end, I am proud to be the founder of God Not Guns, a new Brady Center initiative. The God Not Guns Coalition seeks to raise awareness of gun violence as a spiritual and moral crisis. We call on every congregation, synagogue, mosque, and gathering of people of faith to work toward a peaceable society where all children have the opportunity to grow and prosper, and where everyone can live without fear of being cut down by gun violence.
We invite every faithful individual and faith-based group to join us as we work to prevent the tragic toll of gun violence. Please go to GunNotGuns.org and learn about our work and how you can join our efforts.
Living our faith in ways that build stronger people, families, and communities is a powerful demonstration of our commitment to faith-based living. The loss of nearly 30,000 Americans each year to gun violence demands prophetic response from the faith community.
As many of us reflect on our religious traditions this week, I call on people of faith to act and to awaken to the spiritual issues at the core of gun violence.
Sincerely,
Rev. Rachel Smith
P.S. Please mark your calendars for September 29-30, 2007. This weekend will be the first observance of an annual God Not Guns Sabbath. This observance is being planned in partnership with Riverside Church in New York City. If you want information about how your congregation can participate in this special time of worship please visit the God Not Guns website. It is my hope that congregations of every faith will join us as we mourn the lives lost to gun violence and renew our commitment to the Divine vision of a peaceable kingdom.
Click here to make a tax-deductible donation to the God Not Gun Coalition
Click here to forward this email to friends
You can also mail a check to:
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence
1225 Eye Street NW, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
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